# Des Esseintes — Against the Grain character guide > Des Esseintes in Against the Grain by J.-K. Huysmans. **Role:** major **Also known as:** the Des Esseintes, XVI Des Esseintes, This Des Esseintes **First appearance:** 0002-against-the-grain ## Snapshot A wealthy aesthete who abandons Paris for a villa engineered to gratify every sense, only to find his nerves turning on him. ## Who they are Des Esseintes is the last of an exhausted aristocratic line, and he has chosen to live alone with his books, his perfumes, and his carefully staged illusions rather than endure the stupidity of modern society. His project is to substitute artifice for nature, yet his body keeps sabotaging the experiment: a passing well-being dissolves into hallucinations of frangipane, and he finds himself sniffing the air for a smell no servant can detect. His retreat is the whole arena of the book, and his failing health is what makes it dramatic. ## Relationships ### [the doctor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters/the_doctor) _professional_ The doctor is a medical authority whom Des Esseintes consults but often resists, embodying the conflict between decadent will and physical health. ### [Miss Urania](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters/miss_urania) _psychological_ Des Esseintes is obsessed with Miss Urania as a symbol of masculine strength in a female form, using her to fuel his fantasies of power inversion. ### [Edgar Allan Poe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters/edgar_allan_poe) _psychological_ Des Esseintes venerates Poe as a kindred spirit of morbid imagination, finding in his works a mirror of his own neurotic sensibilities. ### [Gustave Moreau](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters/gustave_moreau) _psychological_ Des Esseintes is captivated by Moreau's paintings, especially the Salomé images, which he interprets as the ultimate expression of perverse, exotic beauty. ### [De Falloux](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters/de_falloux) _social_ De Falloux is a minor acquaintance whose conservative Catholic views contrast with Des Esseintes' decadent aestheticism, yet they share a circle of literary discussion. ### [Christ](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters/christ) _psychological_ Des Esseintes engages with Christ as a figure of decadent suffering and aesthetic paradox, blending blasphemy with a perverse reverence. ### [Auguste Langlois](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters/auguste_langlois) _professional_ Auguste Langlois is a craftsman or supplier whom Des Esseintes employs to realize his elaborate decorative schemes. ### [Jan Luyken](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters/jan_luyken) _psychological_ Des Esseintes collects Luyken's engravings of religious persecution, finding a morbid aesthetic pleasure in their depictions of suffering. ### [Christ](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters/christ) _psychological_ Des Esseintes engages with Christ as a figure of decadent suffering and aesthetic paradox, blending blasphemy with a perverse reverence. ### [Gustave Moreau](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters/gustave_moreau) _psychological_ Des Esseintes is captivated by Moreau's paintings, especially the Salomé images, which he interprets as the ultimate expression of perverse, exotic beauty. ### [Jan Luyken](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters/jan_luyken) _psychological_ Des Esseintes collects Luyken's engravings of religious persecution, finding a morbid aesthetic pleasure in their depictions of suffering. ### [Edgar Allan Poe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters/edgar_allan_poe) _psychological_ Des Esseintes venerates Poe as a kindred spirit of morbid imagination, finding in his works a mirror of his own neurotic sensibilities. ## In the story ### [Notice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/notice) The protagonist, last descendant of a degenerate noble line, is introduced as a frail, nervous, and disillusioned man of thirty who seeks solitude after a life of debauchery and societal disgust. ### [Against the Grain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/against-the-grain) The protagonist, retreating from society into an artificial environment. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/i) The protagonist, who is finalizing his move to Fontenay and designing his house to reflect his aesthetic and solitary ideals. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/ii) Arranges his household with meticulous detail, devising a code of signals and a medieval costume for his servant to maintain solitude. He expounds his philosophy of artifice over nature, recalling his disgust with Parisian society. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/iii) The protagonist, whose literary tastes and bibliophilic passions are explored in depth as he examines his collection of Latin works. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/iv) The protagonist, who has decorated a turtle's shell with jewels and uses a liquor organ to stimulate memories and sensations. ### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/v) Curates his art collection to escape contemporary society, finding solace in works that evoke ancient corruption and nightmare visions. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/vi) Reflects on his past manipulations and experiments with human behavior. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/vii) The protagonist, living in solitude, reviews his past and suffers from nervous and physical ailments. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/viii) The protagonist, who reflects on syphilis and artificiality, then suffers a nightmare about the disease. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/ix) Reflects on his past mistresses and experiences a resurgence of carnal desires. ### [The Perfume Experiment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/x) Awakens feeling well but soon suffers olfactory hallucinations; engages in a detailed experiment with perfumes to cure himself. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xi) The protagonist, whose solitude has become unbearable, leading him to plan a trip to London as a desperate attempt to escape his mental anguish. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xii) Returns home and reviews his library, finding new appreciation for his books and bindings; reflects on Baudelaire and Barbey d'Aurévilly. ### [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xiii) Suffers from heat-induced nervous collapse, reflects on the struggle for existence and the madness of procreation, and critiques modern society's hypocrisy. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xiv) Continues his literary analysis, expressing dissatisfaction with many contemporary writers and reaffirming his preference for Baudelaire and Poe. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xv) Suffers from worsening dyspepsia, hallucinations, and physical deterioration; recalls his childhood experiences with religious music at the Jesuit college. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xvi) Des Esseintes is forced to leave his Fontenay retreat due to doctor's orders, experiencing rage, despair, and a sense of impending doom as he contemplates returning to Parisian society. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters/des_esseintes - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/characters