5 best novels of Emile Zola

Emile Zola known to the public primarily as a writer. But he dabbled as a publicist, and even as a politician. His works have been written in the realistic genre, this trend was very characteristic of the nineteenth century.

5 best novels of Emile Zola

He was one of the founders and apologists of naturalism in literature. Literary life in France that time literally in full swing, and Emile Zola was always in the thick of things, and not only related to the writer's case. In his circle of communication included such prominent writers of the time, like Gustave Flaubert, Alphonse Daudet, Edmond Goncourt - one of the writers brothers Goncourt. By the way, and now France has Goncourt Prize for Literature, which distinguishes the best writers. We will not speak at length about the Zola.

To present you a small selection of his best works.

1) "The Paradise"

This is a novel in 1883, released as a continuation of the novel "Nakil". The main hero of this piece is Octave Mouret, who was in Paris, being a native of the French countryside. He has long understood the rules of life and knew how to break free "from rags to riches". When his wife died, her legacy went to Moore. Life motto of this man was that of Machiavelli: "the end justifies the means." He tries to show off your business qualities of others and in the end impoverishes those who stood in his way. He will open his shop and called it as the name of the novel itself. This is the type of person who lives at the expense of others.

2) "Nana"

This work was published in print in 1880. It is a reflection on the morality and that at some level it was at that time in France. Nana - a way of courtesans to entertain those in power. She is becoming popular in these circles, seemingly at myself, do not have any data for this success.

5 best novels of Emile Zola

3) "Trap"

This is a novel about the working class. It was published in 1877. Emile Zola illustrated the lives of ordinary people, put on the brink of existence, showing their life and customs. The main heroes of the novel are a roofer and a laundress. Their work is paid so low that their existence is too reminiscent of slavery. Emile Zola shows how poverty breeds crime and leads to the moral fall of man.

5 best novels of Emile Zola

4) "Le Ventre de Paris"

This novel has been translated into Russian and published many publications. Not only he, but also thanks to him, Zola became known in the Russian Empire. And it was published in 1873 in France. Zola revealed in this work the fate of a single young man who can literally get lost in the vastness of the big city. The central market of Paris embodies the title of the novel. This is the belly of Paris, where everything is bought and sold, and so little morality. This man's name - Florent. He wanders among the pompous and well-fed market people who are not able to understand them, as they did. This leads to Florent to the conflict with the people of this type. The novel's hero wants to change something in my life, but it is opposed to any methods of human violence against the person. Florent becomes the head of the revolutionary-minded people, but his humanistic principles do not allow the promotion of these ideas on the people. In the end, he dies, and the society against which he acted, remains.

5) "Germinal"

This novel was the literary world in 1885. The heroes of this work are the simple diggers.

All the novels are part of a cycle of twenty volumes, which Emile Zola titled strange name: "Les Rougon-Macquart." In the practice of literary naturalism, this series is considered to be the pinnacle of creativity Zola. The author is very detailed describes the life of small settlements - towns and villages. In his novels he touched a very painful topic for the whole of French society - the events of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. Although many of the novels describe French society during the Second Empire, Napoleon III. But, in general, any sequence chronological plan in the works is not present.

5 best novels of Emile Zola 5 best novels of Emile Zola

If you are not yet familiar with the works of Emile Zola - must get to know. Let not the whole 20-volume series, but, at least, with the following list of the top five of his works. And you will not regret.