''Les Diaboliques'' (''The She-Devils'') is a collection of

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

written by

Barbey d'Aurevilly Jules-Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly (2 November 1808 – 23 April 1889) was a French novelist and short story writer. He specialised in mystery tales that explored hidden motivation and hinted at evil without being explicitly concerned with anythin ...

and published in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1874. Each story features a woman who commits an act of violence, or revenge, or some other crime. It is considered d'Aurevilly's masterpiece.Robert Irwin. ''Barbey D'Aurevilly and the Satanism of Appearance'' in Les Diaboliques, 11-14. (Dedalus: Langford Lodge, St Judith's Lane Sawtry, Cambs, 1996). D'Aurevilly, due to the boredom induced by

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

life in the

Second French Republic The French Second Republic (french: Deuxième République Française or ), officially the French Republic (), was the republican government of France that existed between 1848 and 1852. It was established in February 1848, with the February Revo ...

, was a

dandy A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle desp ...

. Similarly, the acts committed by the characters in these stories are induced not only by their extreme passion but also by their boredom. Some of the characters spend hours playing

whist Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was widely played in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the rules are simple, there is scope for strategic play. History Whist is a descendant of the 16th-century game of ''trump'' ...

while others take delight in wearing fine clothes. All of the female characters are best at concealing their passions and are strong, independent instigators. D'Aurevilly uses ''récit parlé'', a bracketing narrative, as a structural tool for five of the six short stories.

Content

*"The Crimson Curtain": An old

vicomte A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

tells a younger friend about his first sexual experience with a woman. *"The Greatest Love of Don Juan": An aged playboy, surrounded by past lovers, relates the tale of his greatest love affair. *"Happiness in Crime": A

comte ''Comte'' is the French, Catalan and Occitan form of the word 'count' (Latin: ''comes''); ''comté'' is the Gallo-Romance form of the word 'county' (Latin: ''comitatus''). Comte or Comté may refer to: * A count in French, from Latin ''comes'' * A ...

falls in love with a skilled fencer and hires her as his wife's maid. *"Beneath the Cards of a Game of Whist": The secret affair of a lady and an expert whist player leads to an horrific act. *"At a Dinner of Atheists": A French officer relates a tale of love and lust with the wife of one of his fellow officers. *"A Woman's Revenge": A wealthy princess spurns her ignoble husband by becoming a cheap prostitute.

Publication

D'Aurevilly wrote "The Crimson Curtain" in 1866. "The Greatest Love of Don Juan" followed in 1867. In 1870, d'Aurevilly retired to the

Cotentin Peninsula The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; nrf, Cotentîn ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its w ...

and finished the collection. When the collection was first published in France in 1874, it caused up an uproar with the French public and the work was declared a danger to

public morality Public morality refers to moral and ethical standards enforced in a society, by law or police work or social pressure, and applied to public life, to the content of the media, and to conduct in public places. A famous remark of Mrs Patrick Ca ...

and the Public Prosecutor issued orders for its seizure on the grounds of

blasphemy Blasphemy is a speech crime and religious crime usually defined as an utterance that shows contempt, disrespects or insults a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable. Some religions regard blasphemy as a religiou ...

and

obscenity An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin ''obscēnus'', ''obscaenus'', "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Such loaded language can be use ...

. D'Aurevilly defended the work, albeit tongue-in-cheek, by saying that he himself was a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and the stories demonstrated the battle of good against evil. A second edition was published in 1882.

Dedalus Books Dedalus Books is a British publishing company specialising in European literature. As stated on their website, Dedalus specialises in "its own distinctive genre, which we term distorted reality, where the bizarre, the unusual and the grotesque ...

published an English-language version in 1996.

Film adaptations

* '' A Woman's Revenge'' (1921), directed by

Robert Wiene Robert Wiene (; 27 April 1873 – 17 July 1938) was a film director of the silent era of German cinema. He is particularly known for directing the German silent film ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' and a succession of other German Expressionism, ...

, based on "A Woman's Revenge" * '' The Crimson Curtain'' (1953), directed by

Alexandre Astruc Alexandre Astruc (; 13 July 1923 – 19 May 2016) was a French film critic and film director. Biography Before becoming a film director he was a journalist, novelist and film critic. His contribution to the auteur theory centers on his notion ...

, based on "The Crimson Curtain" '' ''Hauteclaire (1961 film) '' '' directed by JAcques Prat, based on "Le bonheur est dans le crime" * ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

'' (1970), directed by

Carmelo Bene Carmelo Pompilio Realino Antonio Bene, known as Carmelo Bene (1 September 1937 – 16 March 2002), was an Italian actor, poet, film director and screenwriter. He was an important exponent of the Italian experimental theatre, avant-garde thea ...

, based on "The Greatest Love of Don Juan" * '' A Vingança de uma Mulher'' (2012), directed by Rita Azevedo Gomes, based on "A Woman's Revenge"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diaboliques 1874 short story collections Books adapted into films French short story collections Works by Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly