Top of page

Book/Printed Material Against the Grain. rebours

View 281 images in sequence.

About this Item

Title

  • Against the Grain.

Other Title

  • rebours

Summary

  • First published in 1884, À rebours (Against the grain) by the French novelist Joris-Karl Huysmans (1848-1907) reflects the author's departure from the romanticism of Émile Zola and his adoption of a new Symbolist aestheticism. In the absence of a plot, the narrative focuses on the main character, Jean des Esseintes, an eccentric, reclusive aesthete and antihero who rejects modernity and cultivates a taste for decadence. After leading an eventful and exuberant life, des Esseintes becomes weary of society and retreats to a suburban home in Fontenay-aux-Roses, where he collects what he believes are the most precious works of art and the rarest objects and indulges in study and idleness. He creates intricate perfumes and plants a garden of venomous flowers. The story of a turtle that dies under the weight of the gemstones that des Esseintes has encrusted in its shell serves as a metaphor for the destiny of the book's main character. Try as he may, des Esseintes is unable to escape from his weariness of the world and decides to return to Paris. The fin-de-siècle aestheticism created by Huysmans was largely influenced by the writings of Charles Baudelaire, Edgar Allan Poe, and Stéphane Mallarmé and the paintings of Gustave Moreau and Odilon Redon. À rebours became the manifesto of the spirit of decadence with which a whole generation of French artists and intellectuals identified. The edition presented here is one of only 130 copies and includes 220 colored wood-block etchings by the renowned French painter, etcher, and illustrator Auguste Lepère (1849-1918).

Names

  • Huysmans, J.-K. (Joris-Karl), 1848-1907 Author.
  • Lepère, Auguste, 1849-1918 Engraver.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1903.

Headings

  • -  France
  • -  1903
  • -  Art -- Philosophy
  • -  Decadence (Literary movement)
  • -  French literature
  • -  Symbolism (Art movement)

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 219 pages.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of France.
  • -  Content in French.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021666980

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Huysmans, J.-K. , Author, and Auguste Lepère. Against the Grain. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1903] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666980/.

APA citation style:

Huysmans, J. -. & Lepère, A. (1903) Against the Grain. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666980/.

MLA citation style:

Huysmans, J.-K. , Author, and Auguste Lepère. Against the Grain. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, 1903] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666980/>.