Nana

by Emile Zola

Overview

Prompted by his theories of heredity and environment, Zola set out out to show Nana, "the golden fly", rising out of the underworld to feed on society--a predetermined product of her origins. Nana's latent destructiveness is mirrored in the Empire's, and they reflect each others' disintegration and final collapse in 1890.

Built around the book's scientific skeleton is a powerful, sensual atmosphere and a rich use of words which elevate the novel beyond the realistic platform into a "poem of male desires."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442940345
Publisher:	ReadHowYouWant
Publication date:	07/13/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	743 KB

About the Author

Émile Zola (1840-1902) was the leading figure in the French school of naturalistic fiction. His principal work, Les Rougon-Macquart, is a panorama of mid-19th century French life, in a cycle of 20 novels which Zola wrote over a period of 22 years.

Editorial Reviews

This rather risqu novel-for 1880 that is-tells the story of ruthless protagonist Nana's rise from the gutter to the height of Parisian society. The book's heavy allusion to sexual favors caused it to be denounced as pornography upon publication, which, of course, made it a big hit.

Library Journal

"The translation...is fluid and true to the text. The A.G. Stevens cover print is an excellent choice."—Roy Arthur Swanson, Univ. of Wisconsin

From the Publisher