Against Nature

E946091

Against Nature is the English title of Joris-Karl Huysmans’s influential 1884 decadent novel centered on the reclusive aesthete Jean des Esseintes and his obsessive pursuit of artificial beauty.

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Label Occurrences
Against Nature canonical 1

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Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf decadent novel
novel
adaptation inspired various stage and literary adaptations
alsoKnownAs Against the Grain NERFINISHED
author Joris-Karl Huysmans NERFINISHED
centralConflict tension between artificial beauty and natural life
character Jean des Esseintes NERFINISHED
countryOfOrigin France
firstEditionPlace Paris NERFINISHED
genre aesthetic novel
novel
philosophical fiction
hasEnglishTitle Against Nature NERFINISHED
Against the Grain (alternative translation)
influenced Decadent literature in England
Oscar Wilde NERFINISHED
The Picture of Dorian Gray NERFINISHED
languageStyle ornate and descriptive prose
literaryMovement Decadent movement NERFINISHED
literarySignificance key work of French Decadent movement
major influence on fin-de-siècle literature
mainCharacter Jean des Esseintes NERFINISHED
motif decay
exoticism
sensual excess
narrativeFocus inner life and obsessions of Jean des Esseintes
narrativePerspective third-person limited
notableFeature detailed catalogues of art, literature, and sensory experiences
rejection of naturalism
originalLanguage French
originalTitle À rebours NERFINISHED
protagonistDescription reclusive aesthete
publicationCentury 19th century
publicationYear 1884
publisher Charpentier NERFINISHED
setting France
settingDetail a secluded house in the Paris suburbs
structure largely plotless, episodic
theme aestheticism
artificiality versus nature
decadence
isolation
sensory experimentation
spiritual crisis
timePeriodOfSetting late 19th century

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Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

À rebours titleTranslation Against Nature