The Fat and the Thin

by Emile Zola

Overview

Florent Quenu, a wrongly accused man who escapes imprisonment on Devil's Island. Returning to his native Paris, Florent finds a city he barely recognizes, with its working classes displaced to make way for broad boulevards and bourgeois flats. Living with his brother's family in the newly rebuilt Les Halles market, Florent is soon caught up in a dangerous maelstrom of food and politics. Amid intrigue among the market's sellers-the fishmonger, the charcutière, the fruit girl, and the cheese vendor-and the glorious culinary bounty of their labors, we see the dramatic difference between 'fat and thin' (the rich and the poor) and how the widening gulf between them strains a city to the breaking point.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783732617753
Publisher:	Salzwasser-Verlag Gmbh
Publication date:	12/03/2017
Pages:	298
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.81(d)

About the Author

Emile Zola, the towering figure of nineteenth-century French literature, was born in Paris in 1840. Zola was known for his naturalistic approach and sharp social commentary, and his writings frequently probed the complexity of human nature as well as the impact of society pressures on individual lives. His opus, "The Fat and the Thin" (also known as "Le Ventre de Paris"), demonstrates his literary prowess and long-lasting legacy. Published in 1873, "The Fat and the Thin" is a caustic satire of bourgeois society set against the backdrop of Parisian markets and neighborhoods. Zola's vivid characterization and thorough attention to detail create a vision of a society plagued by greed, duplicity, and moral degradation. Florent meets a range of characters representing various social groups as he navigates Paris's crowded streets, each battling with their own goals and ambitions. Through Florent's eyes, Zola reveals the harsh truths of poverty, inequality, and injustice, while also portraying moments of compassion and resilience. "The Fat and the Thin" is a forceful condemnation of the social inequities of the day, providing readers with a piercing analysis of the moral decay at the heart of bourgeois society. Emile Zola's seminal work continues to captivate readers today, asking them to examine the complexity of their own cultural structures and moral compass.