Barbey d’Aurevilly et le redoublement de la perte

While he laments the loss of traditional authority, Barbey’s early essays on dandyism and counter-revolutionary thought acknowledge the impossibility of political and religious restoration. His novels attempt to compensate for this by stimulating what remains of the past in the imagination of his readers. Some episodes from L’Ensorcelée and Les Diaboliques highlight how Barbey strives to foster the specter of what has been lost in the heart of those who have been defeated by history. (In French)