In 1843 Sainte-Beuve observed that the two presiding geniuses of Romanticism were Byron and Sade. But whereas Byron could be openly admired, "satanic' Sade enjoyed the considerable advantage of being unnameable: he offered the attraction of the illicit. Sade's reputation, rarely hampered by knowledge of his work, continued to grow. Baudelaire noted that any study of natural man must start with Sade who was clearly a flower of evil, and Flaubert admired "le grand Sade' who offered such "brilliant insights into philosophy and history'. Maupassant
was introduced to him during a brief encounter with Algernon
In 1843 Sainte-Beuve observed that the two presiding geniuses of Romanticism were Byron and Sade. But whereas Byron could be openly admired, "satanic' Sade enjoyed the considerable advantage of being unnameable: he offered the attraction of the illicit. Sade's reputation, rarely hampered by knowledge of his work, continued to grow. Baudelaire noted that any study of natural man must start with Sade who was clearly a flower of evil, and Flaubert admired "le grand Sade' who offered such "brilliant insights into philosophy and history'. Maupassant
was introduced to him during a brief encounter with Algernon