Against the Grain

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

4.7

Word count: 293K words
Chapters: 30

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.Gegen den Strich by J.-K. HuysmansAuthor: Huysmans, J.-K. (Joris-Karl), 1848-1907,Language: German, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Feb 23, 2019

Editor's review

Against Nature is Huysmans's representative work, centered on a nobleman's secluded life and unfolding extreme experiments with the senses, art, and faith. Its structure resembles a display of themes, with chapters on perfumes, gems, flowers, religious art, and literary tastes; the language is intricate and ornate, carrying the aesthetic self-scrutiny of the Decadent movement. Its strength lies in writing aesthetic taste as a spiritual symptom, letting readers see late-nineteenth-century European intellectuals' resistance to vulgar modernity and immersion in artificial beauty. One need not seek plot momentum; it is better read as a history of aesthetic ideas, noting the narrator's self-justification and self-consumption of taste. The German translation preserves the original's long sentences and expansiveness, suiting slow reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in late-nineteenth-century European Decadent literature
Readers studying aesthetic modernity, Aestheticism, and the history of literary taste
Literary readers accustomed to slow reading and appreciative of ornate description and conceptual display
Learners of German literary translation concerned with handling long sentences

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking strong plot and fast-paced narrative
Readers impatient with abundant art, religious, and sensory description
Beginners hoping to learn about social realities through fiction

Reading tips

Read in sections by chapter theme; pause after each chapter to sort out its sensory or artistic theme
Keep pen and paper to record recurring taste images and observe how the narrator's aesthetic logic reinforces itself
Compare with Aestheticist texts by Wilde, Baudelaire, and others to understand shared Decadent themes
German readers may compare passages with the French original, noting how long sentences and modifiers are translated

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 background should I know before reading?

It helps to first understand the basic tenets of late-nineteenth-century European Aestheticism and Decadence, and Huysmans's shift from naturalism to aesthetic and religious themes, to grasp the dense artistic references.

Is the plot strong?

No. It is closer to aesthetic monologue linked by themes, with little character action and dense conceptual and sensory description. Approaching it for plot will disappoint; it is better approached for ideas and style.

What reading level does the German translation suit?

Intermediate to advanced German learners. The original has many long sentences and dense modifiers, which beginners will find difficult; they may start with excerpts or a Chinese translation to understand the structure.

Comments

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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.