The Mystified Magistrate: And Other Tales

Most associate the Marquis de Sade with either explicit, philosophical epics of libertinism gone mad ("Juliette", "The 120 Days of Sodom") or novellas of dramatic tragedy ("Eugénie de Franval", "Florville and Courval"). "The Mystified Magistrate", a collection of short stories, provides a refreshing change of pace and gives readers a glimpse into the wonderful wit of the unfairly maligned marquis. Most of the stories here, save for the title tale, are quite short and mostly humorous, de Sade having used Boccaccio's "The Decamaron" as a model (I suspect he was a fan of Dioneo's saucier tales). "The Mystified Magistrate" is a wildly funny story centering on an elderly judge who marries a young woman who wants nothing to do with him and the lengths she, along with some help from friends and family, will go to to prevent the consummation of the marriage from taking place. With shades of Moliére and Beaumarchais throughout (think "Tartuffe" and "The Barber of Seville"), it makes for a very enjoyable read. "Emilie de Tourville" is one of the few dramatic stories, which I also enjoyed, but humor is the theme in this collection, such as "An Eye for an Eye" and "The Husband Who Turned Priest." The one that made me laugh out loud more than once, and still does every time I read it, is "The Windbags of Provence", a tale with a delicious bit of bite (and an example of de Sade's literary revenge). The book is translated by Richard Seaver, my preferred de Sade translator (I highly recommend his translation of de Sade's "Letters From Prison"). I have "Windbags of Provence" in another collection, by a different translator, and it falls flat, failing to adequately capture de Sade's sense of humor. These stories are not explicit; at most they could be termed "bawdy" or "ribald" I suppose. If you've already read de Sade's darker writings, this will most likely pleasantly surprise you; if you're considering becoming acquainted with his works, but aren't quite ready to dive into the heavier books, this is an excellent place to start.

This was an excellent collection of some of De Sade's shorter works. The stories are quite funny and nice for a lite reading of Sade. I highly recommend this to those who dare not venture into some of his other more explicit works, but also to those who are looking to round out their Sade readings. If you like this, or if you found it too mild, i highly recommend the 120 Days of Sodom and Justine, both fantastic books.

Yes, I've read "Justine" and "Juliette" and a plethora of other de Sade odds and ends, but this collection was true enjoyment. I think Donatien should have kept to short stories; these tales are priceless, devoid of the boring repitition of his novels; and ripe with evidence of self-supressed talent. I was mystified as to why he didn't apply this flare in "Justine" and "Juliette". A real shame, le Marquis.

This is a fantastic collection of short stories. "Fraternal Cruelty," was probably my favorite "dramatic" story in the collection, and looks like it could be the basis for an Academy Award winning short film. "Love's Strategy," was interesting, I guess, and "The Teacher's Philosopher," was another strange one. "The Gascon Wit," was hilarious. These stories are for the most part easy to read, very funny, very dramatic, and at times exhilarating.

Although the Marquis De Sade was harshly judged for his works, people of this day and time shoud have more of an open mind. Napoleon burned De Sades books in outrage, and although our consitution is based on the Napoleonic code....we have freedom a speech and press. All of De Sade's writings can be taken librally but one does need an open mind. This book is sexually explicit as are practically all of his writings. But for those with a open mind....and no children looking over their shoulder, it is a wonderful read.