Project Gutenberg 2012-11-20 Public domain in the USA. 160 Lorrain, Jean 1855 1906 Duval, Paul Alexandre Martin Lorrain, J. (Jean) Monsieur de Phocas, Astarté: Roman Wikipedia page about this book: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsieur_de_Phocas Produced by Clarity, Hélène de Mink, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr) "Monsieur de Phocas, Astarté: Roman" by Jean Lorrain is a novel written in the late 19th century. The narrative centers on the enigmatic character M. de Phocas, who becomes a focal point of intrigue and discussion among the Parisian elite, possessing a mysterious past and a penchant for the aesthetics of beauty and decadence. The story delves into themes of obsession, identity, and the interplay between art and life, inviting readers to explore the darker dimensions of desire and allure. The opening of the novel introduces the main character, M. de Phocas, as he unexpectedly visits the narrator, who is struggling to comprehend the audacity displayed by this curious visitor. Described in intricate detail, M. de Phocas exudes an air of elegance and refinement, yet his unnaturally pale appearance hints at a deeper turmoil. As the narrator observes him handling his manuscripts with nonchalance, he becomes increasingly captivated and repulsed by M. de Phocas's audacity, culminating in a conversation rife with esoteric references to art, beauty, and an inner malaise. This initial encounter sets the stage for exploring themes of obsession, as M. de Phocas expresses a profound connection to the allure of gemstones and the legacy of obsession they symbolize, particularly through the allusion to Astarté, the demon of lust and the sea. (This is an automatically generated summary.) file:///public/vhost/g/gutenberg/html/files/41413/41413-h/images/cover.jpg Reading ease score: 73.6 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. fr Paris (France) -- Fiction French fiction Drug addicts -- Fiction Opium abuse -- Fiction PQ Text FR Littérature Category: Novels Category: French Literature 509686 2025-07-16T16:03:36.461581 text/html 488945 2024-10-23T12:20:08 text/html 327321 2025-07-16T16:03:43.157115 application/epub+zip 332381 2025-07-16T16:03:37.689629 application/epub+zip 272784 2025-07-16T16:03:37.077609 application/epub+zip 483076 2025-07-16T16:03:47.539041 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 426200 2025-07-16T16:03:42.499072 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 367258 2022-09-19T03:35:49.391913 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 459953 2025-07-16T16:03:35.656643 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 439983 2024-10-23T12:20:08 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18792 2025-07-16T16:03:47.673115 application/rdf+xml 10055 2025-07-16T16:03:37.178586 image/jpeg 1986 2025-07-16T16:03:37.128577 image/jpeg 288231 2025-07-16T16:03:36.520691 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia fr.wikipedia