J.-K. Huysmans et ses masques L’anti-héros des Esseintes et le non-héros Durtal

This article studies the kinship between Des Esseintes and Durtal, as well as the way Huysman’s approach to character evolves beginning with Là-bas, when he begins his religious autofiction. It demonstrates that Durtal’s appearance is a step beyond the romantic sphere in the direction of the autobiographical genre: Des Esseintes is an antihero, a character category found in novels, while Durtal is a non-hero - in other words, a hero contaminated by reality, becoming a person more than a character.