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Jean Des Esseintes
fictional character
Jean Des Esseintes, fictional character, a reclusive aesthete in the novel Against the Grain (1884) by Joris-Karl Huysmans. The last in a depleted line of nobles, Des Esseintes is wealthy and effete, and he grows impotent from dissolution. At age 30 he abandons society to lead a life of experimental sensualism.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.
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