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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Dans deux jours je serai à Paris; allons, fit-il, tout est bien fini; comme un raz de marée, les vagues de la médiocrité humaine montent jusqu'au ciel et elles vont engloutir le refuge dont j'ouvre, malgré moi, les digues.
( 2.5 )
No plot, just vibes but the vibes were not vibing and I was bored af most of the time.
No plot, just vibes but the vibes were not vibing and I was bored af most of the time.
This book is literally about a man who hates everyone and everything, wants to live his life only for literature and art and interact with no one, and is ultimately driven insane by his own depressive solitude and isolation. One of the main themes seems to be don’t become like this guy (too late in my case, because RELATABLE) but there were a lot of other themes that open up a lot of discussion around a lot of issues so even though it was a bit boring and it felt like nothing happened in most chapters, I can’t help but say I enjoyed it.
Possibly the most painful read. Very influential to the Decadent writers, though how they got through it seriously confounds me how anyone can enjoy this book. Especially in French.
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Remember the little yellow book in [b:The Picture of Dorian Gray|5297|The Picture of Dorian Gray|Oscar Wilde|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1204865529s/5297.jpg|1858012]? This is it. It's nothing but pure fin de siècle decadence, a symbolist piece of jewellery. It focuses solely on Jean Des Esseintes - the ultimate dandy - and his seclusion from the outside world, loathing anything that has to do with the common, the hoi polloi and indulging himself in intellectual and aesthetic pleasures - creating extravagant perfumes, furnishing his house (choosing the right colours for the walls takes him a few pages), setting gems into the shell of a living tortoise, planning a garden of poisonous exotic plants or arranging books in his library (his favourite painters and writers take tens of other pages).
As the title suggests it - "A Novel Without a Plot" - nothing much happens, so this might get the reader bored at times, but it's worthwhile reading it, by all means.
As the title suggests it - "A Novel Without a Plot" - nothing much happens, so this might get the reader bored at times, but it's worthwhile reading it, by all means.
challenging
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An exceptional classic and hilarious too. Against Nature is tedious to be sure and that's why I gave it an only moderate rating. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't interested in reading about an anxious, neurotic, and sickly man's art and literature collections. Fortunately, however, I find such eccentrics to be the best.
And I'd readily agree with Julian Gracq who stated something to the effect that Huysmans' vocabulary is spectacular. Even in translation, it's a wonder to read.
And I'd readily agree with Julian Gracq who stated something to the effect that Huysmans' vocabulary is spectacular. Even in translation, it's a wonder to read.
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
sad
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes