The Cathedral (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral is a novel
by the French
writer Joris-Karl Huysmans
, first published in 1898
.
It is the third of Huysmans' books to feature the character Durtal, a thinly disguised portrait of the author himself. Durtal had already appeared in Là-Bas
and En route
, which had recounted his conversion to Catholicism, an experience which reflects the author's own. La Cathédrale continues the story as, after his retreat at a Trappist
monastery, Durtal moves to the city of Chartres
, famous for its cathedral. The cathedral provides the focus of the novel - which has very little plot - and Huysmans describes the building in encyclopaedic detail, so much so that the novel was often used as a guidebook by tourists. Fourteen extracts from La cathédrale were serialised by the newspaper L'Écho de Paris
, beginning on October 27, 1897, and the entire novel first appeared in book form in January, 1898. In spite of controversy (focussed on the sincerity of the author's religious beliefs) it was the most commercially successful of Huysmans' works during his lifetime, allowing the author to retire from his job as a civil servant with the royalties.
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 1898
1898 in literature
The year 1898 in literature involved some significant new books.-New books:*Elizabeth von Arnim - Elizabeth and Her German Garden*F. W. Bain - A Digit of the Moon*L...
.
It is the third of Huysmans' books to feature 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...
and 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...
, which had recounted his conversion to Catholicism, an experience which reflects the author's own. La Cathédrale continues the story as, after his retreat at a Trappist
TRAPPIST
TRAPPIST is Belgian robotic telescope in Chile which came online in 2010, and is an acronym for TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope, so named in homage to Trappist beer produced in the Belgian region. Situated high in the Chilean mountains at La Silla Observatory, it is actually...
monastery, Durtal moves to the city of Chartres
Chartres
Chartres is a commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is located southwest of Paris.-Geography:Chartres is built on the left bank of the Eure River, on a hill crowned by its famous cathedral, the spires of which are a landmark in the surrounding country...
, famous for its cathedral. The cathedral provides the focus of the novel - which has very little plot - and Huysmans describes the building in encyclopaedic detail, so much so that the novel was often used as a guidebook by tourists. Fourteen extracts from La cathédrale were serialised by the newspaper L'Écho de Paris
L'Écho de Paris
L'Écho de Paris was a daily newspaper in Paris from 1884 to 1944.The paper's editorial stance was initially conservative and nationalistic, although it did later become close to the French Socialist Party. Its writers included Octave Mirbeau, Georges Clemenceau, Henry Bordeaux, François Mitterrand,...
, beginning on October 27, 1897, and the entire novel first appeared in book form in January, 1898. In spite of controversy (focussed on the sincerity of the author's religious beliefs) it was the most commercially successful of Huysmans' works during his lifetime, allowing the author to retire from his job as a civil servant with the royalties.
Sources
- Robert Baldick The Life of J.-K. Huysmans (OUP, 1955; revised by Brendan King, Dedalus, 2006)
- The Cathedral translated by Clara Bell, revised and updated by Brendan King (Dedalus, 2011)
External links
- La Cathédrale available at www.huysmans.org