[In the following essay, Gruziniska discusses the relationship between structure and subject matter in Le jardin dès supplices.]

Representative in style and in subject matter of the Literature of Decadence of the French fin-de-siecle, Le Jardin dès supplices (1898) remains among Mirbeau's enduring novels. In spite of the suggestive title, its history appears less stormy and free of the notoriety that surrounded the publication of such works as Le Calvaire (1887), La 628- E-8 (1907), or Le Foyer (1909). The book leaves the reader with a lasting impression. For many however, this impression may be negative, because the novel's subject and structure, and its seeming lack of unity raise many questions. Our attempt is to answer these questions by pointing out the complex relationship between structure and subject matter and by showing how the Frontispiece affects this relationship.

Among the first to point to the novel's loose construction was Marcel...