You are using a browser that is not supported by this website may not work correctly. Please try using Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge or Opera.
We use cookies to ensure the website functions properly. These, for example, will keep you logged in, will track performance and can be used for marketing purposes. Read more about our cookies or choose which cookies you accept on this page.
The plot of Là-Bas concerns the novelist Durtal, who is disgusted by the emptiness and vulgarity of the modern world. He seeks relief by turning to the study of the Middle Ages and begins to research the life of the notorious 15th-century child-murderer Gilles de Rais. Through his contacts in Paris (notably Dr. Johannes, modeled after Joseph-Antoine Boullan), Durtal finds out that Satanism is not simply a thing of the past but alive in turn of the century France. He embarks on an investigation of the occult underworld with the help of his lover Madame Chantelouve. The novel culminates with a description of a black mass