
Against Nature
1884
First Published
3.80
Average Rating
220
Number of Pages
With a title translated either as Against Nature or as Against The Grain, this wildly original fin-de-siècle novel follows its sole character, Des Esseintes, a decadent, ailing aristocrat who retreats to an isolated villa where he indulges his taste for luxury and excess. Veering between nervous excitability and debilitating ennui, he gluts his aesthetic appetites with classical literature and art, exotic jewels (with which he fatally encrusts the shell of his tortoise), rich perfumes, and a kaleidoscope of sensual experiences. The original handbook of decadence, Against Nature exploded like a grenade (in the words of Huysmans) and has enjoyed a cult readership from its publication to the present day.
Avg Rating
3.80
Number of Ratings
14,506
5 STARS
32%
4 STARS
33%
3 STARS
23%
2 STARS
9%
1 STARS
4%
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