Decadence: Obscure literature of the fin de siecle and Belle Epoque - and other literary obsession

My sub-assignment of reading J.-K. Huysmans’ novels in order of publication now takes me to Naturalist anthology Evenings at Médan (1880). Its six stories are set during the Franco-Prussian War (1870/71), a stunning defeat so embarrassing to France that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pales by comparison. Oddly, some cite the year of this defeat as the beginning of the Belle Epoque in which France’s culture and economy soared on a wave of optimism.  The authors collected in the anthology contributed one story each, and all are disciples of Emile Zola. Having read novels by half of them, I gave myself a sub-sub-assignment of seeking out translations of all six stories (the anthology itself is not available in an English volume). Huysmans’ contribution is “Knapsacks”, a satirical tale of ne’er-do-well Parisian Eugene Lejantel who is conscripted at the start of the war. Due to the army’s disorganization (a central cause of its humiliating defeat in reality), the conscripts immediately c...

As a side assignment within my French Decadent immersion, I’m reading J.-K. Huysmans’ novels in their published order. Since Huysmans kicked-off the French Decadent movement with A rebours ( Against Nature or Against the Grain ), I figured exploring his progression from Naturalism to Decadence might be useful insight into the latter movement. His second novel is The Vatard Sisters (1879). The Naturalism movement to which Huysmans belonged dismissed the idealistic, impassioned works of Romanticism as cotton candy. I like to think, for example, that the lingering influence of Naturalism is what makes us roll our eyes at drippy sentimentality or pat happy endings in movies or books. Naturalism called out such devices as phony, preferring to depict life as it was. Authors conducted extensive research to create an accurate ‘slice of life’ and did not shy away from subject matter considered taboo in polite society.  Huysmans’ 1876 debut ( Marthe: The Story of a Whore ) didn’t sell, bu...

As mentioned in a previous post, J.-K. Huysmans’ novel A rebours ( Against Nature or Against the Grain ) is widely regarded as perhaps the key moment in the development of Decadent literature. While there were novels about dandies and their cynical angst before it, A rebours seems to have fully crystallized the Decadent trope of a wealthy, cultured dandy as an alienated commentator on fin de siècle society.  Given the impact of A rebours , it occurred to me - as a side project in my decadent reading frenzy - to read Huysmans’ novels in their order of publication to see if I could track his progression from Naturalist disciple to Decadent firestarter. This might provide some insight into the development of the Decadent movement, as well as where and how Decadent literature broke away from Naturalism and the other schools that came before it. My project didn’t start well. Huysmans’ first book, Le drageoir aux épices (1874), is not available in English. However, it was a collectio...

Since my first post cited Joris-Karl Huysmans' A rebours ( Against Nature or Against the Grain ) as my entree to Decadent literature, it seems sensible to blog about it right off the bat. Without question, A rebours is the Decadent novel and a must read if you're interested in the Decadent movement or French fin de siecle literature in general. That said, as fascinating and well-written as I found it, it’s not easy going. Note: I read Margaret Mauldon's translation published by Oxford and found it very accessible. (The painting at right is Portrait of J.-K. Huysmans by Adolphe Erneste Gumery, painted in 1884 - the year A rebours was published). A rebours is about Jean Des Esseintes, a wealthy aristocratic fop (the contemporary term was 'dandy'). He and his friends roam Paris indulging their sexual and sensual whims until Des Esseintes literally burns out on life in the fast lane. Disgusted with human society, he retreats to a house outside Paris and seals him...

Jean Lorrain (pictured). Octave Mirbeau. Rachilde. J.-K. Huysmans. These are not the first names that spring to mind when one thinks of French literature. In fact, most people have never heard of them, let alone read their work. Their writing was concentrated between the mid-1880’s and the first years of the 20th Century, a span of time when Naturalism was waning but Modernism had not yet risen. This period is commonly referred to as the French fin de siecle (end of century).  Major literary figures were active during the fin de siecle, but their oeuvres were rooted in the Naturalism which came before it. They certainly don’t embody the Modernism of its aftermath in any meaningful way. Meanwhile, the fin de siecle authors mentioned above and their contemporaries are either shoehorned into these two broad periods or positioned as odd residual bursts of Romanticism.  I find neither treatment satisfying. There is a yawning chasm between Naturalism’s journalistic slice of life and...