Les Soeurs Vatard
Encyclopedia
Les Sœurs Vatard is a novel
by the French
writer Joris-Karl Huysmans
, first published in 1879. It was the author's second novel. His first, Marthe (1876), had earned the praise of Émile Zola
and Huysmans had come to be associated with the older author and his Naturalist
school of fiction. Les Sœurs Vatard shows the clear influence of Naturalism, being a realistic depiction of working-class life based on meticulous documentation.
The novel tells the story of two sisters who work in a Parisian
book-binding factory. Huysmans had inherited such a factory from his mother on her death in 1876, allowing him to observe the lives of his employees at close quarters. The plot concentrates on the unhappy love affairs of the sisters of the title, Céline and Désirée. Céline lives with an artist called Cyprien Tibaille - whose caustic remarks reflect Huysmans' own opinions - before leaving him for a man who beats her. Her more timid sister's relationship with the ineffectual Auguste also comes to nothing. However, the author's main focus is not the plot but vivid descriptions of the milieu in which the characters live.
Les Sœurs Vatard was published by Charpentier on 26 February 1879. To Huysmans' surprise, the book sold moderately well. It received a glowing notice from Zola and was attacked by the more conservative critics who hated the typical bleakness of Naturalism. Gustave Flaubert
, one of Huysmans' heroes, was impressed by what he called "a powerful and outstanding work", although he criticised the book for its lack of focus, use of slang and its promotion of Naturalist concepts of artistic taste.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by the French
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 1879. It was the author's second novel. His first, Marthe (1876), had earned the praise of Émile Zola
Émile Zola
Émile François Zola was a French writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism...
and Huysmans had come to be associated with the older author and his Naturalist
Naturalism (literature)
Naturalism was a literary movement taking place from the 1880s to 1940s that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character...
school of fiction. Les Sœurs Vatard shows the clear influence of Naturalism, being a realistic depiction of working-class life based on meticulous documentation.
The novel tells the story of two sisters who work in a Parisian
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
book-binding factory. Huysmans had inherited such a factory from his mother on her death in 1876, allowing him to observe the lives of his employees at close quarters. The plot concentrates on the unhappy love affairs of the sisters of the title, Céline and Désirée. Céline lives with an artist called Cyprien Tibaille - whose caustic remarks reflect Huysmans' own opinions - before leaving him for a man who beats her. Her more timid sister's relationship with the ineffectual Auguste also comes to nothing. However, the author's main focus is not the plot but vivid descriptions of the milieu in which the characters live.
Les Sœurs Vatard was published by Charpentier on 26 February 1879. To Huysmans' surprise, the book sold moderately well. It received a glowing notice from Zola and was attacked by the more conservative critics who hated the typical bleakness of Naturalism. Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert was a French writer who is counted among the greatest Western novelists. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary , and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style.-Early life and education:Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821, in Rouen,...
, one of Huysmans' heroes, was impressed by what he called "a powerful and outstanding work", although he criticised the book for its lack of focus, use of slang and its promotion of Naturalist concepts of artistic taste.
Sources
- Huysmans Romans Volume One (Bouquins, Robert Laffont, 2005)
- Robert Baldick: The Life of J.-K. Huysmans (originally published by Oxford University Press, 1955; revised by Brendan King, Dedalus Press, 2006)