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Against Nature: A Decadent Masterpiece by Mercedes Franco

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Against Nature Book Cover By Mercedes Franco, Featuring A Man In A Decadent Pose Against A Lush, Overgrown Background Against Nature (Penguin Classics) Mercedes Franco

Against Nature, published in French in 1884 and in English in 1903, is a scandalous and provocative novel by the French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans. A masterpiece of the Decadent movement, it tells the story of Jean des Esseintes, a wealthy and eccentric aristocrat who retreats from the world to live a life of artificial pleasures in his elaborate mansion.

Against Nature (Penguin Classics)

by Mercedes Franco

4.4 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	707 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
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Print length	:	138 pages

The novel is a tour de force of decadent aesthetics, evoking a world of sensuality, excess, and artificiality. Des Esseintes surrounds himself with beautiful objects, perfumes, and foods, and indulges in a variety of sensual experiences. He also cultivates a fascination with the occult and the bizarre, and surrounds himself with a cast of eccentrics and freaks.

Against Nature is a challenging and disturbing novel, but it is also a mesmerizing and beautiful work of art. Huysmans's prose is rich and evocative, and his descriptions of des Esseintes's decadent world are both alluring and repellent. The novel is a powerful indictment of bourgeois values, and it remains a touchstone for those interested in the Decadent movement.

The Decadent Movement

The Decadent movement was an artistic and literary movement that flourished in Europe in the late 19th century. Decadent artists and writers rejected the values of the Enlightenment and Romanticism, and instead embraced a world of artifice, sensuality, and despair.

Decadent art and literature often explored themes of death, decay, and the supernatural. Decadent artists and writers were also fascinated by the exotic and the bizarre, and many of them experimented with drugs and alcohol in search of new and heightened experiences.

The Decadent movement was a major influence on later artistic movements, such as Symbolism and Expressionism. It also had a profound impact on popular culture, and its influence can be seen in everything from fashion to music to film.

Joris-Karl Huysmans

Joris-Karl Huysmans (1848-1907) was a French writer and art critic. He is best known for his novel Against Nature, which is considered a masterpiece of the Decadent movement.

Huysmans was born in Paris, France, and he began his career as a civil servant. However, he soon turned to writing, and he published his first novel, Marthe: Histoire d'une fille, in 1876.

Huysmans achieved his greatest success with Against Nature, which was published in 1884. The novel was a critical and commercial success, and it helped to establish Huysmans as one of the leading writers of the Decadent movement.

Huysmans continued to write until his death in 1907. His later works include La-Bas (1891),a novel about Satanism, and La Cathedrale (1898),a novel about the Middle Ages.

Mercedes Franco

Mercedes Franco is an Argentinian-born artist and writer. She is known for her illustrations of classic works of literature, including Against Nature.

Franco's illustrations for Against Nature are both beautiful and disturbing. They capture the novel's decadent atmosphere and its themes of death, decay, and the supernatural. Franco's illustrations have been praised by critics, and they have helped to bring Huysmans's novel to a new generation of readers.

The Penguin Classics Edition

The Penguin Classics edition of Against Nature features a new by the acclaimed writer Edmund White. White's provides a fascinating overview of the Decadent movement and Huysmans's life and work.

The Penguin Classics edition of Against Nature is the definitive edition of this classic novel. It is beautifully produced and features a wealth of supplementary material, including Huysmans's own preface to the novel and a chronology of his life and work.

Against Nature is a challenging and disturbing novel, but it is also a mesmerizing and beautiful work of art. It is a masterpiece of the Decadent movement, and it remains a touchstone for those interested in the history of art and literature.

The Penguin Classics edition of Against Nature is the definitive edition of this classic novel. It features a new by Edmund White, a chronology of Huysmans's life and work, and a wealth of other supplementary material.

Against Nature (Penguin Classics)

by Mercedes Franco

4.4 out of 5