Byron and Sade are perhaps the two greatest inspirations of our moderns
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Illustration: Portrait fantaisiste du marquis de Sade (1866) by H. Biberstein
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Byron and Sade are perhaps the two greatest inspirations of our moderns is a dictum by French literary historian Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve.
In 1843 in Revue des deux Mondes, in an article with the title “Some Truths Concerning the Current Situation in Literature”, the famed critic wrote that Lord Byron and Marquis de Sade "are perhaps the two greatest inspirations of our moderns, the first openly and visibly, the second clandestinely, but not very."
- "J’oserai affirmer, sans crainte d’être démenti, que Byron et de Sade (je demande pardon du rapprochement) ont peut-être été les deux plus grands inspirateurs de nos modernes, l’un affiché et visible, l’autre clandestin – pas trop clandestin. En lisant certains de nos romanciers en vogue, si vous voulez le fond du coffre, l’escalier secret de l’alcôve, ne perdez jamais cette dernière clé."
- "I would dare affirm, without fear of being contradicted, that Byron and Sade (I beg pardon for mentioning them in the same sentence) have perhaps been the two greatest inspirers of our moderns, the one visibly advertised and displayed as such (affiché et visible), the other in a clandestine manner, yet not too clandestine. In reading certain of our writers (romanciers) now in vogue, never forget this key if you wish to get to the bottom of the treasure-chest and discover the secret stairway to the well-hidden boudoir."--tr. [1]
"I dare say, without fear of being contradicted, that Byron and de Sade (I beg your pardon for the comparison) have been perhaps the two greatest inspirations of our moderns, one openly and visibly, the other clandestine - though not too clandestine. When reading some of our fashionable novelists, if you want the back of the safe, the secret staircase to the alcove, never lose this last key."--tr. JW Geerinck
The first in the English language to have mentioned this, was Geoffrey Gorer in his The Marquis de Sade: A Short Account of His Life and Work (1934)
- ".. Sade's influence on the literature of Europe since his death has been considerable . Saint Beuve , who was a canny critic , bracketed him with Byron as one of the twin inspirations of modern writers . His influence was obvious and ..."
Although it appears to have been mentioned in Sainte-Beuve, a Literary Portrait (1931) by William Frederic Giese:
- "Byron and de Sade (I beg pardon for bracketing the two together) have been perhaps the two principal inspirers of our modern writers, the one openly and visibly, the other in a clandestine manner, and not so very clandestine."
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