# Escapism and Solitude in Against the Grain

> Theme guide for Against the Grain by J.-K. Huysmans.

The protagonist retreats from Parisian society to his isolated country house at Fontenay, seeking to create a self-contained world of sensory and intellectual pleasures, only to find that solitude exacerbates his nervous disorders and hallucinations.

## Where it surfaces

- [Notice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/notice): The protagonist's plan to retreat to a secluded house in Fontenay represents a deliberate flight from human contact and the 'incessant deluge of human folly.'
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/i): His move to Fontenay and the creation of a self-contained home are driven by a desire to escape society and live in isolation.
- [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/ii): He creates a completely controlled environment in his home, isolating himself from the outside world and its vulgarities, and seeks to replace reality with illusion.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/iv): Des Esseintes retreats into his private world of sensory pleasures and memories, using the liquor organ to escape into a realm of internal sensations.
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/vii): Des Esseintes' retreat into solitude and his past memories, as well as his plan to decorate with flowers, illustrate his attempt to escape from his deteriorating health and ennui.
- [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xi): Des Esseintes' desperate attempt to flee his solitude by traveling to London highlights the theme of escapism, as he seeks to break free from the oppressive silence of his home.
- [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xiv): He uses literature to escape the triviality of his own time, wandering in imagination to other epochs or dreamlike realms.
- [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xv): Des Esseintes rejects public music performances and prefers solitary, introspective experiences, such as listening to Schubert's lieder or recalling monastic chants.
- [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xvi): The chapter centers on the forced end of Des Esseintes' solitary refuge at Fontenay, which he sees as his only haven from the world.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/themes/escapism_and_solitude
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/against_the_grain_se/themes