libertine

John Wilmot

Marquis de Sade

A libertine is one devoid of any restraints, especially one who ignores or even spurns accepted morals, and forms of behavior sanctioned by the larger society. The philosophy gained new-found adherents in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, particularly in France and Britain. Notable among these were John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, and the Marquis de Sade. "Libertine", like many words, is an evolving one, defined today as "a dissolute person; usually a person who is morally unrestrained".^{[citation needed]} Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand wrote that Joseph Bonaparte "sought only life's pleasures and easy access to libertinism" while on the throne of Naples.^[1]

Origin

The word "libertine" was originally coined by John Calvin to negatively describe opponents of his policies in Geneva, Switzerland. This group, led by Ami Perrin, argued against Calvin's "insistence that church discipline should be enforced uniformly against all members of Genevan society".^[2] Perrin and his allies were elected to the town council in 1548, and "broadened their support base in Geneva by stirring up resentment among the older inhabitants against the increasing number of religious refugees who were fleeing France in even greater numbers".^[2] By 1555, Calvinists were firmly in place on the Genevan town council, so the Libertines, led by Perrin, responded with an "attempted coup against the government and called for the massacre of the French ... This was the last great political challenge Calvin had to face in Geneva."^[2]

Literature

Les Liaisons dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons, 1782), an epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, is a trenchant description of sexual libertinism. Wayland Young argues:

"…the mere analysis of libertinism… carried out by a novelist with such a prodigious command of his medium… was enough to condemn it and play a large part in its destruction."^[3]

Agreeable to Calvin’s emphasis on the need for uniformity of discipline in Geneva, Samuel Rutherford (Professor of Divinity in the University of St. Andrews, and minister of the Gospel in 17th Century Scotland) offers a compelling treatment regarding “Libertinism” in his polemical work “A Free Disputation against pretended Liberty of Conscience” (1649).

Notable libertines

• Ami Perrin
• John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
• Marquis De Sade
• Giacomo Casanova
• Lord Byron
• Paul Verlaine
• Arthur Rimbaud
• Jim Morrison

See also

• Hedonism
• Rake — A libertine-like stage character.
• Libertine novel
• Don Juan and Don Juanism

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.