# Endnotes explained — Against the Grain

> Chapter companion for Against the Grain by J.-K. Huysmans.

## What happens

The endnotes provide references and poetic quotations that illuminate themes of memory, desire, and disillusionment, citing works by Barbey d'Aurévilly and others.

## Themes in this chapter

### Disillusionment with Society

The quoted lines evoke a sense of lost innocence and the haunting nature of memory, aligning with the theme of societal disillusionment.

### Aestheticism and Sensuality

The focus on 'shade of colour' and the sensual imagery of whispered words reflect the aesthetic and sensual preoccupations of the text.

## Character check-ins

### Barbey d'Aurévilly

Referenced as the author of 'Weird Women', translated from French.

## Key lines

> For what we still desire is the shade of colour, not the colour, nothing but the shade … and all the rest is literature.

What we truly seek is the subtle nuance of color, not the color itself—only the shadow—and everything else is mere literary artifice.

_This line underscores the aesthetic preference for suggestion over direct representation._

> O mirror! chill water-pool frozen by ennui within thy frame, how many times, and for hours long, tortured by dreams and searching my memories that are like dead leaves under the glassy surface that covers thy depths profound, have I seen myself in these like a far-off shadow!

O mirror, cold pool of water hardened by boredom, how often have I, tormented by dreams and sifting through memories like dead leaves beneath your glassy surface, seen myself as a distant shadow in your depths?

_This passage evokes the theme of introspection and the haunting nature of memory._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/endnotes
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/against_the_grain_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters