Today we will be learning about one of the darkest influential figures of European culture: the Marquis de Sade, the man who literally inspired the term “sadism.” He was a French aristocrat, philosopher, and writer of graphic sexual works. His writing pushed the envelope with descriptions of intense sexual violence and blasphemy against the Catholic Church.   Recommended Episodes: Ep01 – JFK’s Sexual Exploits Ep08 – Alfred Kinsey (Part II)   Sources: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-was-marquis-de-sade-180953980/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marquis-de-Sade https://www.biography.com/writer/marquis-de-sade https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20141006-marquis-de-sade-still-shocking https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2885224.Marquis_de_Sade https://theconversation.com/marquis-de-sade-depraved-monster-or-misunderstood-genius-its-complicated-145576 https://www.britannica.com/topic/sadism https://theconversation.com/marquis-de-sade-depraved-monster-or-misunderstood-genius-its-complicated-145576#:~:text=During%20his%20lifetime%2C%20Sade%20was,the%20aphrodisiac%20%E2%80%9CSpanish%20fly%E2%80%9D justine-marquis-de-sade-7463.html"> https://penandthepad.com/synopsis-justine-marquis-de-sade-7463.html https://www.britannica.com/topic/Justine-novel-by-Sade https://www.britannica.com/topic/120-Days-of-Sodom