French Literature Reviews - 2026
A. Jeannerod, Joris-Karl Huysmans’ Art Criticism: Aesthetics, Poetics, Ideology
Art and Visual Culture
Aude Jeannerod
The Art Criticism of Joris-Karl Huysmans: Aesthetics, Poetics, Ideology
Paris, Classiques Garnier, Romantic and Nineteenth-Century Studies series, 2020
EAN: 9782406096849
676 pages
58,00 €
OVERVIEW
In his art criticism, Joris-Karl Huysmans engages in an aesthetic reflection that, in turn, influences his poetics. Moreover, because art criticism involves values and convictions, it also bears witness to the author's ideological stances.
Joris-Karl Huysmans remains a central figure in nineteenth-century French literature and art history, famously associated with both naturalism and the later decadent movement. As a prominent critic of his time, his engagement with the visual arts was deeply intertwined with the evolution of his literary style and his shifting worldview. This critical volume examines how his evaluations of contemporary painting reflect broader cultural debates of the fin de siècle, offering a comprehensive look at how visual aesthetics informed his narrative practice and personal philosophy.
Aude Jeannerod situates Huysmans within the intellectual currents of the late nineteenth century, tracing the development of his critical thought across his extensive journalistic output. This study will be of particular value to scholars and students of nineteenth-century French literature, art history, and the history of criticism. It provides essential analytical tools for understanding the complex relationship between artistic judgment, poetic innovation, and ideological commitment during a period of intense aesthetic transformation.