“Taking delight in the temptation that torments them”a longing for the abyss, or the temptation of the Fall in libertine fiction

Abstract

This article discusses the representation of erotic temptation in the libertine narratives of the eighteenth century. In these, we have authors who use the motif of temptation to explore their characters’ psyche while questioning the sanctions that Ancien Régime society imposed on sexuality—notably that of women. Our aim is to show that libertine temptations crystallize the internalization of Evil during the Enlightenment era, when temptation is in fact depicted as originating from a deep, innermost desire rather than an evil outside force. In this testing of his will, the individual discovers he is not the passive plaything of either demons or his own nature. Gifted with free will, he is characterized by his freedom to choose between good and evil, the pleasurable and the reasonable. This is why tempted characters view the Fall itself, despite its dangers, as an experience of freedom, and why temptation, for its part, is presented as a delicious thrill.Peer reviewe