Riveted By The Voice: The Sadean City at Silling

Author(s): Moira Fradinger

Source: French Forum, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Spring 2005), pp. 49-66
Published by: University of Nebraska Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40552385
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MoiraFradinger

RivetedBy The Voice

The SadeanCityat Silling

Sade's "récitle plusimpurqui aitjamais étéfaitdepuisque le monde

existe"(60) l- Les CentVingtJournées de Sodome(1785)- has been
so oddlyneglectedbycriticsthatin herinfluential bookSade: A sud-
denabyss,AnnieLebrundedicatesa wholechapterto whatshe calls
that"strange omission."2Criticsseemunanimously attractedtoSade's
twomostcelebratedstoriesof vice and virtuewritten aftertheRevo-
lution- Justineand Juliette - butnotso muchto thejourneyto the
CastleofSilling.Lebrunspeculatesthatone ofthepossiblereasonsis
the book's unbearablephysicaleffect:3 as GeorgesBataille put it,
"[n]obody, unless he is totally deafto it,can finish[it]without feeling
sick"{Literature and Evil 121).Whencriticsdo takeup thechallenge
ofcloselyreadingit,thereseemstobe yetanother "strangeomission"
inthelaborofinterpretation:4 thefactthattheentirenarrative is framed
by the scenario oflistening to stories.
Aurality dominates thenarrative
to suchan extentthatone couldevensaythatthis,andnottherepeti-
tivetransgression withwhichcriticshavelabeledSade's work,is the
text'stexture parexcellence.5 Significantly,thescenariooflistening is
yetone moreaspectof thebook's physicality: forwhatis at stake,I
willargue,is notthewordorthestorytowhichthelibertines listen-
-
in otherwords,notthelaw butthevoice.And,as we willsee,much
in linewithwhatcriticslikeLebrunor Bataillefeltwas therevolting
physicalityofSade's text,itis notso muchthe"pleasure"ofthevoice
thatthelibertine Castleof Sillinghighlights, butrather itsintolerably
pressing command to obey, and consequently, its irresistiblesocially
bindingpower.The auralnatureoftheCastle,I willargue,is a figura-
tionofitspoliticalspace: in a worldwithno laws,thevoice operates
as therivetthatcompelsthelibertines to forman alliance.

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 Spring2005/Vol. 30, No. 2
50 /FrenchForum/
A brief,interpretative accountofthestoryis due here.Forall that
criticsinsistinreadingthelibertine séjourattheCastleas thestoryof
itsinfamous four-month longsexually(or linguistically) perverse(or
transgressive) orgy, itis rather thestory of the formation of a bond.The
tale's startingpoint is a call for the
order,against background ofwar,
attheendofLouis XIV's rule,whenthekingdom in
is subdued "guer-
resconsidérables" (ι- "extensivewars"[191]). In themidstof civil
dissolution, thefourfriends incrimeimaginea wayto"resserrer leurs
lienspardes alliancesoù la débaucheavaitbienplusde partqu'aucun
des autresmotifs qui fondent ordinairement ces liens"(2).6The ducde
Blangisand his brother thebishopsummonCurvai,thejudge, and
Durcet,thefinancier: eachofthemwillmarry thedaughter ofanother,
andatthesametimewillremaininpossessionofthewomen'sbodies,
justas whentheyweretheirfathers. Theycelebrate the"pact"withpre-
liminary secretorgies and then decide to setout tothe CastleofSilling,
theproperty ofDurcet,wheretheywillcontinue theircelebration inthe
bloodiestoforgies.The peculiartransaction outofwhichthelibertine
"pact"emergesborrowsnotfromthelanguageofthelaw,butfromthe
languageof war: againstcontractual exchange,it is an alliancethat
establishes a clearlinebetween"us" and"them"withtheinitialaccu-
mulationofwhatbecomescommonproperty - thebodies- forall its
members.Beforetheabsenceof law,their"liens"are reaffirmed by
extraordinary means: "la débauche" at the Castle, for which they have
chosenfourviciousandskilledfemalenarrators whowillprovidethem
withlibertine storiestoemulateeachday- MadameDuelos,La Mar-
taine,Champville,and La Desgranges.Four "fouteurs" ("fuckers"),
fourcooks,fourduennasandeightvictims-to-be ofeach sex selected
fromall overtheKingdomof Francealso composetheparty.When
theyarriveattheCastle,theyproclaimtheCastle'sregulations androu-
tineto the subjects,declaringthem"déjà mortesau monde"(57-
"alreadydead to the world").Each monthis devotedto the oral
narration of 150 "passions"classifiedaccordingtotheirlevelofcom-
plexity:simple,complex,criminal, andmurderous ones.Immortal for
itsobscenelanguage,thenarration is nonetheless strikingly permeated
byitsinitialvocabularyof war:theCastlesoonbecomesa "citadelle
assiégée,sanslaisserla pluspetiteissue,soità l'ennemi,soitau déser-
teur"(49- "a besiegedcitadel,without leavingtheleastentrance toan
enemy, theleast egress to a deserter" [240]); the libertines are "barri-

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 RivetedBy The Voice/51
Fradinger:
caded"withrelationto theoutsideand theinside:"on se barricadaà
telpointqu'il nedevenaitmêmepluspossiblede reconnaître où avaient
étéles portes,et on s'établitdansle dedans"(49).7The interior space
oftheCastleis walledup; to escape one wouldhaveto be an "oiseau
ou diable"(57- "birdordevil"[241]).The secretchambers areforthe
"combatstêteà tête"(47)8 andtheorgiestakeplace in a roomthatis
"le champde batailledes combatsprojetés"(4ο).9The libertines' dis-
charge in the secret chambers is their "victory";the victims are
instructed toexpectdeathatanysinglerandommoment. As ifina bat-
tle,theyshouldaccepttheirfatewith"courage"andmakeblindobe-
dienceto orderstheironlyvirtue(58). By theend of thestayin the
Castle,a totalof600 perversions, including horrifying willbe
tortures,
narrated.10 Once relatedand discussed,the "passions"are put into
action:theorgyresultsinthedeathof30 members oftheCastleoutof
theoriginalnumber of46; the16 "survivors"11 - thefourlibertines,the
fournarrators, thefour"fouteurs," threecooks and one victim-wife,
Julie- settheirreturn to Paristo startitall overagain.
Most of thelibertine actiontakesplace in two veryrestrictively
framedscenarios:one opento thepubliceye and envelopedin mes-
merizingstorytelling, theotherbehindclosed doorsand in thedark-
nessofabsolutesecrecy.As ifsummoned fora daily"cityassembly,"
fromfiveto tenin theeveningtheentirepopulationat Sillingattends
a theatrical setting wherethestoryteller ofthemonth, perchedupona
"throne," narrates the"passions"to herattentive audiencewhilethe
victimsare on handforsubsequentaction:"au bas du trône[. . .]
devaientse trouver les sujetsde débaucheamenéspourservirà calmer
l'irritation
des sensproduite parles récits"(46).12Thelibertines gather
-
forthepleasureofhearing a mostpreciouspleasurefortheearis the
organthatcommunicates "lesimpressions plusvives"(27- "theliveli-
est [impressions]" [218]). Butthereis morethanpleasuretransmitted
totheear:whileall "laws" oftheCastlehavebeenorallypronounced
tothevictims, all libertine publicactiononlyhappensonceithasbeen
exemplified bytheoralnarration. Onlyafterlistening do thelibertines
act.The passionsthathavenotyetbeennarrated andthusdo notper-
taintothepublicdomainintheCastlecan onlybe enactedinthesecret
chambers: whatis publicbelongsintherealmoflistening. Thereis not
onesingletextthatthelibertines readorwritethroughout thebook,not
onesinglewritten rule:theonlywriting activityinwhichthelibertines

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 Spring2005/Vol. 30, No. 2
52 /FrenchForum/
engageis, significantly, themakingofa "livrefatal"(fatalbook).The
fatalcatalogofLes CentVingt Journées de Sodomecontainsitsrepro-
duction:thelibertines scribbleon a smallannotation book,nota story,
butanothercatalogue - a recordof thenamesof victimswho failto
followthedisciplineand thusare destinedto be punished(tortured)
everySaturday.Everything else at theCastle transpiresin the flux
betweenlistening andacting:is itofanyrelevancethattheentireenter-
at
prise Silling is framed bythesecretpowerofstorytelling?
Mostcriticalspeculations centeraroundthesignificance ofthegen-
-
derofthestorytellersthoughthishardlyspeaksto thenatureofthe
libertine "pleasure"ofhearingor,forthatmatter, to thefactthatnone
oftheircommands arewritten. To RolandBarthes'sassertion that"one
narrates in orderto obtainby exchanging," MarcelHénaffadds: "the
questionis whyWomanshouldholda privileged positionin thisplay
of exchanges[. . .] a positionthatmakesherthenarrator par excel-
lence" (The Invention265).13 From GuillaumeApollinaire,who
thought itwas no accidentthatSade hadchosenwomen,tocontempo-
rarystudiesonthe"Sadeanwoman,"14 thegenderofthefourprivileged
narrators hasdistracted attention fromthefactthattheirnarration is an
oral,and not written,performance.
However,claimsaboutthe"female"genderofthesewomenneed
tobe qualified. Atleastitshouldbe problematic thattheyareall above
reproductive or its
age beyond possibility - unliketherestoftheCas-
tle'sfemalepopulation. Moreover, none of theyoungandfeeblefemale
victimsgathered fortheorgyremotely resemblesthem.Duelos is 48
yearsof age, Champvilleis a lesbianand a virginin thetraditional
sense,La Martaineis obstructed, La Desgrangesis mutilated (in liber-
tinecombatshe has lostone eye,one nipple,threefingers and four
teeth).LikeSade's othergreatfemalelibertine, thefemalenar-
Juliette,
ratorshaverejectedall thetraitsthatcouldidentify themwiththefem-
ininityofthetimes.15
Yet anothernoteshouldbe madeon thedangersof idealizingthe
powerof speechor thespecialconnection withart- theartof "mak-
-
ingstories" thatthesewomenhavein thenarrative. The speechthat
thestorytellers aregranted is theprivilegeoftheaccomplices - these
womencome fromthelow lifeof prostitutes and pimpswho have
escapeddeathbecause theybecameallies of theirlibertine masters.
"Woman"is herethefigureof thesurvivor whodependson an artto

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 RivetedBy The Voice/53
Fradinger:
save herlife- in thiscase, theartofnarrating. Theirtaskis to enter-
tain in a sort of Roman Coliseum where the weakenedvictim-
gladiatorsconfront thepowersof libertine nature.Whentheyfinish
theirstories,and "sous conditionde prêterla mainaux supplicesdu
reste"(429- "uponconditiontherecipient is willingto lenda hand
withthedestruction oftheothervictims"[670]),eachone is promised
to be "toujoursménagée,et trèscertainement ramenéechez elle à
Paris"(345- "dealtwithgently, and verycertainly takenback with
themtoParis"[569]).
Morethanbeinginscribed, as Hénaffwouldwanttosee,inthesev-
enteenth- andeighteenth-century debateaboutthesuperior femaleskills
fornarrative andtheglorification ofwomen'snovelistic art,storytelling
inthisscenarioechoesyetanother vogueineighteenth-century France:
thetradition oftheOrientaldespotin theeroticOrientalframed narra-
tive.16Indeed,thedecorofmanyscenesthroughout thebookis either
Turkish orfromsomeotherremote, exoticplacesaboutwhichSade had
read.Sade was indirectcontactwiththisOrientalvogue;hisworksare
floodedwithreferences to all thehistory manualshe hadreadandthe
kingdoms of China, Japan, Arabia, Turkeyarea permanent referenceto
indicatetherelativity ofthelaws.
Moreindirectly, yetanotherliterary tradition
can be recalled:the
Medieval framednarrativein whichthe protagonist saves his life
through art.Both the Oriental tradition and theMedieval framedtale
textualizetheoralby havingone or morecharacters tellstorieswith
thepurposeofentertaining, passingthetime,competing withothersto-
or
rytellers saving theirlives or the lives ofothers.These aretalesthat
dramatize sovereign power at its decisive hour,when the lifeordeath
oftheteller,andconsequently, thepowertoresist,arein question.17 It
is notnecessarily woman,buttheword(as weapon),thatcan conquer
death.
Insofaras thestorytellers are survivor-accomplices who by over-
coming death in libertinecombathavebecomea degradedversionof
thelibertines themselves, theyborrow, likeWalterBenjamin'sstory-
tellerstosomeextent, "theirauthority fromdeath."18 Withthisauthor-
ity,theyconjureup the of
experiences community memorythat
and
ensuretheir(andthelibertines') survivalattheCastle's"householdof
humanity" (Benjamin,ibid.101)- thehouseholdinSade alwaysbeing
the"battlefield," memory alwaysbeingone ofinhumanity.

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 54 /FrenchForum/
Spring2005/Vol. 30, No. 2
Forrather thanpresenting something newtothelibertines, thesto-
ries functionto "rappel[er]un goût" (146- "put [a tastein their
minds]"[343]). The Englishtranslation does not do justice to the
French"rappeler":to evoke,to recall,to remember. As JoanDeJean
notes,theCastleof Sillingis "a memory theater" that"demonstrates
memory's powerofcontrol"{Literary 315, 326). The libertines listen
withan "interest inretaining [. . .] thecardinalpointfortheunaffected
listeneris toassurehimself ofthepossibility ofreproducing thestory"
(Benjamin, ibid.97). Thus,they insist on details:"Duelos, ne vous
...
a-t-onpas prévenuequ'il fautà vos récitsles détailsles plusgrandset
les plusétendus?"(78).19Giventhedetails,Durcetcongratulates Due-
los forallowingthemto "figure themaninherstory"(80). The "nov-
elty"in thestoriesis rather intended as an educationaldisplayforthe
readerwhoneedsto "choose"hispassion.The libertines reallyknow
what'sin a story;thestorytellers narratetheexperienceof theirlife
onlytoreflect backto thelibertines theirownlifeexperience. At sev-
eralpointsthestorytellers put the libertines'actions in the words and
deedsofotherclients.Indeed,thelibertines engagein questionswith
thestorytellers only to confirm their knowledge.For thelibertines, it
is onlytheformthatcounts,whichexplainstheirzeal in finding the
rightstorytellers: "des sujetsen étatde rendrecomptede tous ces
excès,de les analyser, de les étendre, de les détailler,
de les graduer, et
de placerau travers de cela l'intérêt d'unrécit"(28).20
But thatthelibertines need to remember in orderto reproducea
storyinactionexplainsonlyoneaspectofthescenariooflistening. For
if theywantto remember, whydon't theyread stories - which,of
course,could all be written by femalenovelistsof superiorskill?
Would, on theother the
hand, solitary activityofreadingnotbe appro-
priateforwhatcriticsinsistis thetraitof theSadean man:solitude?
The problemof interpreting theoral textureof thenarrative is not
solvedby lookingat thegenderof thestorytellers, thecontentof the
stories,or theirmnemonic function. Noris it solvedby claimingthat
Sadean pleasureis of a "linguistic nature,"as PhilippeRogerwould
haveit: "si pourSade, le plaisirse faitparl'oreille,c'est que l'on ne
jouitjamaisdes images,ni des corps,maisbiendes mots."21 Thisstill
does notexplainwhythelibertines do notwriteorread"des mots."
Wehavetoconsiderthenthatwhatis reallyatstakeinthisscenario
is the"organ"oftheearandthe"body"ofthevoice:as alwaysinSade,

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 RivetedBy The Voice/55
Fradinger:
"physicality" hidesmanyclues.A hintis offered to us bythefactthat
thestoriesarealso an opportunity toreaffirm whatitmeanstolistento
a storyrather thantodecipher itscontent. Thestoriesincludea moment
in whichthestoryteller herselflistensto instructions on how to per-
forma sexualscenewhichshe thenobediently actsout,or to some-
bodytellingherwhattheyhave had to perform sexuallyforanother
client.In a spiralof listening, whatis retainedis theact of thestory-
tellingand the obedient act of hearing.Duelos narrates herselfas duti-
fulreceptor of stories;she will add littleof herown knowledge,her
opinionsarethoseofthelibertines, andwhenitcomestoherfeelings,
heremotionalprogression has beenthatofa libertine, fromfearto its
conquest.
Butwhatdoes theactoflistening preciselyentailatthe"physical"
levelin whicha voicetouchestheorificeoftheear?Etymology, even
ifat timesdeceitful, shedslighton an interesting linkin thiscase: in
Latin"obedience"derivesfrom"hearing" - "oboedire"is "audire."22
Aurality in itself a
conveys despoticexperience - previousto making
-
anyvalueorpoliticaljudgements insofaras itrequiresthepresence
of all participants, subduingthemin time and space. Because it
involvesthemateriality ofthevoice andthepresenceofthelisteners,
aurality is theutmostexpressionof singularity as well as of immedi-
acy.The ear,inturn, is theutmostfigure ofobedience:itcannotresist.
Incapableofclosingoffvoluntarily, theearis defenseless tothepene-
trationofthevoice- a voicethatcan heal as wellas wound.
All participants gatheredat Silling's public assemblyare thus
linkedbya sharedhearingexperience ofexceptional power:itrequires
its
presence, impact is unmediated and itdoes not allow forresistance.
Whilethebook'sinitialnarrative frameis thatofthemakingofa social
bond,theframeoflistening can now speakto thefirst frame:thelis-
tening scenario expressessingularity both in communication and
power, it is both and
inter-subjective despotic, and thus it can be ulti-
matelyreadas a scenarioofprimordial communalobedience - notto
anyspecificlaw,buttothesourceofthefounding law.The "physical-
ity"of obediencetakescenterstageat thehourof beginnings: those
who belongto Sillingare thosewho hear- and thusobey.Making
resistanceimpossible,theear-voiceconnectionepitomizesthesheer
experience ofobedience.Thereareno specificcredostoobey:thesto-
rytellersarethe"pointofemission"ofthefounding commandtohear,

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 Spring2005/Vol. 30, No. 2
56 /FrenchForum/
thatis,toenterintothesocialunitgathered attheCastleeveryevening.
Interestingly, during the month of thedeadlymutilations, theonlyvic-
timwhowillhaveherearsremovedis Augustine. We trackherrecord:
on the12thofFebruary shehasdareddisobeythelibertines tohavean
affair (a dangerous alliance, ifone wishes) with one of the -
"fouteurs"
shehas notheard,shehas notobeyed.
It is worthy ofnotethatthenarrator specifiesthattheonlywayto
"protect" the reader is by protecting ear; the storieshave to be
his
veiledbecause"on peutrencontrer des oreilleschastes"(258- "there
are suchthings,are therenot,as chasteears?" [471]). For thereader
thisprotection willmeanexclusion:thestoriesareveiledtothereader
becausehe can onlyreadthem,nothearthem.Tightening thelibertine
thus
alliance,aurality representspoint a ofclosure ofthetextthatepit-
omizesthelibertine passionfortotality. The closurethatthecircleof
obediencerepresents leavesoutthereader,whodoes notandwillnot
haveaccesstoanyhearingexperience, andconsequently does notand
cannotbelongtothelibertine bondcommanded attheCastle·Therules
by whichtheCastleis runwillneverbe thoseof thereader:theyare
spoken,not written.23 While the Castle's "code de lois" ("code of
is
laws") "promulgué" (49- "promulgated" [241]) tothesubjects,the
aurality ofall subsequent arbitrary"laws" createdwhimsically on the
go generatesforthe victimsa tyrannizing memorygame. Again,
remembrance ofthingssaidmeanssurvival.
The figuration ofobediencein thescenarioofhearingis first high-
lightedas thevoicefallsoutsideoflinguistic meaning:theCastlehigh-
lightsitsimmediate physicalimpactandthatexplainsthemysterious
seriesofconnections enactedin publicbetweennature, thelibertines,
thestorytellers andthevictims. The secrecyofthisconnection mirrors
thereader'slackofaccesstotheCastle'sauralscenarioofstorytelling.
The libertine passionsarethedirectvoice ofnature;24 themystery of
theconnection transpires at theirresistible,despoticjuncture of voice
andfleshexperienced onlybythosepresentat thefounding hour.The
voice plugs nature'smysticalmachineof influenceintothe body-
machinesofthelibertines: itsimpactis notphrasedin termsof "tim-
bre" or "resonance,"butrepresented as material,direct,immediate,
pure, from one organ to the -
other mouth to earandeartoheart.The
libertines havechosenthepleasureof listening forthespeedand the
depthofitsimpact:

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 RivetedBy The Voice/57
Fradinger:
les sensationscommuniquées parΓorganede l'ouïe sontcellesqui flattent
davan-
tageetdontles impressions sontplusvives.En conséquence,nosquatrescélérats,
dansleurcœuraussi avantet aussipro-
qui voulaientque la voluptés'imprégnât
fondément qu'elleypouvaitpénétrer,avaientà ce desseinimaginéunechoseassez
singulière.(2η)25

The samewishfortotalimpregnation can be readthefewtimesthat

thevoiceofnatureappearsperforming a kindofwriting on theliber-
tinebody- she "engraves"(22), "indicates"(220), "imprints" "sa loi
.
[. .] au fond de nos coeurs" (314 - "her law .
[. .] deep in our hearts"
[534]). Nature'swriting is indelible:whatshe"engraves"on thebod-
ies is notsubjectto modification by education.Constance,naturally
inclinedtovirtue, couldnotbe convincedbyherfather ofthepleasures
ofvice:"Durcet[. . .] n'avaitpourtant jamaispu détruire danssoncœur
les principes d'honnêteté etde vertuqu'il semblaitque la naturey eût
à
gravés plaisir" (22).26
The speedanddepthoftheimpactofthevoice leave theimagina-
tion"on fire" - "enflammée," "échauffée" - and longingto act. This
happensso fastthatthelibertines cannotrestrain themselves:"cette
passionayant échauffé des têtessi accoutumées aux désordres de cette
espèce et leur un
rappelant goûtqu'ils encensaient si universellement,
on ne voulutpas attendre plus longtempspourla mettreen usage"
(146).27Nothing canbe heardwithout thetemptation ofactinguponit:
"Un moment, ditDurcet;je n'entendspas ces choses-làde sensfroid;
elles ontun empiresurmoi qui se peindrait difficilement. Jeretiens
monfoutre depuisle milieudu récit,trouvezbonque je le perde"and
he leavestheroomto go to his secretcabinetand act (268).28Curvai,
"quin'entendait jamaisrienqu'il n'eûtenviede le faire,"interrupts the
narration to give"unereprésentation effectivedu goûtdontelle (sic)
ne venaitque d'entendre le récit"(168).29Theduccannotwaittoreach
thesecretcabinetsanduses thebodyofa victimwhilethenarration is
takingplace, in frontofthe audience,shouting for silence to be able to
listentothevoicethatobligeshimto act(177).
One can "hear"thewhisperof purityin thelibertineanxietyto
reachtheheart'skernelofvirginity, an untouched territory wherethe
sociallyacquiredmeaning of words does not reach - a kernel whichin
fact,resists meaning.Nothing mediates between the libertines andthe
voiceofthestoryteller; theyareat one,whole,harmonious, as longas
thesoundofhervoicepenetrates theiropenearswhichofferno doors

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 2005/Vol.30, No. 2
58 /FrenchForum/Spring
to break.The voice is thevehiclethattransports naturethrough the
invisiblechannelbetweenthethroat ofthestoryteller andtheearofthe
libertines.Thusflowsa chainof command:naturebecomestheflesh
ofa voicethattransmits theorderstothelibertines; inturn, theyvoice
herorderstotheirvictims.30
Theimperative, physical,"pure"impactofvoiceconveysonlyone
possiblecommandin a worldwherethereare no laws, onlydeci-
sions- thecommandto bondin absoluteunity.The libertines do not
resistbecausetheyreceivenature'scommandthrough theirresistible
impactofthevoiceandthedefenseless organoftheear.The immedi-
acyofthisvoiceoffers a metaphor forthedirectequivalencebetween
thelibertines' desiresandthegeneralwill(ofnature)thatunitesthem.
Justas thevictimscannotresistthelibertines, thelibertines cannot
resisttheimpactof thevoice through whichnaturespeaks.A total
equalityor correspondence amongthelibertines is suggested:com-
munalhearingof thevoice makesthema homogenouscommunity.
Theyareall one,withnature, withthealliance.31
In The GrainoftheVoiceBarthesanalyzesthefeelingof whole-
somenessproducedbythepowerofthevoiceintermsofitserasureof
subjectivity. The voice maybe opaque to criticism becauseit works
towards the elimination ofdifferences, not in the order ofthesignified
andinterprétable. The voiceis notthespokenword,whichcan be de-
codified;itis unbounded energywithno meaning.It is signifiance or
intention ofmeaning, thusproviding "an accesstojouissance,toloss"
( 179).32Whatis lost,forBarthes, is a senseofselfhoodinherent inindi-
viduation;instead,whatemergesis theundividedsubjectpreviousor
beyondtheadventofhisparticipation in language.
The onlyotherness thatthewholesomepresenceofthevoiceposits
is thesecondfiguration of thecommunalobedienceencodedin the
metaphor of thevoice: thevoice is eitheran objectof satisfaction -
promising completeness, orthesourceofinsurmountable authoritythe-
voiceofan other. One discussionon thefirst daypoints thedirection
in
the
ofthevoiceas replacing other, eliminating thealterity oftheobject
ofsatisfaction, butatthesametimeoffering itselfas an object.Thedue
andCurvaiagreethattheobjectis notthesourceofsatisfaction butof
disillusion andlaterofrevenge:"l'objetqui foncièrement n'a de valeur
que celleque notrelubricité luiprêtese montre absolument telqu'il est
quandla lubricité estéteinte" (82); "de ce dégoûtpourtant [. . .] naîtsou-

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 RivetedBy The Voice/59
Fradinger:
ventunprojectde vengeance"(83).33On theotherhand,forCurvaithe
récitsustainstheillusionthatprevents thisdeceit:"continue Duelos,car
etje veuxque monillusionse soutienne
je sensqueje feraisdes sottises,
au moinsjusqu'à ce quej'aille mecoucher"(83).34Liketheideaofevil,
andnottheobjectofevil,theoralstoryis whatoffers itselfas theobject
The deceptivequalityoftheobjecthas a remedy:hear-
ofsatisfaction.
ingthestory(ofa voice).Hearinga storyis a doublebind:itdoes away
withtheobject,but onlyby presenting anotherobject- therécitof
nature.The voicedstoryis the"objectvoice" of satisfaction, to use
MladenDolar's expression,35 almostanother bodywithwhomthelib-
ertinesenterintorealcontact, without deceptions,offering theillusion
of a trueencounter withsatisfaction. In otherwords,it annulsthegap
betweenfantasy andreality;itis whatDuelosoffers "dunaturel etde la
- -
vérité"(75 "thenaturaland true"[267]) an unpolluted (fromlan-
guage and meaning) truthand nature.
Butwhilethe"objectvoice"producestheillusionofwholeness, its
materialpresencealso indicatesan absence.Its immediate impactof
matter ontomatteraccountsbothforthepresenceof auto-affection,
completeness, as wellas fortheterrifying loss ofselfintothe"other"
sourceof thevoice.36Whilethevoice runscounterto thearticulated
word,itspointofemissionrunscounterto itswholeness.Zizek sum-
marizesthevoice's doublebindwhenanalyzingthepowerofunwrit-
tenrules:

whatI hearis neverfullymyselfbuta parasite,a foreign bodyin myveryheart

[that]acquirespositiveexistenceindifferent
guises,fromthevoiceofconscience
andtheopaquevoiceofthehypnotist to thepersecutorin paranoia[. . .] voice is
neitherdeadnoralive:itis an undeadmonster,notthehealthy livingself-presence
ofmeaning.(Gaze 103)

The "other"thatis thissourceofthevoiceis thusofpeculiarauthority.

Because voices suspendthe difference betweenthe sourceand the
mediumofcommand, becausetheearcannotresistthem,theypointto
a kindof authorityundecidably coming"fromGod or fromthedevil"
(Dolar23),a kindof pharmakon, inDerrida'ssense.Theyhaveappeared
sincetimeimmemorial in literary to indicatebothhar-
representation
monyandtheterror ofthealienother:thesweetvoiceofthesirenscom-
pel thesailorto listenforever; thehappyfluteof Bauco rendersthe
listener
mad;thevoiceof God,at themoment of givingthepacifying

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 Spring2005/Vol. 30, No. 2
6ο /FrenchForum/
to thepeopleofIsrael.Theirgoodor evilis
law,poses a deadlythreat
subsumedin theirirresistiblepower,best summarized by Derrida:
"dreamtheumbilicus: ithasyoubytheear."37
The powerofthevoice,as Dolar suggests, is theterrifyingaspect
ofa voicethatis notthelaw butthesupportof a communallaw: itis
the"voicethatcommandsandbinds,thevoiceofGod" (25). The ter-
riblevoiceofGod,theterrifying voiceofnatureintheSadianitecase,
appears at the moment of the creationor reaffirmationof a social
covenantso thatthemembers ofthesocial:

andobedienceto the
establishitsalliancewithGod,theyasserttheirsubmission
Law. The Law itself,in itspureform,beforecommanding specific,is
anything
epitomizedby thevoice, thevoice thatcommandstotalcompliance,although
senselessin itself.(Dolar 25)

The oral natureof thewhole enterprise at Sillingnow becomes

clearer.Theomnipresent voiceofstorytelling atthelibertine cityis nei-
therthefigure ofthespecificskillofonegender, northespecificfunc-
tionofmemory, contemplationorknowledge, northespecificpleasure
ofwordsorevenvoices.It is rather a figure forthepoliticalnatureof
theexperienceofobedience - a formofpoliticalpower.The voice of
storytellingis thematerializationof thecommandto bond- in times
ofwar.Itdramatizes theobediencetowhichall members aresubjected
in orderto foundtheCastle'ssocialorder,completing thelaststepin
thelibertines' journeytowardstheformation of an alliance.Justas
sirens'voicesluresailors,thestorytellers'svoiceslurethelibertines to
reaffirm theirbondin a worldwithout law. Like thekillingsand tor-
turestheyperform, liketheconfessedoutragesthatoccurwithinthe
secretchambers,like the libertinenotionof a necessaryorderof
Nature,thevoice,in betweenlanguageand non-language, rivetsthe
stilllaw-lesscitytogether.Loomingovertheveryfirst moment ofcre-
ationof theSadianitealliance,re-enacted everydayin its theatrical
assembly,is theimpossibility of resistanceto thevoice thatritually
pronounces the first
bindingcommand. The victimsare silenced,the
libertinesare silent,holdingthepoweroverspeechpreciselybecause
theydon'tspeak,theyjustasserttheirtruth andtheirorders.38 Thecom-
of
pellingexperience hearing provides theerasure of selfindispensable
to followthisprimordial command;withoutattentive listeningthere
wouldnotbe obedience.Without obedience the covenant ofa libertine

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 RivetedBy The Voice/61
Fradinger:
thelibertines
alliance,subjecting to natureand thevictimsto thelib-
ertines,couldneverbe putintopractice.AttheSadeanCastle,every-
one is bound:everyonejusthears,andthusobeys.

Yale University

Notes
'"themostimpuretale thathas everbeen toldsinceourworldbegan,a book thelikesof
whicharemetwithneither amongsttheancientsnoramongstus modems"[253] GilbertLely's
establishededition(Paris:Cercledu LivrePrécieux,1962:Tome13: 57). Standard Englishtrans-
lationbyA. WainhouseandR. Seaver.120 Days ofSodom.(New York:GrovePress,1966).All
subsequent quotesin FrenchandEnglisharefromthesameeditionsunlessotherwise specified.
The firstnumberin all parentheses indicatesthepage numberin Lely's edition;thenumberin
squarebracketsfollowingtheEnglishtranslation indicatesthepage numberin Wainhouseand
Seaver's edition.I am thankful to Laura Klein,at homeinArgentina, and to JohnMackayand
PeterKahnin theUnitedStates,fortheirinsightful comments on thisessay.
2According toLebrun,whenthebookis notomitted, all thatcriticscan do withthisworkis
recognizeitas "thebasisofSade's work,"without realizingtheimplications oftheirrecognition:
"It wouldseem,then,thateach timeThe One Hundredand TwentyDays is recognizedas an
exceptionof fundamental importance in Sade's work,the act of recognition is immediately
befogged a
by systematically superimposed reappearance of each author'sown thematic bias: lit-
eratureforJeanPaulhan,the'sacred'forBataille,and forPhilippeRoger,'writing'itself (3).
The onlycriticsthatLebrunexceptsfromthischargearethesuccessiveeditorsofSade's works,
Heine,Lely,andPauvert.See AnnieLebrun.Sade: A SuddenAbyss(San Francisco:CityLights
Books,1990).
3Lebrunsummarizes thebook'sphysicaleffect: "everything beginsphysically, evenifprop-
erlydecorouscriticism wouldhaveus thinkotherwise. [. . .] No onehaseverenteredSillingCas-
tlenormally.No soonerdoesonethinktogo inthanone seemstolose one'sbalanceon a missing
step, neverto regainit" (11). JacquesLacan, in turn,qualifiedSade's "experimental literature"
as an "injury"to humanity: "an assaulton one's sensibility [. . .] ofa kindthatis literallystupe-
fying; onelosesone'sbearings;an approachtoa centreofincandescence oran absolutezerothat
is physically
unbearable[. . .] an experiment thatthrough itsactioncutsthesubjectloose from
hispsycho-social moorings." (Seminar VII,The Ethics ofPsychoanalysis. [NewYork:W.W.Nor-
tonandCompany, Inc.,1992]:201).
4Thetwoexceptions I havefoundareO'Reilly'sarticle"Desirein Sade's Les 120Journées
de Sodome."Studieson Voltaire and theEighteenth Century 217 (i983):249~256 andLucienne
Frappier-Mazur's chapterVI, "Le Texte Hétérogène" in her Sade etl'écriturede Vorgie:Pouvoir
etParodiedans l'Histoirede Juliette (Paris:Nathan,1991:147-178).
^Transgression" has alwaysbeenthelensthrough whichSade's texthasbeenread.The Tel
Quel specialissuein 1967 setthetoneforcriticalappraisalafterWorldWarII identifying "the
Sadeaneffect*'(Tort)as thelossofreference, thestrategyofrepetition andexhaustion oflanguage

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 Spring2005/Vol. 30, No. 2
62 /FrenchForum/
(See La penséede Sade. Paris:Tel Quel,N. 28, hiver1967).The contributors to theissuewere
P. Klossowski,P. Sollers,R. Barthes,M. Tort,andHubertDamish.Transgression andrepetition
arethekeywordsthatframepractically all essaysintheissue.Sollersidentifies "a threelevelled
narration" thattransgresses languagein itsrepetition, narrating thricethesamecontent: thesto-
rytellers'tale, thenarrator's account and the masters'philosophical discourse, in otherwords, the
storywithinthestory, theconfirmation ofthestoryin action,thestoryofwhatthestorythinks.
A signof a writing of desire,forSollers,thisgoes beyondrepresentation, eliminating referen-
tiality.Barthesand,later,Blanchotarguethattheloss ofreferentiality is a resultoftheclaimthat
nothinghas to remainoutsideof language;forKlossowskitherepetition in wordsof a trans-
gressiveactis thenegativeoftheinstitutionalized word;forDamish,Sade's transgression oflan-
guagelies in thatSade affirms thatifeverything has notbeensaid,thennothing has beensaid.
Klossowskichangedpositionfromtakingtransgression as "an inherent necessity ofSade's expe-
rience,"(in TelQuel) tonotingSade's attempt tode-linktransgression fromcensorship andulti-
mately to eliminatethe of
experience transgression altogether in the of
figure apathetic repetition
oftheact.Nonetheless, eliminating transgression fromtheactmadeKlossowskirelocateSade's
transgression once againin language,in whathe calledSade's "foreclusion oflanguagebylan-
guage"- thereal transgression was to have triedto talkaboutthe"act outsideof language"
through language.See TelQuel N.28 (Hiver1967).Alongtheselinesis also P. Roger'sSade: La
Philosophiedans le pressoir(Paris:Grasset,1976).
6"tostrengthen theirtiesbymeansofalliancesin whichthedebauchery hadbyfara heav-
ierpartthananyoftheothermotivesthatordinarily serveas a basisforsuchbonds"(192).
7"they barricadedthemselves to suchan extenttherewas no longeranytraceleftof where
theexitshadbeen;andthentheysettleddowncomfortably inside"(241).
8"private interviews and secludedcontests"(238). The Englishtranslation missesthewar
languageofthephrase"one-on-one combat."
9"thelistsfortheprojected jousts"(237). The Englishtranslation missestheword"battle-
field."
10Theactualmanuscript is onlythedevelopment ofan introduction andthefirst month;the
nextthreemonths aresketched in detailin theformofa cataloguebuthavelittlenarrative. This
provisional manuscript was written in 37 daysatLa Bastille.
"I use theEnglishtranslation licensetoincludeheretheword"survivors": totheFrench"et
ils s'en retournent - 16 personnes" (431), theEnglishversionadds"survivedandcameback-
16" (672).
12"steps led downfromthethrone, uponthemwereto sittheobjectsofdebauchery brought
in to sootheanysensoryirritation provokedbytherecitals"(238).
13Hénaff proposesthatwomanis theprooffromNaturethatlibertinism is natural,associat-
ingwoman'ssocialconstruct as "closerto nature"withSade's use ofthefemalenarrator in the
text.He thenspeculatesabouttherelationofwomanto thefigure ofthewriter. The libertine as
wellas thenarrator andthewriter all keepthefemalestoryteller undercontrolat thesametime
thattheygiveherthepowertonarrate. Symbolicpoweris inthewriter/narrator/libertine andthe
skillsto narrateare in thefemalestorytellers. Hénaffconcludesthatthisis theparadoxof the
Sadeanwriter:"he cannotassumenarrative powerunlesshe crossesback overintothefemale
realmandreappropriates itsprivileges. A traitoranda transvestite [. . .] theSadeanwriter stands
at thepointofexchangeandduplicity wherethetext[. . .] summonsus as readilyto thehumor
offiction as tothedespairofitscontradiction" (283). See Hénaff 's "Woman,prostitution, narra-
tive."Sade: TheInvention oftheLibertine Body(Minneapolis:U ofMinnesota P,1999:257-283).

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14Foran influential analysis,see AngelaCarter,TheSadean Woman(New York:Pantheon
Books,1978).
15Annie Lebrunsuggestsan interesting interpretationto a yetunsolvedquestion.These
womenaremorea creationofthewriter's mindandas suchan indication ofthefuture thatSade
envisionedfora society"freed"of normative values;theyindicateSade's powerto imaginea
radicallynewform - andtheimplication hereis thatthemaleformstillhad toomuchrealityin
thecharacters thatSade invented. Womenrepresented forSade "a doublechallenge- one issued
bynaturetothought, one issuedbythought to nature"(Λ SuddenAbyss208).
16Hénaff summarizes thedebatein The Invention 258-64. The Orientalframednarrative
vogueprobably started in 1704-14, when Antoine Galland translated
theArabianOne Thousand
and One Nights,thusintroducing themforthefirsttimein Europeand creatinga fashionthat
eventhephilosophers startedimitating; suffice ittoremember, forexample,Voltaire'sZadig and
Montesquieu's LettresPersanes(1720). Sade hadvigorously praisedVoltaire'sZadig as a "pure
masterpiece" in hisIdée SurLe Romanandhis threeversionsofJustine beginwitha reference
toZadig.He hadalso readArabhistory, as he showsin hisIdée byquotingthefactsnarrated by
historian AbulKasimTerifibn-Tariq to showhowa literary versionwas constructed on them.In
hislibrary,he hada copyofa muchdiscussedtextin thelegaldebateofthetimes:L'Originedu
DespotismeOriental,by Boulanger.Thoughthisis virtually a virginfieldof research,a good
compilation of the titles that the
compose corpus of the French voguecan be foundin Marie-
Louise Dufrenoy'sL'Orient romanesqueen France, 1704-1789 (Montreal:Beauchemin,
1946-7).
17Inthecase oftheArabianOne Thousandand One Nights,Shahrazadtellsstoriesto save
herandotherwomen'slives;in theDecameronthetellerspass timein quarantine whilethepest
fallson Florentine; in theBookofSendebarandtheSevenSages ofRomethetellerstryto save
thelifeofan innocent one; theCanterbury Talesarea specialcase, fortheydramatize thecom-
petition betweenstorytellers. It is appropriate, I think,to envisionSade's writingas hisownact
ofsurvivalin La Bastilleandduringhis 27 yearsofprisonlife.In thisway,Sade couldbe iden-
tifiedwiththefemalestorytellers, thoughin thepositionofa victimofgreater powersthatleave
himno recourseotherthanwriting. It is onlyin prisonthatSade becomesa writer and a politi-
cian.
18See Benjamin,Walter."The Storyteller." Illuminations(H. ArendtEd. New York:
SchockenBooks,1968:94).
19"'Duelos [...], we have,I believe,advised
youthatyournarrations mustbe decoratedwith
themostnumerous andsearching details'" (271).
20"some individuals capableofproviding an accountofall theseexcesses,thenofanalyzing
them,ofextending them,ofitemizing them,ofgraduating them,andofrunning a storythrough
itall,toprovidecoherenceandamusement" (218).
21"forSade,
pleasureis generated through theear,becauseone neverfindspleasurethrough
imagesor through thebody,butthrough words."PhilippeRoger.Sade, La Philosophiedans le
Pressoir(Paris:Grasset,1976: 118,mytranslation).
22Etymological dictionary ofJ.CorominasandJ.Pascual.DiccionarioCríticoEtimológico
Castellanoe Hispânico(Madrid:Gredos,1985: 266-267).
23Inthisrespect,I disagreewithcriticsthatsee in Sade's textan open,inviting experience
forthereaderto followthe storyand "pick and choose" his passion.See forinstanceJoan
DeJean'sengagingwithPhilippeRoger'sthesis,thoughtakinga morecautiousview:whilestill
arguingthatthetextis openforthereader(to ripit apart),nonetheless she concludesthatthe

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64 /FrenchForum/
readeris includedas longas thenarrative can totallycontrolwhathe reads{Literary Fortifica-
tions.Princeton: Princeton University Press,1984:322-24).
^To myknowledge, thereareveryfewexceptions tothisdirectrelation withnatureinSade's
works.See forinstance, thepopeBraschi'ssysteminJuliette, thatdaresdisturb thenotionofthis
connection- nonetheless and in good libertine inconstancy,only to re-establishit a fewlines
below:"Les rapports de l'hommeà la nature, sontdoncnuls;la naturenepeutenchaîner l'homme
paraucuneloi; l'hommene dépenden riende la nature;ils ne doiventrienl'un à l'autreet ne
peuventni s'offenser, ni se servir"(Lely Ed. Volume9: 171- "Man thushas no relationship to
Nature,norNaturetoman;Naturecannotbindmanbyanylaw,manis inno waydependent upon
Nature,neither is answerableto theother,theycannoteitherharmor helpeach other."Juliette.
Trans.Wainhouse(New York:GrovePress,1968:767). Braschicontinues bymildlycontradict-
ingwhathe said:"Parle premier élancement, l'hommereçoitdes loisdirectesdontil nepeutplus
ces loissontcellesde sa conservation
s'écarter; personelle"(171- "Withhiscastingmanreceives
a directandspecificsystemoflawsbywhichhe mustabide,underwhichhe mustproceedever
after;theselaws arethoseofhispersonalself-preservation" 767).
25"thesensationscommunicated by theorgansof hearingare themostflattering and those
whoseimpressions aretheliveliest;as a consequence,ourfourvillains,whowereof a mindto
havevoluptuousness implantitselfin theverycoreoftheirbeingsas deeplyandas overwhelm-
inglyas everitcouldpenetrate, had,to thisend,devisedsomething quitecleverindeed"(218).
26"Durcet [. . .] hadall thesameneverbeenable totallytodestroy theprinciples ofrectitude
andvirtueitseemedNaturehadbeenpleasedto engravein herheart"(212).
27"Thispassionhavingstimulated headsso wellacquaintedwiththatspeciesofdisorder, and
havingputtheminmindofa tastetheyall relished, Messieurssimplycouldnotbearwaitingany
longerto makeuse ofit"(343).
28"One moment,'said Durcet,Ί cannothearsuchstorieswithout theirinflu-
beingaffected,
enceuponmewouldbe difficult todescribe.I havebeenrestraining myfucksincethemiddleof
thetale,kindlyallowme tounburden "
myselfnow' (482).
29"whoneverheardanything he hadnota desiretodo on thespot"(368) [. . .] "a full-blown
dramatization ofthewhimsywhereof accounthadjustbeendelivered"(369).
30Nature "speaks"to theSadeancharacters withherownvoicein mostof Sade's works.In
Justine we havean explicitpassagedramatizing theoralcommandsof nature:"cettenature,si
elle pouvaituninstant raisonner avec nous,etque nouslui disionsque ces crimesqui la servent,
que ces forfaits qu'elle exige [. . .] sontpunispardes lois[. . .]. Imbécile,nousrépondrait-elle,
dors,bois,mangeetcommetssanspeurde telscrimesquandbonte semblera:toutesces préten-
dues infamiesme plaisent,etje les veux,puisqueje te les inspire."(PauvertEd. Volume3:177
- "mightily astonished shewouldbe,thisNature, weresheabletoconversewithus fora moment
andwerewe totellherthatthesecrimeswhichserveher[. . .] arepunishedbylaws theyassure
us aremadein imitation ofhers.Idiotsshe wouldreplyto us, sleep,eat,andfearlessly commit
whatever crimesyoulikewhenever youlike:everyoneofthoseallegedinfamies pleasesme,and
I wouldhavethemall,sinceitis I whoinspirethemin you"[609]). Elevenlinesfollowwiththe
"orders"thatnaturegivestoClément.
31O'Reilly'sarticle,"Desirein Sade's Les 120 Journéesde Sodome" interprets thestory-
tellingdifferently. The storytellers wouldprovidethelibertines witha moment ofcontemplation,
almosta distance:"Thetaleallowsthelibertine tocontemplate passivelya mentalimageofhim-
selfwithout havingtoexerthimself directlyin theactionofthetales[. . .] listeningtotales[. . .]

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giveshimtheuniqueopportunity ofmeditating on his lifeas a constantly evolvingand moving
centreofhisowncreation"(Studieson Voltaire254). O'Reillythengoes on to mention thatthe
priorityoftheoralnarration overitsdramatization is indeeda constant "interplay" withthecon-
cretizationofthestorieswhichbetraysthe"contradictory movement ofthelibertine's desirefor
an unmediated presence that combines the
paradoxically imaginary with the physicaland the
storywithitsactualization" (255).
32 toBarthes,whilethevoiceloses in meaning, itgains"a signifying
According playhaving
nothing todo withcommunication, representation (offeelings), expression; itis thatapex(orthat
depth)ofproduction wherethemelodyreallyworksat thelanguage,notat whatitsays,butthe
voluptuousness of itssounds-signifiers, of itsletters, wheremelodyexploreshowthelanguage
worksand identifies withthatwork"(The Grain of the Voice.New York: Hill and Wang,
1985:182).
33"theobjectwhichis in theprofoundest sense devoidof all value save theone our lust
endowsitwith,thatobject,I say,showsitselfforwhatin truth it is once ourlubricity has sub-
sided"(275); "fromthisaversion,all thesame[. . .] is oftenborna planforrevenge"(275).
34"Goon,Duelos,go on,continue, forI havethefeelingI mightperpetrate something fool-
ish,andI wantmyillusiontoremainintactat leastuntilI go to bed" (276).
35SeeMladenDolar."The ObjectVoice."in Zizek andSalecl,eds. Gaze and Voiceas Love
Objects(Durham:Duke University Press,1996:7-31).
36Dolarsetshimself againstDerrida'scritiqueofthevoiceas the"phonocentric" foundation
ofWestern metaphysics thatrelieson presence(auto-affection) byreminding us ofanother West-
erntradition whichhas linkedthevoiceto a danger,notsurprisingly a dangerto thecity,which
forDolarrepresents a traditionthatextendsbeyondtheWesttotheEast.Dolar'sexamplesinclude
Plato'sandAristotle's banon musicandvoicethatarenotlinkedto word;thesoundsandnoises
thatprevent thepeopleofIsraelfromlistening to God; themusicthatwas bannedbytheChurch
andbythePuritans throughout theages; theInstitut Nationalde la MusiquethataftertheFrench
Revolutionsetoutto organizemusicso thatitwouldfitthegoals of therevolution (see Dolar,
ibid 16-24).
37Derrida, "Otobiographies." The Ear of the Other(Lincolnand London: University of
NebraskaPress,1985:35).Derrida'scommenton Nietzschetoucheson theuncanniness of the
ear;whileitis essentialtohearthebestmasters forone's ownformation, theState,forNietzsche
"thecoldestofall coldmonsters" (qtd.on 34), operateswith"acousticdevices"tocontrolitssub-
duedservants. The subjectsendup beingtaken"bytheear"bythosedevices,one ofwhichis the
institutionoftheuniversity thatrelieson theear andtheactoflistening to setan umbilicalcord
betweenthestudent andtheuniversity - andultimately betweenthestudent andtheStatebehind
theuniversity.
38There is onlyan illusionof speechat theCastle,whichis an effectofaurality. The story-
tellers'speechis controlled by libertinelaws,whichtheverylibertines helpthemto abide by:
"'qu'un mot,Duelos,' ditle duc. 'Jeparleraià motscouverts, ainsitesréponsesn'enfreindront
" "
pointnos lois' (182- 'Justone word,Duelos,' said theDue, whothenqueriedthestoryteller
inanindirect languagewhichenabledhertomakelawfulreply"[385]).Thelibertines don'tcom-
municateanything abouttheirdeeds;theyinsult,blaspheme,shout,and above all, theyassert,
affirm,securetheirphilosophical truths.
JeanJacquesPauvertremarks thatitis assertions, forthe
mostpartcontradictory andleadingtonosystem, thatonecanfindineachandeverypageofwhat
he calledthe"sadiana":"unefoisidentifié, reconnu, repéré,le termed'assertion, qui n'avaitrien

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66 /FrenchForum/Spring

apparemment pourse faireremarquer, sauteaux yeuxpresqueà chaquepage,indifféremment

employéparSade lui-même ou parses personnages" (13- "oncetheterm'assertion,' whichpre-
viouslywas notself-evident, has beenidentified, recognized,spottedout,itbecomesobviousin
almosteverypage,whether it is used by Sade himselfor by his characters," mytranslation ).
Whentheydon'tasserttheir"truths," they shout or give But
orders. they do not engagein the
exchangeofa dialogueora doubt.Speechwouldimplythattheylose singularity, thattheyenter
ina universal law ofexchange.As Klossowskiputsit,theperverse wants"a uniquegesture"and
is tiedto itsrealizationwithno liberty; it is a gesturethatis outsideall codes. If theperverse
speaks in thename of of
generality, "speaking," ofbelongingto thespecies,itloses singularity;
to takerecourseto discourse,to reason,is a contradiction: thustheperversetakesrecourseto
complicity. See Sade 22-28.

WorksCited
Barthes,Roland.TheGrainoftheVoice.New York:Hill andWang,1985.
Bataille,Georges.Literatureand Evil.New York:MarionBoyars,1997.
Benjamin,Walter. Ed. H. Arendt.NewYork:SchockenBooks,1968.
Illuminations.
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