À rebours

About “À rebours”

À rebours is an 1884 novel by Joris-Karl Huysmans. The story follows Jean des Esseintes, an eccentric and reclusive aesthete who rejects bourgeois society and creates an ideal artistic world. The novel focuses on his sensory experiences, artistic tastes, and thoughts on literature, painting, and religion. It reflects themes linked to the Symbolist movement and contrasts with Naturalism, making it a key example of "Decadent" literature. The book influenced later works, such as The Picture of Dorian Gray. Huysmans described the novel as a portrayal of a man seeking escape in fantasy and art, refining different forms of expression into an essence of beauty.