Oxford World's Classics Young Goodman Brown and Other Tales, (Paperback)

from xuebi

But I just don't enjoy the pleasures other people enjoy!With this exclamation, Jean des Esseintes, the sole character in Huysmans' Against Nature, sums up the central theme of the novel. Against Nature is an atypical novel: there is only one character - the decadent and ailing aristocrat des Esse...

from Widsith

An ornate, sickly, claustropobic book, full of fascinating discussions about art and literature, and studded with items of outré vocabulary (I still haven't worked out what mœchialogie means). It is a novel for people who like talking about novels - the plot itself is slim and of little importanc...

from williamcostiganjr

A dandy retreats from society to ensconce himself in his lair of books, perfumes, flowers, art, etc. An amusing and entertaining read. You can skim any parts you find dull, but Huysmans is a skilled enough writer that reading the protagonist's opinions about obscure Latin authors somehow became e...

from startingover

The story of a man apart; a gorgeous, sickly anti-hero hermetically sealed from the common herd by an uncommon intellect. There is no plot as such, the book is a catalogue of things worth caring about (?): literature, art, beautiful things, jewels, perfumes. But where are all the people? Where is...

from Wubsy

I picked out this book in the bookstore because of it's intriguing cover. Something about the expression of the man's face seemed lost and almost crazed. The novel did not disappoint me, and in Des Esseintes, Huysman's created a character who remains agonizingly out of reach. The descriptions thr...