Justine

The influence of the second wave, characterized by the oriental tale, is felt in the exotic-erotic fantasy tableaux in Justine and in his designation of the heroine as the storyteller. Finally, Sade integrates satiric, parodic, and libertine features of the tales produced during the third wave. Justine is a mélange of fairy-tale elements from each wave transformed into an original work of dark extremes. Sade borrowed from past writers of the genre to create a story so provocative that it was at once banned and influential. He continued the tradition of using the fairy tale as a means of entertainment disguising social criticism. In the context of what many considered to be a frivolous literary form, he spoke about the nature of power and its association with evil. He used the fairy-tale format to portray crime and thus perpetuate evil through countless retellings.