Gegen den Strich

About this book

"Gegen den Strich" by J.-K. Huysmans is a novel published in 1884. The narrative follows Jean des Esseintes, an eccentric aristocrat who retreats from bourgeois society into self-imposed isolation. In his countryside refuge, he cultivates an elaborate world of aesthetic experiences—collecting art, experimenting with perfumes, and surrounding himself with exotic objects. The essentially plotless novel catalogs his neurotic tastes and hyperaesthetic pursuits while recalling his decadent Parisian past. Breaking from Naturalism, it became the defining work of Decadent literature and inspired Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray."