The Fortune of the Rougons

The Fortune of the Rougons - Paperback

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$13.95
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The Fortune of the Rougons
  • The Fortune of the Rougons
The Fortune of the Rougons - Paperback

The Fortune of the Rougons - Paperback

by Émile Zola , Brian Nelson
$13.95
$13.95

Book Overview

by Émile Zola (Author), Brian Nelson (Author)

The Fortune of the Rougons is the first in Zola's famous Rougon-Macquart series of novels. In it we learn how the two branches of the family came about, and the origins of the hereditary weaknesses passed down the generations. Murder, treachery, and greed are the keynotes, and just as the Empire was established through violence, the "fortune" of the Rougons is paid for in blood.

Set in the fictitious Provençal town of Plassans, The Fortune of the Rougons tells the story of Silvère and Miette, two idealistic young supporters of the republican resistance to Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte's coup d'état of December 1851. They join the woodcutters and peasants of the Var to seize control of Plassans, and are opposed by the Bonapartist loyalists led by Silvère's uncle, Pierre Rougon. Meanwhile, the foundations of the Rougon family and its illegitimate Macquart branch are being laid in the brutal beginnings of the Imperial regime.

Brian Nelson provides an engaging translation as well as a wide-ranging introduction that explains the background to the Rougon-Macquart series as well as the historical setting of the novel and its special qualities. This edition also features a chronology, bibliography, and extensive explanatory notes.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Author Biography

Brian Nelson is an Emeritus Professor of French Studies and Translation at Monash University, Melbourne. He is the author or editor of twelve books on aspects of modern French and European culture, including The Cambridge Companion to Émile Zola, and he has translated four other Zola novels for the Oxford World's Classics series.

Number of Pages: 336
Dimensions: 0.7 x 7.6 x 5 IN
Publication Date: September 07, 2012
ISBN9780199560998
Author Émile Zola , Brian Nelson
PublisherOxford University Press
GenreLiterature
FormatPaperback
PublishedSeptember 2012
LanguageENG- English
Pages336
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

Classics Fiction

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More by Émile Zola

The Conquest of Plassans

The Conquest of Plassans - Paperback

The Conquest of Plassans - Paperback

By Émile Zola, Helen Constantine, and Patrick McGuinness
About Émile Zola
Émile Zola was born in 1840 and worked as a journalist before turning to fiction. He wrote his first major novel, Thérèse Raquin, in 1867, and the publication of L'Assommoir ten years later made him the most famous writer in France. His work has influenced authors from August Strindberg to Theodore Dreiser to Tom Wolfe. He died in 1902.
About Brian Nelson
Brian Nelson is an Emeritus Professor at Monash University, Melbourne, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. His publications include Zola: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press), The Cambridge Introduction to French Literature, The Cambridge Companion to Zola, Zola and the Bourgeoisie, and translations for Oxford World's Classics of Zola's The Assommoir, His Excellency Eug鈩e Rougon, Earth (with Julie Rose), The Fortune of the Rougons, The Belly of Paris, The Kill, Pot Luck and The Ladies' Paradise. He has also translated Swann in Love by Marcel Proust for the Oxford World's Classics series. He was awarded the New South Wales Premier's Prize for Translation in 2015.

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