Marquis de Sade

S1 E1: He spent much of his life in jail for the perversions he recounted in his famous writings, while his name has entered the English language as a definition of sexual cruelty. Donatien Alphonse Francois was a sick man, but he did not try to hide the fact. In a series of scandalous and long suppressed books, he celebrated deviant sexual activities and challenged every aspect of civilized authority, including the church and the government. In this comprehensive account of his life, Biography descends into the depths of the human psyche to take an unflinching look at the life of the notorious nobleman, celebrated by some as a pioneer for his absolute rejection of society's constraints. Follow his many trips in and out of jail, examine the notorious writings and practices that secured his place in history, and meet a descendant of the infamous Marquis who reveals what it is like to live with the name de Sade! This is a compelling look at the depraved aristocrat whose lascivious behavior brought him infamy, and whose shocking writings earned him immortality.