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"À rebours" is an 1884 novel by French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans, focusing on the eccentric character Jean des Esseintes, who detests bourgeois society and seeks solace in an ideal artistic world of his own creation. The novel broke from Naturalism, inspiring works like Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray." Huysmans shifted from Naturalist style to depict an exceptional individual, drawing inspiration from his own life and the notorious aesthete Robert de Montesquiou. The plot revolves around Des Esseintes' retreat to the countryside, where he indulges in intellectual and aesthetic pursuits, creating an eclectic art collection and experimenting with perfumes and poisonous flowers. The novel received mixed reactions, with critics scandalized but appealing to a young generation of aesthetes and writers. It's believed to have influenced Wilde's "Dorian Gray" and is considered an important step in the formation of "gay literature." The book appalled Zola and led to Huysmans drifting away from Naturalism, gaining new friends among Symbolist and Catholic writers.
