Saturday, January 10, 2015

The Fortune of the Rougons by Emile Zola

translated from the French by Brian Nelson.

Published in 1871 The Fortune of the Rougons is the first book in Emile Zola's twenty volume Rougon-Marquart series. In the preface he writes..

"My aim is to explain how a family, a small group of human beings, behaves in a given society after blossoming forth and giving birth to ten or twenty individuals who, though they may seem at first glance totally dissimilar from each other, are, as analysis shows, linked together in the most profound ways. Heredity, like gravity, has its laws."

Set in the fictitious Provencal town of Plassans, which is based on Aix where Zola grew up, the present day events take place in 1851 with frequent flashbacks to earlier times.
Aix-en-Provence

A family of ' ravenous appetites'

The family story begins with Adelaide, daughter of the richest market gardener in the area and heiress to a considerable fortune after his death, a young woman ruled by her emotions and prone to hysterical fits. She offends public opinion by scandalously marrying one her servants named Rougon, a rough peasant. A year later he dies leaving her with a son, Pierre.
Very soon after Adelaide takes a lover, Maquart, a man of ill repute, a smuggler and poacher and 'rendered vicious with wine.' Two children are born, Ursule and Antoine.

By 1851 these children are all grandparents, the family is growing and the majority of them are quite dreadful people. Pierre has conned his mother out of her money and stolen his siblings share but still doesn't have the money and social standing he desires so much.

" The Revolution of 1848 found all the Rougons on the lookout, frustrated by their bad luck, and ready to use any means necessary to advance their cause. They were a family of bandits lying in wait, ready to plunder and steal."

With the rise of the Rougons Zola is mirroring the 1851 coup d'etat of Louis-Napoleon and the beginning of the Second Empire. Both of them founded in treachery and betrayal, murder and blood.

Not everyone is bad - within all the nastiness shines the story of the young lovers, Silvere (Ursule's son) and Miette.

Liberty Leading the People - Delacroix
Idealistic but naive Silvere is swept away by the visions of a perfect Republic and is determined to join the insurgents marching through Provence . Not wishing to be parted from him Miette takes on the role of flag bearer.
Zola's powerful descriptive prose is at its best in telling their story especially the quieter moments spent in the old cemetery ( where the book begins and ends) and out in the countryside.

I'm so glad I decided to stop reading Zola's  Rougon-Maquart titles randomly and begin to read in the order he recommended. I now have a family background and, having had little knowledge of French history after the Revolution, a better understanding of that era.

This edition includes an introduction, a translator's note, a bibliography and chronology of Emile Zola, explanatory notes, and a much-needed family tree.

A great start to 2015!

16 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you liked it, Cat! Zola is quite wonderful! Next up for you then will be Son Excellence, Eugène Rougon. It's not one of his most well-known works, but so far it's been one of my favourites. I loved learning about all the political intrigues during the Second Empire.

    I so enjoyed your review! I must say though, your photo of Aix stopped me cold and left we awash in nostalgia. I spent a month there a couple of separate times and feel that it's my second home. I really miss it. *** sniff, sniff **** One day I hope to return.

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    1. I'm a bit nervous about Son Excellence because of the politics and also I don't think there is a Nelson translation yet but we will see.

      What a lovely place to spend time. I had a week in Provence and loved it. Didn't see Aix but visited lots of very similar towns and we stayed in Uzes . I would love to think one day I might return too.

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    2. I found the characters and politics fascinating. Yes, I had to read the Vizetelly translation. If you just accept it for what it is and enjoy it, it's fine.

      Did you see Le Pont du Gard, Gordes, Bonnieux, Avignon, Apt, l'Isle sur la Sorgue, Fontaine de Vaucluse or Rognes? We rented a car and zipped all around at least every second day. It was such a wonderful experience. I thought I'd love the food and scenery but dislike the French, yet I ended up loving them as well. For some reason I seemed to "get" them more than I do Canadians. I didn't visit Uzes though. Next time!

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    3. Oh my, you are bringing back memories! :-) We canoed down the river to the Pont du Gard, danced sur le pont d'Avignon, visited Vaison-le-Romaine, Cassis, Mt Ventoux, Arles........more that I can't remember names of the top of my head.

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    4. Ah, we danced sur le pont d'Avignon too, on Christmas day! Sigh! Perhaps next time we can meet up! ;-)

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    5. Wouldn't that e fun! :-) I fear a return is only a dream......but no harm in that.

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  2. After reading Germinal, I decided I wanted to start at the beginning, too. I'll be reading this one later this year. So I am glad to hear that it gives a history of the families and the time period. Nice!

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    1. I'm sure you will be as pleased as I am that you made the decision to go back. With twenty novels to read a strong foundation to work from is definitely worthwhile.

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  3. Your post has convinced me that reading these books in order is definitely the way to go! This one is on my kindle now.

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    1. Nothing to hold you back then! I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

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  4. I started reading Zola randomly - not even knowing that there were series links - but I've been wondering for a while about working through the Rougon-Maquart titles in order and you've convinced me that I should. I have this one but the others will have to wait until the TBR dare is done.

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    1. I don't plan to race through them. I'll have a break now before starting the next one. Nice having other bloggers setting out on this journey too!

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  5. Hi Cat, Found your blog and loved it. Have put it on my blog roll. Behold The Stars blog loves Zola. She is absolutely crazy about him so you might enjoy reading some of her back posts. This is a series I own and would love to read. Maybe this is the year I start it. It just seems like such good fun. I'll look forward to seeing how you go. Pam

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    1. Thanks, Pam. I'm a big fan of o's blog and I doubt if there's any of her posts I haven't read. If you own the series (lucky you) then I recommend making a start as I'm sure you will enjoy them.

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  6. I love this book! One of my favourites! :D

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    1. I love it now, too......and it looks as though the love is spreading. I do hope all this interest will bear fruit.

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