Libertine

Libertine

Libertine has come to mean one devoid of any restraints, especially one who ignores or even spurns religious norms, accepted morals, and forms of behaviour 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". Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand wrote that Joseph Bonaparte "sought only life's pleasures and easy access to libertinism," while on the throne of Naples. [Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, “Napoleon’s European Legacy, 1853,” "Napoleon: Symbol for an Age, A Brief History with Documents", ed. Rafe Blaufarb (New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008), 151.] In modern times, libertinism has been associated with nihilism, sadomasochism and free love.

Libertine was originally a negative term, derived by John Calvin, for 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".cite book |last=Zophy |first=Johnathan W. |title=A Short History of Renaissance and Reformation Europe: Dances Over Fire and Water |edition=Third Edition |publisher=Prentice Hall |date=2003 |pages=p. 226] 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". 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."

"Les Liaisons dangereuses" ("Dangerous Liaisons", 1782), an epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, is a trenchant description of sexual libertinism. Wayland Young argues that "…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." (Young, 1966, 246)

Famous Libertines

* John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
* Marquis De Sade
* Giacomo Casanova
* Lord Byron
* Arthur Rimbaud
* Jim Morrison

ee also

* Rake — A libertine-like stage character.
* Libertine novel

References

*1911


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  • Libertine — Lib er*tine, a. [L. libertinus of a freedman: cf. F. libertin. See {Libertine}, n. ] 1. Free from restraint; uncontrolled. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] You are too much libertine. Beau. & Fl. [1913 Webster] 2. Dissolute; licentious; profligate; loose in …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Libertine — steht für: The Libertine, ein britisches Drama aus dem Jahr 2004. Linux Libertine, eine freie Schriftart und Teil des Libertine Open Fonts Projekts. Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit dem …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Libertine — Lib er*tine ( t[i^]n), n. [L. libertinus freedman, from libertus one made free, fr. liber free: cf. F. libertin. See {Liberal}.] 1. (Rom. Antiq.) A manumitted slave; a freedman; also, the son of a freedman. [1913 Webster] 2. (Eccl. Hist.) One of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • libertine — index dissolute, lascivious, lecherous, lewd, licentious, salacious, unrestrained (not repressed) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. W …   Law dictionary

  • libertine — (n.) late 14c., a freedman, an emancipated slave, from L. libertinus member of a class of freedmen, from libertus one s freedmen, from liber free (see LIBERAL (Cf. liberal)). Sense of freethinker is first recorded 1560s, from Fr. libertin (1540s) …   Etymology dictionary

  • libertine — *licentious, lewd, wanton, lustful, lascivious, libidinous, lecherous Analogous words: debauched, corrupted or corrupt (see under DEBASE): *abandoned, dissolute, profligate, reprobate: *immoral, unmoral, amoral Antonyms: straitlaced Contrasted… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • libertine — ► NOUN ▪ a man who behaves without moral principles, especially in sexual matters. DERIVATIVES libertinism noun. ORIGIN Latin libertinus freedman , from liber free …   English terms dictionary

  • libertine — [lib′ər tēn΄, lib′ərtin] n. [ME libertyn < L libertinus < libertus, freedman < liber, free: see LIBERAL] 1. in ancient Rome, a person who had been freed from slavery 2. [prob. via Fr libertin] a person, esp. a man, who leads an… …   English World dictionary

  • Libertine — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Une libertine est une femme s’adonnant au libertinage. Libertine peut faire référence à  Libertine, le célèbre tube de Mylène Farmer, la reprise de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • libertine — ● libertin, libertine adjectif et nom (latin libertinus, affranchi) Qui mène une vie dissolue, qui est de mœurs très libres. Se disait au XVIIe s. de quelqu un qui manifestait son indépendance d esprit par rapport aux enseignements du… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

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