Transgression, communication, and sacrifice: an essay on Fonseca, Sade, and Bataille

Abstract

This essay examines the works of Fonseca, Sade, and Bataille, exploring how their writings can be seen by different types of readers. The influence of Nietzsche on Bataille's theory about the origins of value judgments and the necessity of evil in authentic communication is notable. Nietzsche proposed that morality is an invention to ensure survival and that the concepts of good and evil are human constructions conditioned by the contingencies of the world. The study analyzes how Sadean works challenge moral and religious norms, presenting captivating characters who seek pleasure through crime and transgression. In the narratives, the libertine mechanics that represent human desire for authentic and unrestricted communication are evident. The essay debates the relationship between human action, eroticism, and sacrifice, based on Bataille's reflections. Bataille asserts that communication among human beings depends on sacrifice, as it involves putting one's being at stake on the brink of death. Examining examples of sacrifice in the analyzed works, such as the murder of Pedro and Daniel in Fonseca's short story "74 Steps," the text emphasizes how these violent acts are motivated by the desire for communication and the pursuit of ecstasy. Finally, the essay concludes that the quest for authentic communication and ecstasy can lead humans to transgress social and moral norms. Bataille prefers individuals to build a transgressive empathy that allows the exploration of the limits of human experience, rather than living in conformity with an absolute truth.