Written during the notorious Marquis's long imprisonment for indecency and blasphemy, these comparatively benign cautionary tales eloquently mock the hypocrisy of draconian lawgivers (in “The Windbags of Provence”), lascivious clerics (“The Husband Who Turned Priest”), and even Sade's own mortally offended mother-in-law (“Emilie de Tourville”). The graceful title novella offers a scathing and ribald portrayal of a fictional Judge (Fontanis) based on a real one (de Fontien) who had been instrumental in putting the anarchic nobleman away. Most of the 11 shorter tales are, as noted, defenses of free love in all its varied forms or spirited vilifications of those who presume to limit its expression. An elegant addition to an important (if troubling) “oeuvre,” skillfully translated and handsomely presented.
