September 2024 Finale The Fortune of the Rougons
Talk Emile Zola Group Read
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2japaul22
I finished this book last night and then read the intro. I enjoyed it, but I'm glad I was already hooked on Zola from some of his later works. This wasn't as special as some of his other novels are. I did very much enjoy seeing the start of this family, though, and can tell that how they are all connected now and down the road will make the books I already love that much more meaningful.
Here is my review:
The Fortunes of the Rougons is the first book in the Rougon-Macquart cycle, and it sets up the family origins that will be explored throughout the subsequent novels. Adelaide is the matriarch and she has children with two different husbands. These children and subsequent generations will form the basis of exploration. It was really interesting to read about this, already having a little glimpse into future characters through my Zola reading. Also in this book, Zola sets up the politics of the Second Empire and has his characters either supporting Louis-Phillipe's regime or as Republicans hoping for a more democratic France. I had to do a refresher on French politics of the time period and I'm still not sure I have it really sorted out, but I think it will continue to clarify as I read more.
Also in this story is the love story of the very young Silvere and Miette. Their story was the most engaging part of the book for me, but it was odd to have years of their relationship encapsulated within the short days of the revolution in their hometown of Plassans. At first I was confused about what was happening with the timeline.
This book is not Zola's best, but it's important as set up for what will happen later on. And, still present is his striking imagery. I loved the description of the enormous cloaks the women would wear as the walked with their lovers, enveloping both. And no one does a death scene like Zola. :-)
If you want a taste of Zola, don't start here, but if you already love his writing, you'll enjoy this.
Here is my review:
The Fortunes of the Rougons is the first book in the Rougon-Macquart cycle, and it sets up the family origins that will be explored throughout the subsequent novels. Adelaide is the matriarch and she has children with two different husbands. These children and subsequent generations will form the basis of exploration. It was really interesting to read about this, already having a little glimpse into future characters through my Zola reading. Also in this book, Zola sets up the politics of the Second Empire and has his characters either supporting Louis-Phillipe's regime or as Republicans hoping for a more democratic France. I had to do a refresher on French politics of the time period and I'm still not sure I have it really sorted out, but I think it will continue to clarify as I read more.
Also in this story is the love story of the very young Silvere and Miette. Their story was the most engaging part of the book for me, but it was odd to have years of their relationship encapsulated within the short days of the revolution in their hometown of Plassans. At first I was confused about what was happening with the timeline.
This book is not Zola's best, but it's important as set up for what will happen later on. And, still present is his striking imagery. I loved the description of the enormous cloaks the women would wear as the walked with their lovers, enveloping both. And no one does a death scene like Zola. :-)
If you want a taste of Zola, don't start here, but if you already love his writing, you'll enjoy this.
3Tess_W
>2 japaul22: Nice review! I read this in July, so I did not re-read at this date. I had a lot of the same feelings/comments as yours when I wrote my review:
This is the first novel in Zola's 20 novel series about the Rougons and the Macquarts following the downfall of the Second French Republic (circa 1850-1870's) The Rougons were a pretty miserable lot until the Coup d'Etat by Louis-Napoleon. Napoleon's success was also the success of the Rougons, thieving scoundrels that most were. I can't say this book was terribly interesting, it was a bit mediocre. However, I have read that this book is the historical foundation(s) for the coming novels. There was a plethora of characters, but a family tree was provided. I may have enjoyed this book more had I known more about the history of this period. I think I will read up on it before I go on to read book two. 392 pages
This is the first novel in Zola's 20 novel series about the Rougons and the Macquarts following the downfall of the Second French Republic (circa 1850-1870's) The Rougons were a pretty miserable lot until the Coup d'Etat by Louis-Napoleon. Napoleon's success was also the success of the Rougons, thieving scoundrels that most were. I can't say this book was terribly interesting, it was a bit mediocre. However, I have read that this book is the historical foundation(s) for the coming novels. There was a plethora of characters, but a family tree was provided. I may have enjoyed this book more had I known more about the history of this period. I think I will read up on it before I go on to read book two. 392 pages
4japaul22
>3 Tess_W: Yes, very similar reaction. I'm looking forward to continuing, though!
5labfs39
I finished this afternoon. Here's my review:
The Fortune of the Rougons by Émile Zola, translated from the French by Brian Nelson
Originally published 1871, this translation 2012, 301 p.
Les Rougon-Macquart cycle of twenty novels by Émile Zola is a portrayal of the Second Empire and a study in heredity through the lens of a single family. In this, the first book in the cycle, Zola lays out the origins of the family and its branches, with the main action taking place during the coup d'état in which Napoléon III overthrows the Second Republic.
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. The were a family of bandits lying in wait, read to plunder and steal.
Pierre Rougon is the legitimate son of Adélaïde Fouque and the progenitor of one side of the family. A greedy schemer, Pierre and his equally avaricious wife plot to win wealth and a better position in life, by taking advantage of the confusion in the provinces after the coup. Pierre's illegitimate half-brother, Antoine Macquart, is a lazy do-nothing who sides with the doomed Republicans because he believes they will take from the rich and allow the poor like him to live a life of un-worked-for luxury. Silvère Macquart, son of Antoine's sister, is a young idealistic boy of seventeen, in love with an even younger local girl, Miette. Silvère and Miette are innocents, caught up in their dreams of a Republican Utopia and a life together.
The first part of the book contains the origin story of the Rougon-Macquart family, with all the key players sketched, and I found this part of the book quite interesting, more so than the story of Silvère and Miette, which takes up the middle portion. Most of the action takes place in the last third of the book, when Pierre and Félicité are scheming during the coup. Because so much of this book is the setup for what is to follow, it's hard to comment on the themes of heredity and social history. What is striking is Zola's detailed descriptions of nature, doing for a field what Balzac did with a teapot. This focus on nature is both descriptive and a foil for the social commentary that Zola wishes to convey.
The sleeping countryside awoke with a start, quivering like a beaten drum; it resounded in its very depths, repeating with each echo the stirring notes of the national anthem. Then the singing seemed to come from everywhere. From the horizon, from the distant rocks, the ploughed land, the fields, the copses, the smallest bits of brushwood, human voices seemed to be rising up. The great amphitheatre, stretching up from the river to Plassans, the gigantic torrent over which the bluish moonlight flowed, seemed filled with a huge, invisible crowd cheering on the insurgents; and in the depths of the Viorne, along the water streaked with mysterious metallic reflections, every dark spot seemed to conceal people taking up the refrain with increasing passion. The air and earth seemed alive; it was as if the whole countryside was crying out for vengeance and liberty. As the little army descended the slope, the roar rolled on in sonorous waves broken only by sudden outbursts which shook the very stones in their path.
Note that I read the Brian Wilson translation, the first new translation in over 100 years. It read smoothly and is reputed to be a much truer translation that the bowdlerized version by H. Vizetelly. The introduction in the Oxford World's Classic edition was extremely helpful in laying out the history of the time period, Zola's influences and themes, and a family tree.
The Fortune of the Rougons by Émile Zola, translated from the French by Brian Nelson
Originally published 1871, this translation 2012, 301 p.
Les Rougon-Macquart cycle of twenty novels by Émile Zola is a portrayal of the Second Empire and a study in heredity through the lens of a single family. In this, the first book in the cycle, Zola lays out the origins of the family and its branches, with the main action taking place during the coup d'état in which Napoléon III overthrows the Second Republic.
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. The were a family of bandits lying in wait, read to plunder and steal.
Pierre Rougon is the legitimate son of Adélaïde Fouque and the progenitor of one side of the family. A greedy schemer, Pierre and his equally avaricious wife plot to win wealth and a better position in life, by taking advantage of the confusion in the provinces after the coup. Pierre's illegitimate half-brother, Antoine Macquart, is a lazy do-nothing who sides with the doomed Republicans because he believes they will take from the rich and allow the poor like him to live a life of un-worked-for luxury. Silvère Macquart, son of Antoine's sister, is a young idealistic boy of seventeen, in love with an even younger local girl, Miette. Silvère and Miette are innocents, caught up in their dreams of a Republican Utopia and a life together.
The first part of the book contains the origin story of the Rougon-Macquart family, with all the key players sketched, and I found this part of the book quite interesting, more so than the story of Silvère and Miette, which takes up the middle portion. Most of the action takes place in the last third of the book, when Pierre and Félicité are scheming during the coup. Because so much of this book is the setup for what is to follow, it's hard to comment on the themes of heredity and social history. What is striking is Zola's detailed descriptions of nature, doing for a field what Balzac did with a teapot. This focus on nature is both descriptive and a foil for the social commentary that Zola wishes to convey.
The sleeping countryside awoke with a start, quivering like a beaten drum; it resounded in its very depths, repeating with each echo the stirring notes of the national anthem. Then the singing seemed to come from everywhere. From the horizon, from the distant rocks, the ploughed land, the fields, the copses, the smallest bits of brushwood, human voices seemed to be rising up. The great amphitheatre, stretching up from the river to Plassans, the gigantic torrent over which the bluish moonlight flowed, seemed filled with a huge, invisible crowd cheering on the insurgents; and in the depths of the Viorne, along the water streaked with mysterious metallic reflections, every dark spot seemed to conceal people taking up the refrain with increasing passion. The air and earth seemed alive; it was as if the whole countryside was crying out for vengeance and liberty. As the little army descended the slope, the roar rolled on in sonorous waves broken only by sudden outbursts which shook the very stones in their path.
Note that I read the Brian Wilson translation, the first new translation in over 100 years. It read smoothly and is reputed to be a much truer translation that the bowdlerized version by H. Vizetelly. The introduction in the Oxford World's Classic edition was extremely helpful in laying out the history of the time period, Zola's influences and themes, and a family tree.
6labfs39
>2 japaul22: It's interesting that we liked opposite parts of the book, Jennifer. I haven't read any Zola in decades, but I loved Germinal when I read it in my late teen/early 20s. I think I also read Nana, but maybe not as I don't remember much. I'm undecided as to whether I will make a big push to read all twenty books, but I will purchase the next in case I get the urge to join you all.
7Tess_W
>6 labfs39: Always have to give an author a second try! I've read that book two is much better than book one.
8japaul22
>6 labfs39: That is interesting! I did really like the beginning, where the family history is laid out, but I was really captivated by the writing in the section about Silvere and Miette (less so with the actual characters/relationship, but I just loved the descriptions). Breaking out of that back into the politics and fighting and adult reality was tough for me.
Even if you don't read all of them, I highly recommend Germinal (which I see you already read), L'Assommoir, and La Bête Humaine.
Even if you don't read all of them, I highly recommend Germinal (which I see you already read), L'Assommoir, and La Bête Humaine.
9NinieB
I finished this evening--here's my commentary:
When @Tess_W started the Émile Zola Group Read, I decided to join in because Zola has been on my radar for awhile, and the opportunity to read along with a group intrigued me. I'm so glad I did. I've just finished the first book, The Fortune of the Rougons, and I am now officially a fan of Zola's writing. It's powerful; I wish I could describe better what makes it so effective, but hopefully as I continue to read Zola this will become clearer to me.
The Fortune of the Rougons serves two purposes: first, to tell indirectly about the coup d'état that founded France's Second Empire, and second, to serve as the origins story for Zola's novel cycle Les Rougon-Macquart. The two families (really three, with the Mouret family) are all descended from Adélaïde, the Rougons from her husband and the Macquarts and Mourets from her lover.
In telling the story of the republican fervor in the Midi where the novel takes place, Zola does not hesitate to inject and describe brutal violence. He also writes lovely passages about the countryside and its role in the romance of Silvère and Miette.
Next up is His Excellency Eugène Rougon in November--can't wait!
When @Tess_W started the Émile Zola Group Read, I decided to join in because Zola has been on my radar for awhile, and the opportunity to read along with a group intrigued me. I'm so glad I did. I've just finished the first book, The Fortune of the Rougons, and I am now officially a fan of Zola's writing. It's powerful; I wish I could describe better what makes it so effective, but hopefully as I continue to read Zola this will become clearer to me.
The Fortune of the Rougons serves two purposes: first, to tell indirectly about the coup d'état that founded France's Second Empire, and second, to serve as the origins story for Zola's novel cycle Les Rougon-Macquart. The two families (really three, with the Mouret family) are all descended from Adélaïde, the Rougons from her husband and the Macquarts and Mourets from her lover.
In telling the story of the republican fervor in the Midi where the novel takes place, Zola does not hesitate to inject and describe brutal violence. He also writes lovely passages about the countryside and its role in the romance of Silvère and Miette.
Next up is His Excellency Eugène Rougon in November--can't wait!
10MissWatson
I re-read the dossier provided by the editor, Henri Mitterrand, and it reminded me of many things I had forgotten, such as the choice of Aix-en-Provence as a model for Plassans. I also skimmed the first chapters and it brought back to me why I struggled with this first instalment: there's too much exposition of the family and the town. At times, I had a feeling as with some historical fiction: he did so much research and planning for the book that he wanted to include everything, to the detriment of the story. It doesn't help that the science didn't hold up, that distracts even more now.
Apparently, the love affair of Sylvère and Miette draws heavily on his childhood memories in Aix, of playing in the fields and the river, but to me it dragged endlessly and wasn't really necessary.
Something that does strike me is that there is hardly any mention of the church and clergy of Plassans. After all, they have an archbishop in their midst, and in La Conquête de Plassans that is a major plot element. It must have been something he only thought of later.
Edited for touchstone
Apparently, the love affair of Sylvère and Miette draws heavily on his childhood memories in Aix, of playing in the fields and the river, but to me it dragged endlessly and wasn't really necessary.
Something that does strike me is that there is hardly any mention of the church and clergy of Plassans. After all, they have an archbishop in their midst, and in La Conquête de Plassans that is a major plot element. It must have been something he only thought of later.
Edited for touchstone
11NinieB
>10 MissWatson: Very interesting, thank you for sharing information from Mitterand. How I wish I could read French!
12CurrerBell
Have finished The Fortune of the Rougons and started His Excellency Eugene Rougon. Can't post anything more, really in bad shape recovering from 73yo broken hip. Reading along on Kindle and will at least post that I have finished a volume.
