Là-Bas · Chapter
I explained
Durtal and Des Hermies debate the merits and failures of naturalism in literature, with Des Hermies condemning its materialism and Durtal defending its contributions.
What happens
Durtal and Des Hermies debate the merits and failures of naturalism in literature, with Des Hermies condemning its materialism and Durtal defending its contributions. Durtal then reflects on his artistic ideal, found in the Primitives and especially in Grünewald's Crucifixion, which embodies a 'supernatural realism.' This leads him to contemplate Catholicism and the supernatural, though he acknowledges his lack of faith and the worldly motives that draw him toward religion.
Themes in this chapter
Naturalism vs. Spirituality
The central debate of the chapter: Des Hermies condemns naturalism's materialism, while Durtal seeks a 'supernatural realism' that transcends the senses, exemplified by Grünewald's art.
Art and the Artist
Durtal's ideal of art is found in the Primitives and Grünewald, who achieve a fusion of earthly detail and spiritual transcendence, contrasting with the naturalists' focus on the mundane.
Religion and Blasphemy
Durtal's attraction to Catholicism is tempered by his lack of faith, and he views religion as both a refuge and a demand for irrational surrender, while Grünewald's Christ embodies a raw, almost blasphemous physicality.
Characters to notice
- Durtal
Engages in a heated debate with Des Hermies about naturalism, defends its contributions while admitting his own disillusionment, and reflects on his artistic and spiritual yearnings.
- Des Hermies
Vigorously criticizes naturalism as materialistic and superficial, praising instead the supernatural and the artistic vision of the Primitives.
- Matthæus Grünewald
His Crucifixion is recalled by Durtal as the epitome of 'supernatural realism,' blending earthly suffering with divine transcendence.
- Zola
Mentioned by Des Hermies as a master of backgrounds and masses, but criticized for his materialistic theories and influence on naturalism.
Key passages
“I do not really care how the naturalists maltreat language, but I do strenuously object to the earthiness of their ideas. They have made our literature the incarnation of materialism—and they glorify the democracy of art!”
Des Hermies dismisses naturalists' stylistic flaws but condemns their focus on the material and their celebration of vulgar, democratic art.
Des Hermies articulates his core critique of naturalism as spiritually bankrupt.
“The field of naturalism is the region below the umbilicus. Oh, it’s a hernia clinic and it offers the soul a truss!”
Naturalism deals only with base bodily functions and offers no real spiritual remedy.
A vivid metaphor for naturalism's limitations.
“From these heads, common enough, many of them, and these physiognomies, often ugly but powerfully evocative, emanated celestial joy or acute anguish, spiritual calm or turmoil. The effect was of matter transformed, by being distended or compressed, to afford an escape from the senses into remote infinity.”
In the art of the Primitives, ordinary faces convey profound spiritual states, transforming the physical into a gateway to the infinite.
Durtal's ideal of art as transcending materialism.
“He thought of escaping into a monastery somewhat as street girls think of going into a house where they will be free from the dangers of the chase, from worry about food and lodging, and where they will not have to do their own washing and ironing.”
Durtal's desire for religious retreat is motivated by worldly weariness and a wish for security, not genuine faith.
Reveals Durtal's self-awareness about his spiritual ambivalence.