How Long to Read Against the Grain

How Long Does it Take to Read Against the Grain?

It takes the average reader 4 hours and 58 minutes to read Against the Grain by J.-K. Huysmans

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

Ailing, neurotic, and bored with the world, the nobleman Des Esseintes retreats to a secluded cottage in the French countryside. Determined to shun all contact with other people—demanding that even his live-in domestics must wear face-covering robes in his presence—he throws himself into an all-out celebration of the ultimate in artificial and unnatural pleasure. Surrendering to religious and profane literature, morbid paintings, overwhelming perfumes, expensive liquor, grotesque flowers, and reminiscences of his depraved past brings him unsurpassable pleasure, but his mental and physical condition may not be able to keep up. When Huysmans wrote Against the Grain, he did so to move away from the creative restrictions he felt the Naturalist school of literature imposed on him. According to him, “it limited itself to depicting common existence, and struggled, under the pretext of being true to life, to create characters who would be as close as possible to the average run of mankind.” Instead, he dedicated Naturalism’s attention to detail to just one extraordinary, perverse individual, Des Esseintes—fully expecting the resulting work to fail critically and commercially. That the novel would become a scandalous success, and would define Decadence as a movement and ideology, was far beyond his expectations. Oscar Wilde was a well-known admirer of the novel, and drew heavily from it to write The Picture of Dorian Gray. During his trial in 1895, Wilde all but confirmed that the “poisonous French novel” in his work refers to Against the Grain. This Standard Ebooks edition is based on the first unabridged English edition, which was translated anonymously and published by Groves & Michaux in 1926. It reinstates passages that were considered too obscene in previous editions, and includes a preface Huysmans wrote twenty years after the first publication of the book.

How long is Against the Grain?

Against the Grain by J.-K. Huysmans is 294 pages long, and a total of 74,676 words.

This makes it 99% the length of the average book. It also has 91% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Against the Grain Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 6 hours and 48 minutes to read Against the Grain aloud.

What Reading Level is Against the Grain?

Against the Grain is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy Against the Grain?

Against the Grain by J.-K. Huysmans is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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