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University Daily Kansan Wednesday, Oct. 21, 1964
Faculty Members Decipher Letters On Marquis de Sade
If you have trouble deciphering those messages from your roommate or those notes to call so and so, try some letters written 200 years ago by illiterate French servants . . . in phonetics, too.
Actually, this is only a small part of the job undertaken last spring by Dorothy Theland, assistant professor of romance languages; Ambrose Saricks, professor of history, and Mrs. Marilyn Crabtree, assistant instructor of speech and dramatics.
THESE THREE are currently working over Watson Library's collection of the 18th century French Gaufridry letters on the de Sade family manuscripts. The manuscripts throw light on the personal life of the Marquis de Sade, a rather scandalous and erotic author from whom our term "sadism" was derived. The manuscripts also give insight into the Revolution's effects on the provincial areas of France.
NROTC Offering Course for Wives
A first hand glance at U.S. Navy Life for the prospective Navy wife will be offered by the Naval ROTC Unit in a set of semi-monthly classes, beginning the week of November 2.
The non-credit course, designed for would-be Navy or Marine wives, will deal with duty in foreign countries, medical care and facilities, protocol, pay and allowances and other military details.
Lt. Francis Dreeseen, assistant professor of naval science, will teach the course, assisted by other Naval ROTC staff members and their wives.
Those interested may contact Lt. Dreessen in room 119, Military Science Building. Depending upon the interest, the course may run into the second semester, Lt. Dreessen said.
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The Marquis de Sade was the topic of the Humanities Lecture last night by Georges May, Dean of Yale College.
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"Numbering over a thousand," Prof. Thelander said, "the manuscripts are a correspondence, in the sense that they are letters written to a lawyer, Gaufrid, from the Marquis de Sade, his wife, his mother-in-law, farmers on his estate, servants, and so on.
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"OUR PROBLEM," she continued "is transcribing some unbelievably bad handwritings, organizing and compiling all this material so that it can be published."
As "homme d'affaires," notary o-lawyer of the De Sade family, Gaufridy's collection of papers extends from 1774 to about 1800. He kept a vivid record of his efforts to keep the family, their estate of La Coste, and the Marquis himself financially solvent and in good keeping with the law.
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The bulk of the collection, apart from more than 400 letters from the Marquis and other members of the De Sade family, is composed of records of the management of the provincial estate.
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Equally as interesting, Mrs. Crabtree noted, was one manuscript still somewhat flaked with silver dust. Because quill pens were used in that century, some sort of sand had to be sprinkled on papers for blotting purposes. This wealthy family used silver.
"THE MOST DIFFICULT thing so far," said Mrs. Crabtree, "was work on some letters written by servants of the De Sade family, which were recorded nearly in phonetics. They had no education, so could write only according to sound.
Professors Thelander and Saricks received a grant form the General Research Fund last year for the project, and hope to be finished by December. Most of the transcribing bulk goes to Mrs. Crabtree who reports not only legal documents and letters in the manuscripts but bills of sale and grocery lists as well.
"THE PERSONAL LIFE of De Sade involved masochism and sadism as we know them today." Mrs. Crabtree said. "He was on trial several times for his sexual activities.
"It's still indefinite," said Professor Saricks, "as to exactly what we'll publish when the project is completed. Our goal, of course, is to publish everything, but we'll have to finish all the sorting first."
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"It's interesting to see, too, that De Sade's wife is rather illiterate in her letters. She was a member of "la robe," or the French judicial branch since her father was a judge. De Sade married her and brought her into the "noblisse" evidently for financial reasons," Mrs. Crabtree said.
"The job can seem awfully tedious at times." Professor Thelander said, "but it has its rewards. We have discovered, for example, a wonderfully careful account of all property holdings of the Marquis de Sade family. That's good."
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