Has anyone read De Sade's 120 Days of Sodom?

I read it.

It made me feel sorry for the Marquis de Sade, he obviously was a disturbed person trying as hard as he could to be offensive.

I slipped my copy into the shelves at the local Bible school.

While the concept is an interesting one and de Sade's exploration of many forms of perversity without moral or legal bounds is certainly one worthy of examination (as proven by Salo), I can only recommend this one to the most devoted fans of the Marquis. If this is your first look into any of de Sade's writings, you'd be better served starting with Justine (another of his works with a few movie adaptations).

The 120 Days of Sodom was written while de Sade was locked up at the Bastille. It had been thought lost. What we are able to read is essentially a rough draft and incomplete. After you've familiarized yourself with some of de Sade's other works and gotten to know his writing style, revisit 120 Days of Sodom, but it's not for new fans.

Can I trade in the children for more cash?

Disturbed, trying really hard to be offensive, sure.

Some people call him a hack philosopher, maybe you can add that to the list.

Myself, I admire the systematic effort he put into exploring this really important part of the human psyche, in a way that nobody else did. It's both revolting and tedious at the same time. But there's nothing else like it, I'd say that should count for something. If it was worth my time, it's because of the four main characters, and the humor and familiarity with which Sade paints their personalities and backgrounds.

I read it and honestly it's very interesting, at least the first part is. It is divided into three parts and in the first one he explains everything with soo much detail it is kind of "fun" to read (not trying to sound like a psycho) lol but it is interesting. Part the third is so stupid tho.

Not worth it at all. It is nearly impossible to get through the whole thing, because it is the boring ranting of a man who was going mad with syphillus. If that appeals to you, go ahead and read it. The film is actually worth watching, though, because it uses de Sade's work only as a backdrop to deal with contemporary issues of politics, corruption, and morality.

It's marvelous. So are Justine and Juliette.

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I downloaded and read it over holiday break last year. It was disturbing, yes, and I did feel nauseous at times. I've been raped before when I was a teen so I struggle with those triggers. It's a piece of history though, and a look into the mind of a mad man who once held such power. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely ". History will always repeat itself, and the idea that people could sink this low into depravity is more frightening than any film could ever be.