Against Nature (A rebours) centers on a single character: Jean des Esseintes, an eccentric, reclusive, ailing aesthete. The last scion of an aristocratic family, Des Esseintes loathes nineteenth century bourgeois society and tries to retreat into an ideal artistic world of his own creation. The narrative follows the neurotic Des Esseintes’ aesthetic tastes, musings on literature, painting and religion, and hyperaesthesic sensory experiences.

In Against Nature Joris-Karl Huysmans decided to keep certain features of the Naturalist style, such as its use of minutely documented realistic detail, but apply them instead to a portrait of an exceptional individual: the protagonist Jean Des Esseintes. The novel contains many themes that became associated with the Symbolist aesthetic. In doing so, it broke from Naturalism and became the ultimate example of Decadent literature, inspiring works such as Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray in 1890.

This case laminate collector’s edition includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket.