Women in the context of Marquis de Sade's ethics

Women's identity has varied over time in various societies and has changed under the influence of social, religious and political factors. During the periods when religious traditions were dominant, women's place has always been in the private sphere, and with the transition to the modern world, women have tried to find a place for themselves in the public sphere. In this study, the thoughts of the Marquis de Sade are revisited centuries later, taking into account the discourses on how women should be and how they should behave from the 18th century to the present day, as well as the concepts of "morality" and "virtue" that everyone has an opinion on. Donatien Alphonse François le Marquis de Sade (b. June 2, 1740- d. December 2, 1814) is known as a French aristocrat and philosopher as well as one of the most important writers of erotic literature. He is also the founding father of sadism. The author put forward a completely new and different idea about man and nature, which was seen as a rebellion by others. The Marquis de Sade tried to destroy the idea of moral philosophy that the good is virtue and that the virtuous should always be chosen, which was maintained from Ancient Greece until the end of the 18th century. He argued the opposite of the idea that people can choose the right actions by their own choices despite their inclinations. According to Sade, human beings are inseparable from their nature and if they fulfill its principles, they necessarily become 'sadists'. In this study, while examining the life of Marquis de Sade in detail, the literary novels and female characters that he presented to his readers by collecting his thoughts together are also discussed. How the idea of women and the equality of women and men have changed from past to present, the place of women in society and how the Marquis de Sade positioned "women" in society by destroying these ideas constitute the basis of the study. Keywords: Marquis de Sade, woman, morality, virtue, human, nature, crime, pleasure