Against The Grain, or Against Nature by Joris-Karl Huysmans
Mentor New York
- 18
- Episodes
- 2023
- First episode
About Against The Grain, or Against Nature by Joris-Karl Huysmans
“THE BOOK THAT DORIAN GRAY LOVED AND THAT INSPIRED OSCAR WILDE”. Such is the enticing epigraph of one early translation of Huysmans’ cult novel of 1884, which is also routinely called the Bible of Decadence. Accurate descriptions, both, of this bizarre masterpiece which has reverberated ever since through high and popular culture.“Against Nature” (or in this version “Against The Grain”) explores to the furthest limit the life of the world-rejecting aesthete living a reclusive existence devoted entirely to artificial paradises of his own devising. This is no solemn tract, however: the book’s anti-hero Duc Jean Floressas Des Esseintes spectacularly fails to achieve his life’s work, as all his attempts to create worlds of perverse experience through synaesthesia and interior decoration prove ludicrously unsatisfying and injurious to health. An innocent tortoise also falls casualty to his theories, in the wonderful fifth chapter.This is probably a novel best savoured one chapter at a time, and not only because John Howard’s clunky translation makes indigestible listening. Those who can skip whole chunks without guilt would do well to avoid chapters 4, 7, 12 and 14. Revel, however, in the wonders of 5, 8, 9 and 11. Encounter the jewel-encrusted chelonian, the butch lady acrobat, the nightmarish orchids that cause the hero to exclaim “All is Syphilis”…Alas, this translation lacks a chapter, and two brief incidents are also suppressed on account of their sexual perversity. Enjoy what remains. (Summary by Martin Geeson)
- Publisher
- Mentor New York
- Category
- arts · arts
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- Yes
- First episode
- 16 Jul 2023
- Latest episode
- 16 Jul 2023
Latest episodes
18 episodes in the feed.
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 16
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 15
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 14, part two
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 14, part one
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 13
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 12, part two
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 12, part one
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 11
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 10
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 9
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 8
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 7
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 6
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 5
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 4
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 3
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 2
16 Jul 2023
Chapter 1
Contact Against The Grain, or Against Nature by Joris-Karl Huysmans
- Guest appearances
- Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Against The Grain, or Against Nature by Joris-Karl Huysmans?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show
Podcast research with Pod Engine