Les Diaboliques (The She-Devils) 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.[1]
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.[1]
D'Aurevilly uses récit parlé, a bracketing narrative, as a structural tool for five of the six short stories.
"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 comte falls in love with a skilled fencer 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.
Publicationedit
D'Aurevilly wrote "The Crimson Curtain" in 1866. "The Greatest Love of Don Juan" followed in 1867. In 1870, d'Aurevilly retired to the Cotentin Peninsula and finished the collection.
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.[1]
A second edition was published in 1882. Dedalus Books published an English-language version in 1996.
^ abcRobert Irwin. Barbey D'Aurevilly and the Satanism of Appearance in Les Diaboliques, 11-14. (Dedalus: Langford Lodge, St Judith's Lane Sawtry, Cambs, 1996).
May 03, 2024
diaboliques, short, story, collection, diaboliques, devils, collection, short, stories, written, barbey, aurevilly, published, france, 1874, each, story, features, woman, commits, violence, revenge, some, other, crime, considered, aurevilly, masterpiece, diabo. Les Diaboliques The She Devils 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 1 Les DiaboliquesOriginal frontispiece by Felicien RopsAuthorBarbey d AurevillyOriginal titleLes DiaboliquesCountryFranceLanguageFrenchPublisherDentuPublication dateNovember 1874Pages354 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 1 D Aurevilly uses recit parle a bracketing narrative as a structural tool for five of the six short stories Contents 1 Content 2 Publication 3 Film adaptations 4 ReferencesContent edit 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 comte falls in love with a skilled fencer 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 Publication editD Aurevilly wrote The Crimson Curtain in 1866 The Greatest Love of Don Juan followed in 1867 In 1870 d Aurevilly retired to the Cotentin Peninsula and finished the collection 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 1 A second edition was published in 1882 Dedalus Books published an English language version in 1996 Film adaptations editA Woman s Revenge 1921 directed by Robert Wiene based on A Woman s Revenge The Crimson Curtain 1953 directed by Alexandre Astruc based on The Crimson Curtain Hauteclaire 1961 film fr by Jean Prat filmmaker fr based on Le bonheur est dans le crime Don Giovanni 1970 directed by Carmelo Bene based on The Greatest Love of Don Juan A Vinganca de uma Mulher 2012 directed by Rita Azevedo Gomes based on A Woman s Revenge References edit a b c Robert Irwin Barbey D Aurevilly and the Satanism of Appearance in Les Diaboliques 11 14 Dedalus Langford Lodge St Judith s Lane Sawtry Cambs 1996 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Les Diaboliques short story collection amp oldid 1177027150, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
