Without going deep into the specifics of the piece, the introduction covers the basic description of the four libertines and their daughters/wives in the messed up web of relationships and marriages Sade creates in the first five pages. Very early in the text Sade also makes clear the theme of his opposition to religion and societal norms.
He mocks society by portraying priests, bishops, and noblemen as perverts and criminals of the time. He also brutally punishes those who dare pray to any god, suggesting Sades complicated relationship with religion. So it’s definitely a question as whether they see themselves as above those who have faith in a god or completely separated from religion all together.
One of the more prevalent points of the text I noticed while reading is the connection to Freuds theory of psychoanalysis. “nothing was unjust except that which caused pain” (page 10). Several quotes resemble that one throughout the book in each section of events. It is the most direct point of Freud’s theory that states that a person is motivated by our desire to experience pleasure and avoid pain, whether emotional or physical at all costs. Libertinism is defined as the disregard of authority or convention in sexual or religious matters it is characterized by self indulgence and a lack of restraint, a disregard of authority or a rejection of moral boundaries. The libertines seek out any and all pleasure though the 120 days, creating a power dynamic in which all four are on the same plane but above everyone else in the castle who is there only to cause them pleasure.
