Dominique Vivant Denon, Point de lendemain [No Tomorrow]

Marine Ganofsky (University of St Andrews)

Ed. by Jenny Mander, University of Cambridge
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.05: French Writing and Culture: The Nineteenth-Century , 1800-1900.
Vol. editors: David Elwyn Evans (University of St Andrews), Edward Forman (University of Bristol), Elisabeth Gerwin (University of Lethbridge), Nigel Harkness (University of Newcastle upon Tyne), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield), Jennifer Yee (University of Oxford)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1777

Places

France (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Story

Resources

Save to Bookshelf

Sensual and witty, elegant and enlightened, Dominique Vivant Denon’s story of a one-night liaison has now been rightly recognized as a grand literary masterpiece. In merely thirty or so pages, the erotic

conte

[tale]

Point de lendemain

[No Tomorrow] captures the libertine essence of the French eighteenth century. It is often read, with a fondness not far from nostalgia, as a vignette for a certain idea of libertinage. With

Point de lendemain

, Denon celebrates the subtle seductions and the intense

voluptés

of vicomtes and marquises, set in rococo landscapes à la Watteau or in lavish interiors worthy of Du Barry.

Point de lendemain

is as graceful as a painting by Fragonard and as sensuous as one of Boucher’s. It is also as sharp and well written as a Voltairian epigram. Besides being…

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

3651 words

Citation: Ganofsky, Marine. "Point de lendemain". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 March 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35886, accessed 19 April 2024.]

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Dominique Vivant Denon, Point de lendemain [No Tomorrow]

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Resources

Save this article

Leave Feedback