Top 5 Decadent Novels
Often I am asked to cite my “Top Ten” classic French decadent novels—at least I wish I were. In preparation for that day, I have compiled a definitive list in chronological order. There are countless decadent novels, but these are the ones that I have read and enjoyed multiple times, and expect to appreciate even more as time goes on.
Dangerous Liaisons (Les Liaisons dangereuses)
Choderlos de Laclos
1782
This proto-decadent epistolary novel features the ultimate anti-heroes—the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont—set against an idyllic backdrop of eighteenth-century chateaus and country estates. It is a celebration of that mindset that led to decadence: libertinism.
Justine, or The Misfortunes of Virtue (Justine, ou les malheurs de la vertu)
The Marquis de Sade
1791
Sade's sparkling prose makes me return to this novel again and again despite its descriptions of the atrocities perpetrated upon Justine. Technically, it is a proto-decadent novel; the decadent movement did not kick off until about 100 years later.
Against Nature (À rebours)
Joris-Karl Huysmans
1884
À Rebours is without a doubt the decadent novel. The protagonist, Jean des Esseintes, escapes Paris to study cultural products such as literature, painting, and perfume. Oscar Wilde’s biographer Richard Ellman describes it as “a guidebook of decadence.”
The Animal (L'animale)
Rachilde
1893
Monsieur Vénus is the most famous novel by Rachilde, Queen of Decadence, having been a succès de scandale in 1884. But The Animal was published some ten years later, and reveals Rachilde at the height of her powers. But maybe I am biased.
The Diary of a Chambermaid (Le Journal d'une femme de chambre)
Octave Mirbeau1900
Diary of a Chambermaid, a book about the impossible life of maid Celestine R., illuminates the clear line from decadence to modernism, demonstrated by the fact that Surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel chose it as the subject matter for a 1964 film. Like all great decadent works, it is satirical, revolting, beautiful, and infuriating all at the same time.
Thank you for reading!
Bookishly,
Rachilde & Co.
