false 210255 48 A wildly original fin-de-siècle novel, <I>Against Nature</I> follows its sole character, Des Esseintes, a decadent, ailing aristocrat who retreats to an isolated villa where he indulges his taste for luxury and excess. Veering between nervous excitability and debilitating ennui, he gluts his aesthetic appetites with classical literature and art, exotic jewels (with which he fatally encrusts the shell of his tortoise), rich perfumes, and a kaleidoscope of sensual experiences. The original handbook of decadence, <I>Against Nature</I> exploded &#147;like a grenade&#148; (in the words of its author) and has enjoyed a cult readership from its publication to the present day. 306152 book 1884 Against Nature (A Rebours) (Penguin Classics) total:679|5:248|4:243|3:126|2:42|1:20| 679 2694 1183 106 5 2 false false Sun May 01 00:00:00 -0700 1977 Sun Mar 23 10:12:34 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 23 10:17:41 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 3 false false Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Mar 05 23:07:59 -0800 2007 Thu Apr 19 19:04:10 -0700 2007 fin de siècle France, I've added this gem of a novel about an aesthete who isolates himself from the world. There are way too many references to things that I don't know about for me to have a complete appreciation of the novel's...more...]]> 5 3 false false Sat Jun 02 08:02:15 -0700 2007 Mon Jun 04 11:23:48 -0700 2007 4 2 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 20 08:15:04 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 20 14:49:26 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 1 false false Mon Oct 15 09:21:31 -0700 2007 Sat Mar 08 11:49:54 -0800 2008 Against Nature would embolden my inclinations. Unfortu...more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Nov 12 23:07:19 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 25 04:11:27 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Nov 23 11:45:12 -0800 2007 Sat Nov 24 17:26:20 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu May 15 10:49:57 -0700 2008 Thu May 15 10:54:19 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Nov 06 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Oct 27 10:03:52 -0700 2009 Fri Nov 06 15:48:13 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Tue Dec 25 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed May 14 08:22:30 -0700 2008 Wed May 14 08:28:51 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 20 10:12:53 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 30 12:49:07 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Jun 12 16:43:10 -0700 2007 Tue Jun 12 16:48:19 -0700 2007 3 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 1984 Mon Jun 22 11:42:29 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 15:16:47 -0700 2009 fin de siecle, or decadence movement in France in the late 19th century, this novel was originally entitled A Rebours (In Reverse), and is sometimes alternatively translated in English as Against the Grain. In short, the n...more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu May 31 12:25:09 -0700 2007 Thu May 31 12:27:24 -0700 2007 5 1 false false Wed Aug 22 00:17:36 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 01 01:07:13 -0700 2007 3 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 05 21:45:50 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 06 02:24:13 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 1999 Fri Jul 13 00:46:39 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 26 16:09:39 -0700 2007 5 0 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jan 15 07:05:07 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 15 07:17:08 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Nov 22 15:29:40 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 22 15:36:15 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Jan 09 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 20 11:24:30 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 09 23:24:36 -0800 2009
The novel had been on my radar for a long time, having appealed to me insofar as it mirrored a period of my own extreme misanthropy. I thought perhaps that all my aborted thoughts and failures to lead an enriching solitary life might be realized herein, but I wa...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=210255