Customer Reviews

The Romantic Agony (Oxford Paperbacks)

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Mario Praz seems to disapprove of much of the late Romantic and Symbolist, mostly French, writing from the late nineteenth century. It astounds me that Mario Praz would take the trouble to write an entire book about authors he doesn't seem to like very much. But he was at least thorough about it, and we can share in the fruits of his labours even if we cannot share in his judgments.

In fact, as in all works of this sort, a commentary telling us how decadent, sadistic, and depraved all of the sorts of fantastic fiction he collects is just the thing to whet a reader's interest. He condemns major authors like Flaubert, for his -Temptation of St. Anthony.- But he also introduces us to relatively less well known writers like Jean Lorrain; and to minor poets like Maurice Rollinat, the Alice Cooper or Marilyn Manson of fin-de-siecle France. Without Mr. Praz to tell me how eeeevil they are, I'd never have heard of 'em; and I'd be the poorer for it.

Works like this also serve the purpose of anthologising the more intriguing excerpts from these writers. Mr. Praz's work is no exception. Fortunately, entire poems are often quoted, and extensive passages from short stories, in both the original (usually French) and in English translation.

I can't entirely -endorse- this, but it is a fun and informative read, that you should have a look at if you have any interest at all in the period.

"Study" isn't really the right word for this book, which seems more like a bunch of cobbled-together notes for 500 pages. But it's a must-have reference work for wacked-out 19th century literature.