Justine was an early work of the Marquis de Sade, written while imprisoned in the Bastille. It contains relatively little of the obscenity which characterized his later writing. Napoleon Bonaparte called Justine «the most abominable book ever engendered by the most depraved imagination.» Bonaparte ordered the arrest of Sade who as a result was incarcerated for the last 13 years of his life. Justine is set just before the French Revolution in France and tells the story of a young woman who goes under the name of Therese. Her story is recounted to Madame de Lorsagne while defending herself for her crimes, en route to punishment and death. She explains the series of misfortunes which have led her to be in her present situation. Classic erotic fiction.
