Emile Zola, La Curée

Susan Harrow (University of Bristol)

Ed. by Nigel Harkness, University of Newcastle upon Tyne
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.05: French Writing and Culture: The Nineteenth-Century , 1800-1900.
Vol. editors: David Elwyn Evans (University of St Andrews), Edward Forman (University of Bristol), Elisabeth Gerwin (University of Lethbridge), Nigel Harkness (University of Newcastle upon Tyne), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield), Jennifer Yee (University of Oxford)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1872

Places

France (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Naturalist
Novel

Resources

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Recommended Reading

The second novel in Zola’s twenty-volume

Les Rougon-Macquart

Histoire naturelle et sociale d’une famille sous le Second Empire

La Curée

(1872) is the first of the cycle to explore the French capital in the throes of modernization. Exploring themes of property speculation, material embellishment, and social aggrandizement synonymous with Haussmannization – the radical programme of urban renovation instituted by Napoleon III –

La Curée

is the story of the erotic, moral and financial corruption of the Parisian elites and the

arrivistes

. A biting critique of social and sexual mores and speculative and political malpractice, the novel centres on the life of Renée Saccard, the wife of Aristide Rougon (or “Saccard”). Renée’s

ennui

, her passion for her sexually indeterminate…

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1970 words

Citation: Harrow, Susan. "La Curée". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 August 2015 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11311, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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Emile Zola, La Curée

Dates

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