The Animal

by Rachilde, Lauren Fischer (Translator), Eleanor Keane (Foreword by)

Overview

From Rachilde, Queen of the Decadents, comes a novel set in Belle Époque Paris about a passionate young woman who lives for love. Laure Lordès escapes her hometown amid scandal, following her lover to the city to live like a pet in a gilded cage. But when a feral kitten touches Laure's heart and she begins to change, she learns that being true to herself and her young charge is harder than she ever imagined. First published in 1893 by Rachilde-a fiercely independent author who explored provocative sexuality and characters-The Animal is arguably her finest work. Translated here into English for the first time, the story unfolds into a stunning conclusion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798991663410
Publisher:	Rachilde & Co.
Publication date:	11/08/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	252
File size:	230 KB

Editorial Reviews

2024-10-25
Fischer offers an English-language translation of an erotic 1893 character study by French Symbolist novelist and playwright Rachilde.

The story centers around Laure Lourdès, who’s born in the “little southern town” of Estérac in France. She’s described as “innocent, yet troubled by ridiculous ideas” and “born with the germ of evil,” which the author connects to her exploring her sexuality at an early age. She and a boy whom she considers an “ugly…peasant” find that “their need to rub each other was driven like a sudden appetite for green fruit.” Later, when she’s older, she falls in love with the local priest, to whom she confesses having sex with a one-eyed man, although her infatuation with the cleric only goes so far as a kiss. She then meets wealthy Henri Alban, who wants to start a family like the ones found in the works of Charles Dickens, “his favorite author.” He and Laure become engaged with plans to go to Paris where Laure will be “a young provincial let loose in toyland.” However, when Henri finds out about Laure’s affair with the unattractive clerk nicknamed “the Cyclops,” it sparks trouble. In time, though, she will that declare “Pleasure is my religion…!” This story, originally published more than 130 years ago, offers much for modern readers to dissect. Its pronouncements on the topic of love, such as “love is proven by death” and “to stop loving is sometimes to commit murder” come across a bit like misquotations of French philosophers, and readers will find some developments in the 19th-century milieu, such as Laure’s eventual fate, to be predictable. The old story of a country girl in the big city is also still quite common today. However, there are also multiple lines that still resonate in the modern era, as when the narration points out how “seemingly insignificant details make monsters” and “Real pleasure was only to be found in concealing one’s enjoyment.” Dickens it’s not, but readers will still find much of interest in this mischievous work.

An unapologetically offbeat and insightful adventure of a young Frenchwoman.

Kirkus Reviews