Der Marquis de Sade und seine Zeit.

A meticulous study bridges the life of the controversial eighteenth‑century figure with the social, legal and medical currents of his era. Drawing on contemporary essays, newly published correspondence and earlier biographical notes, the author situates the marquis within the wider debates on morality, law and the emerging science of human sexuality. The narrative foregrounds how scholars of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries began to treat his writings not merely as scandalous literature but as material for serious cultural and psychological inquiry.

Designed for physicians, jurists, historians and philosophers alike, the work blends documentary evidence with thoughtful analysis, offering a nuanced portrait of a man whose ideas both reflected and provoked the changing attitudes of his time. Readers will discover an engaging exploration of how one individual’s provocative legacy helped shape early conceptions of sexual pathology and continues to inform discussions of personal freedom and societal norms.