Just started this today. I'm about halfway through it. It's pretty great so far. Surprised it's not a meme here, to be honest.
To those of you that read it- did you like it? Anything similar you'd recommend?
finish the book first and we can discuss something.
GOD i hate so much these "just started today blah blah" threads
>>8043192
I hate so much your English, but you're right.
OP, you're a bigger-than-average faggot. Just go read the book.
>>8043175
I liked it, largely because of how uncomfortable it was. His sickliness really comes through in his increasingly pedantic and exhausting musings. It was one of the first "real" books I read after teenage years of YA shit, and honestly I don't think I was able to even close to fully appreciate it, but it still managed to give me some insight to my own hobbies/inclinations which I prosecute to nearly autistic extents, and helped me become a bit more forgiving for failing to measure up to my ideals.
I also think I would enjoy a second read much more than my first, if only since I am now infinitely more familiar with the ancient writers on whom des esseintes spends (I think) a whole chapter. It would be cool to have a brief accompaniment guide for the text, with blurbs about the droves of authors, pieces of art, and weird plants he catalogues.
I hope you finish the book soon and can comment on it more fully; I've only seen a handful of references to it in my last year on /lit/, and would like to know what you think of it.
PS does anyone have pictures of the extremely limited edition version of the text, with, I think, a leather binding and gold decorations? I remember stumbling on some appropriately decadent edition, long out of print, but can't find it anymore, don't have photos, and seemingly can't even remember anything specific about it which would help me google it.
>>8043192
halfway through reading this post and I have to agree that finishing the book would be a pretty good idea.
has anyone else started reading this post? do you like it? anything other similar concepts you can recommend?
>>8043192
>>8043250
>>8043304
oookay guys...
This book is extremely short. I'll probably be finished with it in a couple hours. It's not like I started a thread- "Hey just marathoned the first 5 pages of Ulysses. Did I like it?".
I wanted to get a thread going preemptively because this board is slow as shit. So much for that.
>>8043272
>it still managed to give me some insight to my own hobbies/inclinations which I prosecute to nearly autistic extents
This is spot on, desu. The chapter where he buys a bunch of flowers was my favorite part so far. When he was going on about how he disliked the rose because it is too bourgeois it was a little close to home...
>>8043175
>I wanted to make a thread the thread
>>8043175
One of my favourite book. Down There and Stranded are worth reading too.
it did nothing for me. i could see how a man like this would revert to Catholicism when faced with imminent death though.
>>8044082
Cool, I think I'll have to check them out.
Just finished the book & I really enjoyed it- especially the protag's conflicted attitudes toward Christianity. From a quick google search it seems Huysmans was pretty religious. Kind of reminded me of O'Connor / Wise Blood (protag that can't completely separate from religion in spite of his efforts) although obviously that's a much bigger theme in Wise Blood.
I was pretty lost during large portions as well, because I haven't read much French lit and I'd say a good 20% of the book is discussing other French authors and poets. Other than that it was very readable and entertaining, especially some of the more bizarre sequences (e.g. pimp my tortoise).
>Fais aux autres ce que tu ne veux pas qu'ils te fassent ; avec cette maxime tu iras loin
un qui comprit
>>8043847
>When he was going on about how he disliked the rose because it is too bourgeois
the bourgeois love self pity only to feel better about themselves through their fantasy of being less hedonistic than what they are.
>>8044251
>From a quick google search it seems Huysmans was pretty religious
Yes but AFTER Against Nature. He wrote about his conversion in 'En route'.
I liked it.
The Torture Garden by Octave Mirbeau is a lot more decadent and perverse, but they have similarities.
>>8043175
The 'trip' to London was my favourite chapter. I've felt that way many times.
>>8044511
london
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