# Charles Baudelaire — Against the Grain character guide

> Charles Baudelaire in Against the Grain by J.-K. Huysmans.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Baudelaire

**First appearance:** 0004-ii

## Snapshot

The poet whose sinewy diction and morbid, disheartened sensibility Des Esseintes prizes above nearly all French literature.

## Who they are

Baudelaire is the writer Des Esseintes credits with expressing the inexpressible, defining with strange sanity the fleeting and evanescent conditions of broken spirits. After Baudelaire, the number of French books on his shelves is very limited, which tells you how completely one poet has become the measure of his taste. He matters because he gives Des Esseintes a language for spleen and for the modern soul's exhaustion, the very mood that drives the retreat.

## In the story

### [Against the Grain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/against-the-grain)

Referenced as a key influence on Des Esseintes' aesthetic and worldview.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/i)

His works are enshrined in a triptych in Des Esseintes' study, representing the literary and spiritual influence on the protagonist.

### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/ix)

Referenced as part of Des Esseintes' reflections on art and the common herd.

### [The Perfume Experiment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/x)

Referenced for his poetic metrical schemes in 'l'Irreparable' and 'le Balcon', which Des Esseintes compares to harmonies in perfumery.

### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xii)

Des Esseintes admires Baudelaire's exploration of morbid psychology and the sick mind, praising his unique style and depth.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xiv)

Des Esseintes considers him the only author whose verses contain a truly balsamic and nutritious kernel.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters/baudelaire
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters