The Most Mysterious Matters of the Modernists. Joris-Karl Huysmans’ Là-bas and Władysław Stanisław Reymont’s Wampir

Abstract

The author confronts two important modernist novels: Là-bas by Joris-Karl Huysmans (1891) and Wampir by Władysław Stanisław Reymont (1911). Apparently entirely different, these works reveal however the similarity of themes and ideas. Both in Là-bas and Wampir the action takes place in the psyche of main characters. As a consequence an external world reflects their soul. An important context of an analysis of both novels refers to the modernity which determines all the interpretatations. In case of Wampir novel’s qualities are depreciated by a lack of the author’s distance from supernatural phenomena which fascinate his hero. As far as Là-bas is concerned, although Huysmans was deeply interested in esotericism, at the same time he was able to achieve the necessary distance from his story. Due to that Là-bas represents an exceptional literary value. Both in Là-bas and Wampir the fascination with supernatural phenomena might be considered as an attempt of a spiritual self-determination and an expression of dilemmas which torment the human on the verge of modernity.