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Against the Grain · Character

Christ

Central figure of Christianity, referenced in Des Esseintes' religious musings.

minor

First appearance: iv

Christ's tie to Des Esseintes is one of the pressures that moves Against the Grain—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

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With Des Esseintes (psychological): Des Esseintes engages with Christ as a figure of decadent suffering and aesthetic paradox, blending blasphemy with a perverse reverence. With Des Esseintes (psychological): Des…

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The fuller portrait of Christ sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Christ in iv

Character Web

13 connections

A slice of how Christ sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

DEDes EsseintesASArthur Schopen…TSthe servantTETertullianMDMarquis de SadeCHChrist

Relationship types

  • Psychological
  • Other

Character groups

  • Eclectic cultural references
  • Protagonist
  • Dandyism and transgression

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

SetupEscalationClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point

The emotional and psychological peak occurs in the narrator's horrifying self-confrontation in the mirror, whe…

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Relationships

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Christ in iv