L'Oblat
Encyclopedia
L'Oblat is the last novel by the French
writer Joris-Karl Huysmans
, first published in 1903. It is the final book in Huysmans' cycle of four novels featuring the character Durtal, a thinly disguised portrait of the author himself. Durtal had already appeared in Là-Bas
, En route
and La cathédrale, which traced his (and the author's) conversion to Catholicism.
In L'Oblat, Durtal becomes an oblate
, reflecting Huysmans' own experiences in the religious community at Ligugé
. Like many of Huysmans' other novels, it has little plot. The author uses the book to examine the Christian
liturgy
, express his opinions about the state of Catholicism in contemporary France and explore the question of suffering (one notable passage describes the Garden of Gethsemane).
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
writer Joris-Karl Huysmans
Joris-Karl Huysmans
Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans was a French novelist who published his works as Joris-Karl Huysmans . He is most famous for the novel À rebours...
, first published in 1903. It is the final book in Huysmans' cycle of four novels featuring the character Durtal, a thinly disguised portrait of the author himself. Durtal had already appeared in Là-Bas
Là-Bas
Là-Bas is a novel by the French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans, first published in 1891. It is Huysmans' most famous work after À rebours. Là-Bas deals with the subject of Satanism in contemporary France, and the novel stirred a certain amount of controversy on its first appearance...
, En route
En route (novel)
En route is a novel by the French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans, first published in 1895. It is the second of Huysmans' books to feature the character Durtal, a thinly disguised portrait of the author himself. Durtal had already appeared in Là-Bas, investigating Satanism...
and La cathédrale, which traced his (and the author's) conversion to Catholicism.
In L'Oblat, Durtal becomes an oblate
Oblate (religion)
An oblate in Christian monasticism is a person who is specifically dedicated to God or to God's service. Currently, oblate has two meanings:...
, reflecting Huysmans' own experiences in the religious community at Ligugé
Ligugé
Ligugé is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France.It is located on the River Clain, 8 km south of Poitiers. It is known for its historic monastery, Ligugé Abbey.-Twin towns:...
. Like many of Huysmans' other novels, it has little plot. The author uses the book to examine the Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
liturgy
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
, express his opinions about the state of Catholicism in contemporary France and explore the question of suffering (one notable passage describes the Garden of Gethsemane).
Sources
- Robert Baldick The Life of J.-K. Huysmans (OUP, 1955; revised by Brendan King, Dedalus, 2006)