There, Below, or The Abyss

"The Catholic Trilogy" by J.-K. Huysmans begins with the novel "There, Below, or The Abyss" (1891). The main character, Durtal, is a writer. He is endowed with the character of Huysmans himself. Durtal writes a novel about Gilles de Rais—Bluebeard, a mighty warrior of the Hundred Years' War and a necromancer who tortured children. The writer tries to understand Gilles de Rais, to penetrate the mystery of his terrible tortures. Therefore, he engages in the black mass and the study of modern satanism, while simultaneously comparing these rituals with those of the times of Jeanne d'Arc's associate. This disturbing novel is the pinnacle of the decadent era.