Down There

Huysmans, J.-K. (Joris-Karl), 1848-1907Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.2

Word count: 517K words
Chapters: 52

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Là-bas by J.-K. HuysmansAuthor: Huysmans, J.-K. (Joris-Karl), 1848-1907,Language: English, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Dec 10, 2004

Editor's review

Là-bas is the key novel from before Huysmans turned toward the Catholic spiritual world. It revolves around late-nineteenth-century France's fascination with Satanism and the occult, interspersed with a historical account of the medieval Gilles de Rais. Its strength lies in weaving documentary research, an atmosphere of urban decadence, and spiritual crisis into a distinctive text that is part novel and part cultural investigation. Its value lies not in thrills of plot but in how it presents modern anxiety and curiosity after the collapse of faith. For readers familiar with nineteenth-century French literature, it is an important link for understanding the turn from Decadentism to Symbolism; readers interested in religion, the occult, or psychological fiction will also find many discussable motifs. A caution: the descriptions of ritual, crime, and religious controversy are rather gloomy, and the pace is more speculative, so it is not for readers seeking light, brisk narrative.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying nineteenth-century French literature and the Decadent movement
Those interested in the relationship between the occult, religion, and literature
Readers who enjoy psychological and intellectual fiction and can accept a gloomy atmosphere
Literature enthusiasts wanting to understand Huysmans' transitional period

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer light, brisk, tightly plotted stories
Readers sensitive to descriptions of Satanism and religious controversy
General readers who need a Chinese translation and do not read English editions

Reading tips

First learn about Huysmans' life and the late-nineteenth-century French religious atmosphere, then enter the text.
Read the historical chapters on Gilles de Rais against the main storyline, noting the layers of narration.
After finishing, revisit the clues to the protagonist's spiritual change and sort out his crisis of faith.
If it feels heavy, read it in installments by chapter rather than forcing yourself to read it straight through.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is this book mainly about? Is it a horror novel?

It is not a horror novel aimed at frightening people. It revolves around an investigation of Satanism in late-nineteenth-century France and the protagonist's spiritual crisis, interweaving historical narrative with an atmosphere of urban decadence. It is closer to intellectual fiction and cultural analysis: gloomy, but not sold on shock value.

Can I read it without a background in French literature?

You can, but your understanding will suffer. The book involves background such as the Decadent movement, Symbolism, and Catholic controversy; without any familiarity, the speculative passages can read as long-winded argument. It is advisable to read a brief introduction to Huysmans and his era first.

Is this edition in English or French?

According to the information, the language of this Project Gutenberg entry is marked as English, i.e., an English edition. The original is a French novel; to read the original you would need to find a French edition. The English edition is suitable for readers of English.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Huysmans, J.-K. (Joris-Karl), 1848-1907 Author

Joris-Karl Huysmans (1848–1907) was a French novelist known for his meticulous, almost anatomical treatment of psychology and the senses. His best-known novel, A rebours (Against the Grain; German translation Gegen den Strich), centres on a reclusive aristocrat's extreme pursuit of art, sensation and artificial pleasures, and is regarded as a key text of late nineteenth-century European aestheticism and decadent literature. Another novel, Là-bas, explores questions of faith and mystical experience, while En Route and The Cathedral continue his engagement with religious themes. Eight of his works are held in the collection, including Sac-Au-Dos and Un dilemme. Public information is limited, so no conjectures are made about the details of his life.