# Durtal — Là-Bas character guide > Durtal in Là-Bas by J.-K. Huysmans. **Role:** major **Also known as:** III Durtal, M. Durtal, Monsieur Durtal **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot A burnt-out novelist who fled the Paris literary racket for medieval archives, only to find his celibate calm ambushed by anonymous letters and a woman he cannot see. ## Who they are Durtal lives alone with his notes on Gilles de Rais, having traded naturalist fiction for the fifteenth century and its monsters. His senses, dormant for years, reignite over a correspondent he has never met — and a visit to an old prostitute leaves him more haunted, not less. His research into a child-killer and his hunger for an unknown woman pull him in the same direction: toward the forbidden, and toward a faith he cannot quite name. ## Relationships ### [Des Hermies](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/characters/des_hermies) _friendship_ Des Hermies is Durtal's closest confidant and intellectual companion, sharing discussions on occultism and modern decadence. ### [Carhaix](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/characters/carhaix) _friendship_ Carhaix, the bell-ringer, offers Durtal a refuge of simplicity and spiritual solace, forming a warm bond. ### [Hyacinthe Chantelouve](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/characters/hyacinthe_chantelouve) _romantic_ Hyacinthe Chantelouve, the son, shares a tense, ambiguous relationship with Durtal, marked by rivalry and unspoken attraction. ### [Canon Docre](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/characters/canon_docre) _rivalry_ Canon Docre, a renegade priest and Satanist, is Durtal's antagonist, embodying the dark spiritual forces Durtal investigates. ### [Gilles de Rais](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/characters/gilles_de_rais) _psychological_ Durtal is morbidly fascinated by Gilles de Rais, studying his crimes and psyche as a case of extreme evil and obsession. ### [Père Rateau](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/characters/pere_rateau) _professional_ Père Rateau is Durtal's spiritual advisor, guiding him through religious doubts and the conflict between faith and occultism. ### [Gévingey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/characters/gevingey) _social_ Gévingey, an astrologer, is an acquaintance of Durtal, providing esoteric knowledge and linking him to the occult underworld. ### [Dr. Johannès](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/characters/dr_johannes) _professional_ Dr. Johannès is a physician and occultist who advises Durtal on matters of alchemy and spiritual health. ### [Carhaix](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/characters/carhaix) _friendship_ Carhaix, the bell-ringer, offers Durtal a refuge of simplicity and spiritual solace, forming a warm bond. ### [Des Hermies](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/characters/des_hermies) _friendship_ Des Hermies is Durtal's closest confidant and intellectual companion, sharing discussions on occultism and modern decadence. ### [Des Hermies](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/characters/des_hermies) _friendship_ Des Hermies is Durtal's closest confidant and intellectual companion, sharing discussions on occultism and modern decadence. ### [Carhaix](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/characters/carhaix) _friendship_ Carhaix, the bell-ringer, offers Durtal a refuge of simplicity and spiritual solace, forming a warm bond. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/i) Engages in a heated debate with Des Hermies about naturalism, defends its contributions while admitting his own disillusionment, and reflects on his artistic and spiritual yearnings. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/ii) Describes his disillusionment with literary circles and his retreat into the study of Gilles de Rais. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/iii) Frustrated by his concierge's cleaning, then engages in conversation about bells and visits Carhaix's tower. ### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/iv) Describes his progress on the biography of Gilles de Rais, focusing on the transition from virtue to crime. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/v) Engages in the discussion about Satanism, expresses curiosity about the black mass and sacrilegious practices. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/vi) Wakes late, talks to his cat, and reluctantly gets up to work on Gilles de Rais. ### [Chapter VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/vii) Analyzes the letters and suspects Mme Chantelouve is his unknown correspondent; reflects on her dual nature and his own conflicting feelings. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/viii) Durtal's fever for the unknown woman subsides as he suspects she is Madame Chantelouve. He reflects on Satanism and Gilles de Rais, then prepares for Madame Chantelouve's visit, feeling both desire and caution. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/ix) Participates in the debate, compares Canon Docre to Gilles de Rais, and reflects on the literary appeal of succubacy over positivism. ### [The Visit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/x) Durtal is consumed by anticipation and anxiety over Madame Chantelouve's visit, preparing his apartment meticulously and later wrestling with confusion and frustration after their ambiguous encounter. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/xi) Awakens calm and resolved, weary of Madame Chantelouve's games, and refocuses on his writing about Gilles de Rais. ### [Chapter XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/xii) Visits the Chantelouve home, discusses his work on Gilles de Rais, and proposes the concept of Pygmalionism. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/xiii) Experiences intense disillusionment after the sexual encounter with Madame Chantelouve, feeling that reality has shattered his idealized dreams. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/xv) Durtal ponders the reality of Satanic magic versus modern science, awaits Madame Chantelouve's visit with reluctance, and fabricates a story about a mistress and child to push her away. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/xvi) Reflects on his relationship with Hyacinthe, compares her to Gilles de Rais, and discusses literature with Des Hermies. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/xvii) Visits Carhaix in his sickbed and later engages in a tense conversation with Madame Chantelouve about Satanism. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/xviii) Agrees to sign a letter to attend the Black Mass, reflects on his research into Satanism, and discusses the ceremony with Des Hermies. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/xix) Attends the Black Mass reluctantly, observes the ritual with disgust, and resolves to end his affair with Mme. Chantelouve. ### [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/xx) Hosts dinner at Carhaix's tower, discusses Black Mass and human corruption. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/xxi) Reflects on the end of his affair with Mme. Chantelouve, dismisses her letters, and turns back to his work on Gilles de Rais. Engages in a philosophical discussion with Des Hermies about Satanism and the supernatural. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/chapters/xxii) Narrates the story of Gilles de Rais's execution and the public's pity, and laments the spiritual decay of the age. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/characters/durtal - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/l_bas_se/characters