The Rougon Macquart Novels |
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Title: |
La Fortune des Rougon-MacquartFirst published in 1871 |
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English Translations: |
Fortune of the Rougons, A realistic novel (1886)
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My Translation: |
I have used the paperback edition published by Alan Sutton in 1985. I have a copy of the reprint edition of 1989. Purchased from the paperback exchange in Boscombe, Dorset, UK via Abebooks. |
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Film Versions: |
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Setting: |
The book is largely set in the town of Plassans in the South of France and the surrounding districts. The town is fictional but is based around Zola's childhood home of Aix-en-Provence |
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Summary: |
The book to me has three main thrusts to it. The first is to introduce us to as many of the Rougons and Macquarts as possible, giving a background to the series and some ideas as to how they all interlink. |
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My View: |
This is not my favourite book in the series. I enjoyed the story with Miette(a romantic at heart!) and I enjoyed parts of the Pierre story but I feel Zola was in too much of a hurry to introduce us to everybody. I would have been quite happy to wait rather than have what amounts to little more than lists of names for the reader to hang a hat on later. |