Dark Star : The Satanic Rites of Gilles de Rais

by Georges Bataille (Contributor), Candice Black (Editor)

The spectre of Gilles de Rais, satanist and child-killer, eclipses French history like a dark star. A fallen general, once the champion of Jeanne d'Arc, de Rais' riches and experimentations led him to the very gates of Hell.With quotations, essays and fiction, as well as a complete chronology and register of people and places in de Rais' brief but cataclysmic existence, "Dark Star is a richevocation of the satanic allure of the most intriguing figure in the annals of mass murder.

Genres: History, France, True Crime, Nonfiction

302 pages, Paperback

Published March 28, 2005

About the author

French essayist, philosophical theorist, and novelist, often called the "metaphysician of evil." Bataille was interested in sex, death, degradation, and the power and potential of the obscene. He rejected traditional literature and considered that the ultimate aim of all intellectual, artistic, or religious activity should be the annihilation of the rational individual in a violent, transcendental act of communion. Roland Barthes, Julia Kristeva, and Philippe Sollers have all written enthusiastically about his work.

Reviews

[AiK · Rating 2 out of 5]

Жиль де Рэ был маршалом, соратником Жанны д'Арк, но сей исторический труд Жоржа Батая посвящен не его ратным подвигам, и не его взаимоотношениям с героиней Франции, она посвящена его сексуальным преступлениям, убийствам и расчленению детей, алхимии и прочим деяниям, приведшим к церковному и светскому расследованию, судебному процессу против него и осуждению на казнь его и его ближайших приспешников. Что прискорбно, тот, кто его сподвигал на различные церемониальные убийства и человеческие жертвоприношения дьяволу, Франческо Прелати, избежал повешенья или костра. В книге неизбежны многочисленные повторы, поскольку автор излагает ход событий, а затем прилагает материалы процесса и свидетельства родителей исчезнувших детей. Поэтому, все же книга, пожалуй, предназначена для историков средневековья, изучающих средневековые юридические обычаи и практики. Батай пишет, что де Рэ неофициально был реабилитирован. Однако, сам он не приводит никаких материалов, свидетельствующих о его невиновности или избыточности обвинений. Жиль де Рэ послужил прототипом Синей Бороды, и автор приводит образцы фольклора. В целом, я не люблю книги, в которых описываются извращения, жестокие убийства и расчленения трупов, поэтому даю низкую оценку, хотя мне известно, что Жорж Батай - мировой величины философ и учёный.

[Joel Ortiz-Quintanilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is the only book in my entire life that i had to throw away and stop reading it, this book had me dreaming that i was eating people and i was liking it, i woke up the next day and sold the book to get high instead, that is the kind of author bataille is, he gets inside of you and disturbs, the only book, that i had to throw away before i became crazy, yeah, it was okay, the life story of the gilles de rais, very interesting, its funny that le bas is the story of a govt employee who is writing a bio on the gilles de rais and years later bataille is the govt employee who writes the novel, yeah, devil worshiping stuff, very evil, very bad.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this book is by no means flawless, it does have a solid collection of pieces on the fact and the fiction surrounding Gilles de Rais. I appreciate the patchwork style of it. It appeals to the artist and the historian. The highlights of it are the extensive extract from Bataille's The Trial of Gilles de Rais, Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber, and the otherwise difficult-to-find Tragedy in Blue by Richard Thoma. The book deserves 5 stars just for having these three together.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of texts on Gilles de Rais. The first section collates literary interpretations of Gilles de Rais, and includes Angela Carter's 'The Bloody Chamber', Richard Thoma's 'Tragedy In Blue', as well as extracts from Huysmans' 'La-Bas' and Valentine Penrose's 'The Bloody Countess'. The second section collects historical information and evidence on de Rais including writings by Bataille.

As usual with Creation books there are unfortunately numerous typos and spelling mistakes, and I have no doubt that this was due to being hurriedly assembled and certainly not proof read.

However, if you can look beyond the typos - this is an excellent reader for people who are interested in the myth/legend and history of de Rais, as it collates most of the key texts in one volume.

[Chelsea · Rating 1 out of 5]

An interesting topic for those with strong stomachs, but disjointed and poorly done. Worth trudging through if you need the information for a class, but otherwise not a pleasant read.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

so far, so very bloody good...

[Dumbdumbo]

cooo