Becoming Fanny – Becoming Eugénie: Who Is the Revolutionary? - Jane Austen versus Marquis de Sade

Paula Zeuge, Salve Regina University

Abstract

Jane Austen’s writings are often interpreted as socially conservative, whereas the Marquis de Sade claimed to be revolutionary. However, Sade’s Philosophy in the Boudoir (1795) proposes to perpetuate male aristocratic privilege at the expense of other classes, especially women. Conversely, Austen’s Mansfield Park (1814) challenges patriarchal structures through Fanny Price’s confrontation with Sir Thomas Bertram and the system he represents. Sade endorses ancient inequalities while Austen demands a new social justice.

Recommended Citation

Zeuge, Paula (2008) "Becoming Fanny – Becoming Eugénie: Who Is the Revolutionary? - Jane Austen versus Marquis de Sade," Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought: Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 2.
Available at: http://escholar.salve.edu/jift/vol3/iss1/2