Dialogue Between A Priest and A Dying Man

The Dialogue Between a Priest and a Dying Man was written by the Marquis de Sade in 1782. Composed during his incarceration at the Chateau de Vincennes, the essay, written in the form of a conversation, explores the Marquis' own atheism. In the work, a dying libertine debates the attending priest on the nature of the supremacy of logic and natural law over religion.

The Marquis de Sade (1740-1814) was a notorious French aristocrat and writer well known for his libertine lifestyle. He was confined to prison or asylums for some 32 years of his entire life, including a decade in the Bastille. The Chateau de Vincennes was a medieval castle on the outskirts of Paris that served as a state prison in the 18th century. The marquis was imprisoned there from 1777 through 1784, when he was transferred to the Bastille. The Dialogue Between a Priest and a Dying Man research papers have been written by literature experts. We can produce a custom written project following your guidelines.

The Dialogue

In the Dialogue, the dying man repents, not of his sins, but of his failed opportunities to take advantage of his human nature. The man states the following as the basis of his argument:

• Nature created man for the sole purpose to yield to and satisfy one's passions.
• Since God cannot be proven by reason
• The universe is regulated by cause and effect
• There can be no God

Therefore, with no God and no afterlife (Heaven or Hell), the man declares that natural law must allow men to enjoy their life. In the end, six women come to serve the dying man and corrupt the priest.