Zola's series 'L'Assommoir' and 'Nana' are incredibly interesting! The French literary master Zola is recommended for social studies!

What kind of writer is Émile Zola?

Émile Zola was born in Paris in 1840 as the son of a civil engineer.

Zola established a firm position as a writer following the massive success of his 1877 novel 'L'Assommoir', and his subsequent works, 'Nana' in 1880 and 'Germinal' in 1885, also became unprecedented hits, remaining beloved as his representative works around the world to this day.

Zola is a writer whose style involves precisely depicting social environments and examining how society influences individuals. One can feel a truly European way of thinking that views things scientifically and rationally.

There is no writer better than him for feeling the atmosphere of late 19th-century France. The greatness of Zola was also explained in various reference books on French literature.

In that sense, this should make for interesting reading as part of Dostoevsky research. This is because Dostoevsky was precisely criticizing the European society of the late 19th century, such as France and London.

Therefore, I decided to start by reading his representative work, 'L'Assommoir'.

The impact of 'L'Assommoir'! Zola's phenomenal descriptive power that stimulates the five senses

Zola secured his position as a writer with this work, which was published in 1877.

Now, what kind of novel is 'L'Assommoir'? Let's quote the synopsis from the back cover.

This novel is a story so miserable that it is painful to read, following the washerwoman Gervaise as she works desperately despite her poverty, struggles to open her own shop, and then begins a wretched life after finally opening it.

When I say this,

"What, Zola sounds dark and not very interesting."

Some of you might think that.

But that is not the case.

Once you start reading, you find yourself drawn in, losing track of time and becoming completely absorbed. Even despite the tragic content.

It is true that the subject matter is tragic.

However, strangely enough, you cannot stop turning the pages. No, it would be no exaggeration to say that the pace actually accelerates.

Why is this? I have thought about it a lot, and I think it is probably because Zola's novels can be read just like a movie.

The scene descriptions are skillful, and as you read, you get the feeling that the scenery is actually appearing right before your eyes. In other words, it is like having a movie playing in your brain.

I can see it. The scenery. The movements of the characters.

And what is even more amazing is that Zola works on all five senses.

Especially the smells. Zola makes frequent use of scent descriptions, and the effect is exquisite. He subtly hints at the flow of the novel and the psychology of the characters through 'scent'.

It is a characteristic of Zola to unfold the story before your eyes like a movie, and furthermore, to draw us in with full-body sensations such as smells and sounds.

The power of words is truly amazing.

One scene in 'L'Assommoir' that left a particularly strong impression on me is the scene where the protagonist, Gervaise, gets into a fierce, brawling fight with another woman at the laundry.

The bustling atmosphere of the communal laundry, the splashing water, the intensity of the fight, the description of the surrounding background, and the lighting—it can only be described as brilliant.

The intensity of the fight appears before my eyes like a movie. That scene is still burned into my memory.

Personally, this fight scene is the highlight for me. It was an incredible scene that immediately showed me the greatness of Zola.

'L'Assommoir' was so intense that as soon as I finished reading it, I immediately started on its sequel,'Nana'.

The sequel, 'Nana', is also intense!

Wow, I am impressed.

'Nana' was also an outrageous novel.

The story itself is just as tragic as 'L'Assommoir'. However, Zola once again drew me into a world that felt like a movie.

The protagonist, Nana, is the daughter of Gervaise, the protagonist of 'L'Assommoir'.

In 'L'Assommoir', the family collapsed due to a deadbeat husband, poverty, and alcohol, and Gervaise met a tragic end.

Nana leaves that miserable home behind, becomes a prostitute, and begins a new life.

And as mentioned in the synopsis above, she captivates countless men with her beauty and free-spirited nature, eventually reigning over Paris.

In the commentary for the Shinchosha 'World Literature Collection 10: Nana', translated by Atsushi Kawaguchi and Teruichi Koga, 'Nana' is described as follows.

'Nana' possesses an appeal that leads the translator to say it 'requires not even a single line of commentary'.

The translator also states that this work is a story rich in implications for thinking about modern Japan.

I have mentioned many times on this blog that the period of the French Second Empire that Zola chronicles is directly linked to modern society. Could it not be said that this 'Nana' is a work that embodies that very well?

Nana captivates men, swindles them out of unbelievable amounts of money, and then spends it all without a care. She lacks any healthy sense of money, such as saving or using it effectively, to begin with.

She just swindles and just spends it all. Money moves in a very simple way there.

The strange thing about 'Nana' is that while a femme fatale who swindles men out of money would normally be depicted as the villain of the story, she is the protagonist here.

Nana spent her childhood in very unfortunate circumstances in the previous work, 'L'Assommoir'. She was a girl who grew up in a bleak environment, never knowing the warmth of a family.

However, she possessed an inherent brightness and free-spirited nature.

She grew up, acquired overwhelming beauty, and took revenge on the entire world that had continued to hurt her by swindling money from men.

Moreover, what is amazing about Nana is that she does it all unconsciously.

She herself has no desire to deceive men or take revenge on the world.

She is simply nonchalant, thinking that since men willingly offer her their money, she might as well use it as she pleases. She does not live with the intention of loving money and hoarding it, or seeking revenge on men.

In a corrupt society, men with excess money poured it into her, and she, in turn, scattered it back into the world; she existed there as a circulation system for money. And she did so unintentionally.

Here we can see the system of modern consumer capitalism. Money must always be in motion. Money earned changes form and moves to the next consumption, and that consumption creates the next consumption.

Such a massive flow of money is already represented in this novel through the woman named Nana.

Regarding this point, Werner Sombart, a world-famous economist and sociologist on par with Max Weber, published a book with the stimulating title 'Luxury and Capitalism'.

This book provides an easy-to-understand explanation of the economic circulation system embedded in the novel 'Nana'. It is a book I would like those interested to pick up.

Also, Veblen's 'The Theory of the Leisure Class' is recommended as it also discusses the relationship between money and desire.

In this novel, Zola depicts a world full of glamour and debauchery, including the corruption of the French Empire, the behind-the-scenes of the theater and media industries of the time, and the lives of prostitutes.

If 'The Belly of Paris' is a work that depicts desire symbolized by 'food', then 'Nana' can be said to be a work that depicts sexual desire head-on.'The Belly of Paris' is a work that depicts desire symbolized by 'food', then 'Nana' can be said to be a work that depicts sexual desire head-on.

This is absolutely certain.

Zola is a formidable writer.

This person is definitely worth reading...

I felt that I had been intensely drawn to the writer Émile Zola.

What is Zola's masterpiece series, 'Les Rougon-Macquart'?

And when I looked into Zola, I learned, as mentioned in the synopsis earlier, that he had written something called the 'Les Rougon-Macquart' series.

It is a series of 20 works, and both 'L'Assommoir' and 'Nana' are among them. The 'The Ladies' Paradise' introduced above is also one of them.

And this 'Les Rougon-Macquart' series was born precisely with the goal of Zola depicting the state of the French Second Empire over the course of 20 volumes.

This is already decided.

I wanted to know more about the society of the French Second Empire, which was contemporary with Dostoevsky, and what I was looking for was exactly here.

And so, I decided to start reading the entire Les Rougon-Macquart series.

About the Les Rougon-Macquart series

In short, the 'Les Rougon-Macquart' series is a collection of works that can be called Zola's social observation series set during the French Second Empire (1852-1870). The Paris Exposition that Eiichi Shibusawa visited in the 2021 Taiga drama 'Seiten wo Tsuke' corresponds exactly to this era. The Parisian culture he witnessed would later be brought to Japan, connecting to us who live today.

Department stores, which are a common existence in modern times, were born in this era, and this was also the era when a commercial style that stimulates desire and intentionally creates people's feelings of 'wanting' was established. (*For details, refer to the article Department stores started here! The French Second Empire and 'Le Bon Marché').

The Second Empire is a very important era directly linked to our lives. The origins of modern lifestyles are right here.

And to understand the historical background and human psychology of that time, Zola's 'Les Rougon-Macquart' series is an unparalleled historical tapestry.

However, Zola's works are by no means just depictions of a past era. He tried to approach the essence of humanity. The people he depicts are no different from us living today.

Zola's works are the best textbooks for understanding how the world works.

How is this society structured? Why do humans fight? Why can't humans resist desire? What tricks do people who successfully exploit the desires of others use? There are so many things Zola teaches us that it would be endless to list them all.

Zola shows us the harsh reality of the world. In his works, the murky, dark emotions and worldly desires of humans, stripped of any pretense, fly about as much as possible.

It is as if he is saying, 'To know the world, you need to eat poison. How can you navigate the world if you live in a sterile room?'

The culmination of Zola's work is the 'Les Rougon-Macquart' series, which includes his masterpieces 'L'Assommoir' and 'Nana'. And while each work is connected, they can also be read as standalone pieces.

Zola's works are just plain interesting! Zola's pen, which nakedly exposes our human world, is truly phenomenal.

In the following article, I introduce the most recommended works among them, so please take a look at that as well.

Also, Zola is the author I respect the most.

I have also been to Zola's house, whom I admire so much.

I will never forget the time I spent in Zola's study. It was a blissful time.

Although Zola is not read much in Japan these days, his value has by no means been lost.

Zola shows us a magnificent picture scroll for learning about the mechanisms of modern society and the essence of humanity.

As I discussed in this article, there are certainly many intense descriptions. However, isn't it precisely because of that raw, 'unvarnished depiction of humanity' that he exposes a facet of the truth about human society?

You will understand as soon as you read it. Zola's descriptive power is extraordinary. Why don't you experience Zola's full-force impact for yourself?

That concludes, 'Zola's series 'L'Assommoir' and 'Nana' are incredibly fascinating! The French literary master Zola is recommended for social studies!'

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