Rachilde, and Observations on the Translation of French Decadent Literature

One of the challenges in reading French Decadent literature is a shortage of English translations. Many works by key Decadent writers, such as Jean Lorrain, Catulle Mendes, J.-K. Huysmans, Octave Mirbeau, and Rachilde lack recent (or any) English translation. This hampers the ability to study a literary movement that, in my opinion, played a significant role in the transformation of literature from Romanticism and Naturalism to Modernism.

In the case of Rachilde, I believe her only novel in English was – for a long time – an old translation of her succès de scandale Monsieur Vénus (1884). In the 90’s, access to her oeuvre broadened somewhat. Melanie Hawthorne translated The Juggler (1900), and Liz Heron translated The Marquise de Sade (1887). Later, Monsieur Vénus itself received a much-needed new translation from Hawthorne. However, this was still only a glimpse of her fin de siècle output. 

The problem with old translations of Decadent literature is they’re inherently unreliable. Decadent literature often deals with themes of gender and sexual identity, so a translator needs to have an awareness of these subjects and not be a ninny about them. Given the historic ignorance and hostility towards these subjects, any translation prior to the 1990s must be of questionable value. And that’s being very generous since these subjects – especially gender fluidity – are still apt to generate hysterical responses today. 

To be clear: My objection is not based on concerns about diversity or political correctness, but about accuracy. If a translator isn’t aware of or doesn’t understand – or actively downplays – the themes of an author’s work, their translation will necessarily mangle the author’s vision and message. The problem also goes beyond actual translations to broadly affect decisions about what (and who) is not translated and, therefore, left in obscurity. 

This problem explains, in part, why Decadent fiction is understudied and dismissed. Most translators would prefer to tackle novels with plots and characters firmly within traditional gender and sexual identity roles rather than transgressive works like Monsieur Vénus or the novels of any number of other Decadent writers, which are dismissed as purple prose or merely trading on shock value. Such a dismissal can result from a translator’s prejudices or lack of knowledge rather than anything to do with the literature itself.

I feel justified in this view because, even today, it’s not uncommon for art and literary academics to sweep gender and sexuality under the carpet (or, more appropriately, into the closet). For example, academic articles often still refer to the relationships of homosexual artists and writers via coded language: “an intimate friendship” or “a life-long companion”. 

An author’s sexuality can significantly affect the nuances of how they portray sex, romance, and even interpersonal relationships. As such, ignoring an author’s homosexuality negatively impacts the accuracy of both a translation and literary analysis. Further, authors who openly address gender and sexuality would be more likely to be dismissed and remain untranslated and understudied.

It’s no coincidence that there has been an increase in English translations of Decadent literature following the spread of more rational attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community. In Rachilde’s case, the last two years have seen an explosion of new releases. Snuggly Books has published Rachilde’s short story collection The Demon of the Absurd (1894), her novel The Princess of Darkness (1895), and a volume of short stories selected from Contes et Nouvelles (1900) entitled The Blood-Guzzler and Other Stories. There is also Rachilde & Company’s The Animal (1893), and Wakefield Press’ The Tower of Love (1899). 

Hopefully, we will continue to see new English translations of literature from the French Decadent Movement (and its corollary, Symbolism). I believe greater access to and study of these works will ultimately reveal the Movement’s substantial impact on the evolution of literature during the fin de siècle and its resulting influence on the development of Modernism.