Les Diaboliques (book)
Encyclopedia
Les Diaboliques, is a collection of short stories
written by Barbey d'Aurevilly
and published in France
in 1874. Each story features a woman who commits an act of violence, or revenge, or some other crime. It is considered d'Aurevilly's masterpiece.
D'Aurevilly, due to the boredom induced by bourgeois life in the Second French Republic, was a dandy
. Similarly, the acts committed by the characters in these stories are induced not only by their extreme passion but also by their boredom. Some of the characters spend hours playing whist
while others take delight in wearing fine clothes. All of the female characters are best at concealing their passions and are strong, independent instigators.
D'Aurevilly uses récit parlé, a bracketing narrative, as a structural tool for five of the six short stories.
When the collection was first published in France in 1874, it caused up an uproar with the French
public and the work was declared a danger to public morality
and the Public Prosecutor issued orders for its seizure on the grounds of blasphemy
and obscenity
. D'Aurevilly defended the work, albeit tongue-in-cheek, by saying that he himself was a Christian
and the stories demonstrated the battle of good against evil.
A second edition was published in 1882. Dedalus Books
published an English language version in 1996.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
written by Barbey d'Aurevilly
Jules Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly
Jules-Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly was a French novelist and short story writer. He specialised in mystery tales that explored hidden motivation and hinted at evil without being explicitly concerned with anything supernatural...
and published in France
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...
in 1874. Each story features a woman who commits an act of violence, or revenge, or some other crime. It is considered d'Aurevilly's masterpiece.
D'Aurevilly, due to the boredom induced by bourgeois life in the Second French Republic, was a dandy
Dandy
A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of Self...
. Similarly, the acts committed by the characters in these stories are induced not only by their extreme passion but also by their boredom. Some of the characters spend hours playing whist
Whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries. It derives from the 16th century game of Trump or Ruff, via Ruff and Honours...
while others take delight in wearing fine clothes. All of the female characters are best at concealing their passions and are strong, independent instigators.
D'Aurevilly uses récit parlé, a bracketing narrative, as a structural tool for five of the six short stories.
Publication
D'Aurevilly wrote "The Crimson Curtain" in 1866. "The Greatest Love of Don Juan" followed in 1867. In 1870, d'Aurevilly retired to the Contentin Peninsula and finished the collection.When the collection was first published in France in 1874, it caused up an uproar with 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...
public and the work was declared a danger to public morality
Public morality
Public morality refers to moral and ethical standards enforced in a society, by law or police work or social pressure, and applied to public life, to the content of the media, and to conduct in public places...
and the Public Prosecutor issued orders for its seizure on the grounds of blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
and obscenity
Obscenity
An obscenity is any statement or act which strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time, is a profanity, or is otherwise taboo, indecent, abhorrent, or disgusting, or is especially inauspicious...
. D'Aurevilly defended the work, albeit tongue-in-cheek, by saying that he himself was a 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...
and the stories demonstrated the battle of good against evil.
A second edition was published in 1882. Dedalus Books
Dedalus Books
Dedalus Books is a British publishing company specialising in European literature. As stated on their website, Dedalus specialises in "its own distinctive genre, which we term distorted reality, where the bizarre, the unusual and the grotesque and the surreal meld in a kind of intellectual fiction...
published an English language version in 1996.
Content
- "The Crimson Curtain": An old vicomte tells a younger friend about his first sexual experience with a woman.
- "The Greatest Love of Don Juan": An aged playboy, surrounded by past lovers, relates the tale of his greatest love affair.
- "Happiness in Crime": A comteComteComte is a title of Catalan, Occitan and French nobility. In the English language, the title is equivalent to count, a rank in several European nobilities. The corresponding rank in England is earl...
falls in love with a skilled fencerFencingFencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
and hires her as his wife's maid. - "Beneath the Cards of a Game of Whist": The secret affair of a lady and an expert whist player leads to an horrific act.
- "At a Dinner of Atheists": A French officer relates a tale of love and lust with the wife of one of his fellow officers.
- "A Woman's Revenge": A wealthy princess spurns her ignoble husband by becoming a cheap prostitute.