Against Nature by J.K Husymans

This novel is a key Decadent text, aiming to dispel the effects of idealistic Naturalism of the 1800s and instead reveal the perverse pleasures and practices of the 19th century dandy. It is worth mentioning that this text inspired Oscar Wilde to write The Picture of Dorian Gray, a novel exploring the depths of sin and social reactions. Against Nature tells the story of Des Essientes, an aristocratic French gentleman who has become wearied by recent social changes and as a result decides to live in solitude in a secluded area. The reader is instantly reminded of Henry Thoreau's Walden, an autobiographical account of life in the woods away from the harshness of urban environs. But no, Husymans is wholly cynical in his diagnosis of society, his irreverence towards monarch and government is characteristic of the Decadent movement.
It should be noted here that the novel itself has only one major character, Des Essientes. The only other character are his staff and others referenced throughout. This unique format allows Husymans to deliver a well thought out character study as well as avoiding distracting the reader from these ideas by any kind of narrative plot. The neurotic nature of Des Esseintes may seem frustrating to the modern reader as he plunges into a lengthy discourse on the 'gamy flavours' of classical literature, but I assert that it is not necessary to understand every literary allusion to understand this text. Moreover, Des Essientes represents a part of 19th century society that was overlooked by common man, for being too perverse and obscure. There is a hint of pederasty where Des Essientes is attracted to a young boy, but the overall sexual theme of this novel is that of ennui and disillusionment. Des Essientes is a man with infinite needs but finite pleasures, his sickness towards the end of the novel is the result of his neurosis and isolation, this is resolved by his reluctant move back to the city. Whereas other Naturalist writers such as Zola would assert that peace is to be found amongst nature, Husymans shows how isolation in nature only results in the fulfilling of perverse wants and obsessive states. This short novel is painfully relevant to our modern age of impulse and luxury, that we want it all now, even if that means compromising our ethics.