# Les Rougon-Macquart

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Cycle of twenty novels by Émile Zola

Les Rougon-Macquart, Histoire naturelle et sociale d'une famille sous le Second Empire First page of La Fortune des Rougon, the first book of the series 20 books, see this list Author Émile Zola Country France Language French Genre Naturalism Publisher Lutetian Society and Oxford OUP Published 1871–1893 Media type Print

***Les Rougon-Macquart*** (French pronunciation: [\[le ʁuɡɔ̃ makaʁ\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/French)) is a [literary cycle](/source/Literary_cycle) of twenty novels by [French](/source/France) writer [Émile Zola](/source/%C3%89mile_Zola). Subtitled ***Histoire naturelle et sociale d'une famille sous le Second Empire*** (*Natural and social history of a family under the Second Empire*), it follows the lives of the members of the two titular branches of a fictional family living during the [Second French Empire](/source/Second_French_Empire) (1852–1870) and is one of the most prominent works of the French [naturalism literary movement](/source/Naturalism_(literature)).

## Influences

Zola, with the book of the Rougon-Macquart under his arm, salutes the statue of [Balzac](/source/Honor%C3%A9_de_Balzac).

Early in his life, Zola discovered the work of [Honoré de Balzac](/source/Honor%C3%A9_de_Balzac) and his famous cycle *[La Comédie humaine](/source/La_Com%C3%A9die_humaine)*. This had a profound impact on Zola, who decided to write his own, unique cycle. However, in 1869, he explained in *Différences entre Balzac et moi*, why he would not make the same kind of book as Balzac:

In one word, his work wants to be the mirror of the contemporary society. My work, mine, will be something else entirely. The scope will be narrower. I don't want to describe the contemporary society, but a single family, showing how the race is modified by the environment. (...) My big task is to be strictly naturalist, strictly physiologist.[1]

As a [naturalist](/source/Naturalism_(literature)) writer, Zola was highly interested in science and especially the problem of [heredity](/source/Heredity) and [evolution](/source/Evolution). He notably read and mentioned the work of the doctor [Prosper Lucas](/source/Prosper_Lucas),[2] [Claude Bernard](/source/Claude_Bernard), and [Charles Darwin](/source/Charles_Darwin)[3] as references for his own work. This led him to think that people are heavily influenced by [heredity](/source/Heredity) and their environment. He intended to prove this by showing how these two factors could influence the members of a family. In 1871, in the preface of *[La Fortune des Rougon](/source/La_Fortune_des_Rougon)*, he explained his intent:

The great characteristic of the Rougon-Macquarts, the group or family which I propose to study, is their ravenous appetite, the great outburst of our age which rushes upon enjoyment. Physiologically the Rougon-Macquarts represent the slow succession of accidents pertaining to the nerves or the blood, which befall a race after the first organic lesion, and, according to environment, determine in each individual member of the race those feelings, desires and passions—briefly, all the natural and instinctive manifestations peculiar to humanity—whose outcome assumes the conventional name of virtue or vice.[4]

## Preparations

Letter by Zola to his publisher

In a letter to his publisher, Zola stated his goals for the Rougon-Macquart: "1° To study in a family the questions of blood and environments. [...] 2° To study the whole Second Empire, from the coup d'état to nowadays."[5]

### Genealogy and heredity

Since his first goal was to show how heredity can affect the lives of descendants, Zola started working on the Rougon-Macquart by drawing the family tree for the Rougon-Macquart. Though it was to be modified many times over the years, with some members appearing or disappearing, the original tree shows how Zola planned the whole cycle before writing the first book.

The tree provides the name and date of birth of each member, along with certain properties of his heredity and his life:

- The [prepotency](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prepotency) : The prepotency is a term used by [the doctor Lucas](/source/Prosper_Lucas). It is part of a biological theory that tries to determine how heredity transmits traits through generations.[6] Zola apply this theory to the mental state of his protagonists and uses terms from the work of the doctor Lucas: *Election du père* (Prepotency of the father, meaning the father is the main influence on the child), *Election de la mère* (Prepotency of the mother), *Mélange soudure* (Fusion of the 2 parents) or *Innéité* (No influence from either parent).

- Physical likeness: Whether the member looks like his mother or his father.

- Biographical information: his job and important facts of his life. Additionally, for members still living at the end of *[Le Docteur Pascal](/source/Le_Docteur_Pascal)*, their place of living at the end of the cycle may be included. Otherwise, the date of death is included.

		- The 1878 tree, published in a note included in *[Une Page d'amour](/source/Une_Page_d'amour)*

		- The 1892 and final tree, annotated by Zola and which published in 1893 with his final novel *[Le Docteur Pascal](/source/Le_Docteur_Pascal)*[7]

		- A late "mathematical" tree drawn by Georges Pouchet. This was included in Zola's preparatory dossier for the final novel *[Le Docteur Pascal](/source/Le_Docteur_Pascal)* published in 1893. Each ancestor has a color, and each child is influenced by one or more of their ancestors.[8]

*Note: the gallery does not include the tree made for*[La Bete humaine](/source/La_Bete_humaine)*[9] which included for the first time Jacques, the main protagonist of the book*[10]

For example, the entry for Jean Macquart on the 1878 tree read: *Jean Macquart, né en 1831 – Election de la mère – Ressemblance physique du père. Soldat* (Jean Macquart, born in 1831 – Prepotency of the mother – Physical likeness to his father. Soldier)

### The study of the Second Empire

Note by Zola (1872) mentioning 17 ideas of book. Some would never be made, others were to be added later on.

To study the Second Empire, Zola thought of each novel as a novel about a specific aspect of the life in his time. For example, in the list he made in 1872, he intended to make a "[political novel](/source/Political_fiction)", a "novel about the defeat", "a scientific novel", and a "novel about the [war in Italy](/source/Napol%C3%A9on_III#War_in_Italy_–_Magenta_and_Solferino_(1859))". The first three ideas led to *[Son Excellence Eugène Rougon](/source/Son_Excellence_Eug%C3%A8ne_Rougon)*, *[La Débâcle](/source/La_D%C3%A9b%C3%A2cle)*, and *[Le Docteur Pascal](/source/Le_Docteur_Pascal)*, respectively. However, the last idea would never be made into a book.

Indeed, at the beginning, Zola did not know exactly how many books he would write. In the first letter to his publisher, he mentioned "ten episodes".[5] In 1872, his list included seventeen novels, but some of them would never be made (such as the one on the war in Italy), whereas others were to be added later on.[11] In 1877, in the preface of *[L'Assommoir](/source/L'Assommoir)*, he stated that he was going to write "about twenty novels".[12] In the end, he settled for twenty books.

## Story

Almost all of the main protagonists for each novel are introduced in the first book, *[La Fortune des Rougon](/source/La_Fortune_des_Rougon)*. The last novel in the cycle, *[Le Docteur Pascal](/source/Le_Docteur_Pascal)*, contains a lengthy chapter that ties up loose ends from the other novels. In between, there is no "best sequence" in which to read the novels in the cycle, as they are not in chronological order and indeed are impossible to arrange into such an order. Although some of the novels in the cycle are direct sequels to one another, many of them follow on directly from the last chapters of *La Fortune des Rougon*, and there is a great deal of chronological overlap between the books; there are numerous recurring characters and several of them make "guest" appearances in novels centered on other members of the family.

### The Rougon-Macquart

The Rougon-Macquart family begins with Adelaïde Fouque. Born in 1768 in the fictional [Provençal](/source/Provence) town Plassans to middle-class parents (members of the French "[bourgeoisie](/source/Bourgeoisie)"), she has a slight [intellectual disability](/source/Intellectual_disability). She marries Rougon, and gives birth to a son, Pierre Rougon. However, she also has a lover, the smuggler Macquart, with whom she has two children: Ursule and Antoine Macquart. This means that the family is split in three branches:

- The first, legitimate, one is the Rougons branch. They are the most successful of the children. Most of them live in the upper classes (such as Eugene Rougon who becomes a minister) or/and have a good education (such as Pascal, the doctor who is the main protagonist of *[Le Docteur Pascal](/source/Le_Docteur_Pascal)*).

- The second branch is the low-born Macquarts. They are urban working-class (*[L'Assommoir](/source/L'Assommoir)*), farmers (*[La Terre](/source/La_Terre)*), or soldiers (*[La Débâcle](/source/La_D%C3%A9b%C3%A2cle)*).

- The third branch is the Mourets (the name of Ursule Macquart's husband). They are a mix of the other two. They are middle-class people ([*bourgeois*](/source/Bourgeoisie#France_and_French-speaking_countries)) and tend to live more balanced lives than the others.

Because Zola believed that everyone is driven by their heredity, Adelaide's children show signs of their mother's original deficiency. For the Rougon, this manifests as a drive for power, money, and excess in life. For the Macquarts, who live in a difficult environment, it is manifested by alcoholism (*[L'Assommoir](/source/L'Assommoir)*), prostitution (*[Nana](/source/Nana_(novel))*), and homicide (*[La Bête humaine](/source/La_B%C3%AAte_humaine)*). Even the Mourets are marked to a certain degree; in *[La Faute de l'Abbé Mouret](/source/La_Faute_de_l'Abb%C3%A9_Mouret)*, the priest Serge Mouret has to fight his desire for a young woman.

Rougon-Macquart family tree Eugène Rougon 1811 - Justine Mégot Charles Saccard 1857-1873 Véronique Beulin d'Orchères Maxime Saccard 1840-1873 Dr Pascal Rougon 1813-1873 Louise de Mareuil Angèle Sicardot A son 1874- Rougon Aristide Saccard 1815- Clotilde Saccard 1847- Pierre Rougon 1787-1870 Renée Béraud du Châtel Victor Saccard 1853- Félicité Puech Rosalie Chavaille Sidonie Rougon 1818- Angélique Marie 1851-1869 Caroline Hédouin A son Octave Mouret 1840- A daughter Marthe Rougon 1819-1864 Adélaïde Fouque 1768-1873 Denise Baudu François Mouret 1817-1864 Abbé Serge Mouret 1841- Mouret Désirée Mouret 1844- Grandjean Ursule Macquart 1791-1839 Jeanne Grandjean 1842-1855 Hélène Mouret 1824- Silvère Mouret 1834-1851 Quenu Pauline Quenu 1852- Macquart Lisa Macquart 1824-1863 Christine Hallegrain Jacques-Louis Lantier 1864-1876 Auguste Lantier Claude Lantier 1842-1876 Jacques Lantier 1844-1870 Antoine Macquart 1789-1873 Gervaise Macquart 1829-1869 Étienne Lantier 1846- A daughter Joséphine Gavaudan Anna Coupeau 1852-1870 Louis Coupeau 1867-1870 Coupeau Françoise Mouche Jean Macquart 1831- Three children Mélanie Vial

### View of France under Napoleon III

As a naturalist, Zola also gave detailed descriptions of urban and rural settings, and different types of businesses. *Le Ventre de Paris*, for example, has a detailed description of the central market in Paris at the time.

As a political reflection of life under [Napoleon III](/source/Napoleon_III), the novel *La Conquête de Plassans* looks at how an ambitious priest infiltrates a small [Provence](/source/Provence) town one family at a time, starting with the Rougons. *La Débâcle* takes place during the 1870 [Franco-Prussian War](/source/Franco-Prussian_War) and depicts Napoleon III's downfall. *Son Excellence* also looks at political life, and *Pot-Bouille* and *Au Bonheur des Dames* look at middle class life in Paris.

Note that Zola wrote the novels after the fall of Napoleon III.

## List of novels

In an "Introduction" of his last novel, *Le Docteur Pascal*, Zola gave a recommended reading order, although it is not required, as each novel stands on its own.[13]

Publication order La Fortune des Rougon (1871) La Curée (1872) Le Ventre de Paris (1873) La Conquête de Plassans (1874) La Faute de l'Abbé Mouret (1875) Son Excellence Eugène Rougon (1876) L'Assommoir (1877) Une page d'amour (1878) Nana (1880) Pot-Bouille (1882) Au Bonheur des Dames (1883) La joie de vivre (1884) Germinal (1885) L'Œuvre (1886) La Terre (1887) Le Rêve (1888) La Bête humaine (1890) L'Argent (1891) La Débâcle (1892) Le Docteur Pascal (1893) A recommended reading order[13] La Fortune des Rougon (The Fortune of the Rougons) (1871) Son Excellence Eugène Rougon (His Excellency Eugène Rougon) (1876) La Curée (The Kill) (1872) L'Argent (Money) (1891) Le Rêve (The Dream) (1888) La Conquête de Plassans (The Conquest of Plassans) (1874) Pot-Bouille (Pot Luck) (1882) Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies Paradise/The Ladies' Delight) (1883) La Faute de l'Abbé Mouret (The Sin of Father Mouret) (1875) Une page d'amour (A Love Story) (1878) Le Ventre de Paris (The Belly of Paris) (1873) La joie de vivre (The Bright Side of Life) (1884) L'Assommoir (The Drinking Den) (1877) L'Œuvre (The Masterpiece) (1886) La Bête humaine (The Beast Within) (1890) Germinal (1885) Nana (1880) La Terre (The Earth) (1887) La Débâcle (The Debacle) (1892) Le Docteur Pascal (Doctor Pascal) (1893)

## English translations

All 20 novels have been translated into English under various titles and editions at least three times. For many years, the novels were best known in [bowdlerized](/source/Bowdlerized) editions of the late 19th and early 20th century, especially those published by Vizetelly & Co. Although the more well-known novels in the series received 20th century translations, and [Elek Books](/source/Elek_Books) published 11 new translations during the 1950s, many of the volumes remained largely out-of-print in the English language for decades after Zola's death. For instance, *The Fortune of the Rougons* was translated in 1898, and then not again until 2012. *The Kill* was translated in 1895, and then not again until 2004.

After about 1970, unexpurgated modern translations of the more famous novels in the series, such as *L'Assommoir* and *Germinal*, were released by publishers like Penguin and Modern Library. Between 1993 (*Germinal*) and 2020 (*Le Docteur Pascal*), [Oxford World's Classics](/source/Oxford_World's_Classics) published a complete run of all 20 novels in annotated modern unexpurgated scholarly translations.

This list comprises first-edition English translations. Later reprints in different years or under different titles or publishers generally not included. Source for early translation information:[14]

1. La Fortune des Rougon The Girl in Scarlet; or, The Loves of Silvère and Miette (1882, tr. John Stirling, T. B. Peterson & Brothers) The Fortune of the Rougons (1886, tr. unknown for H. Vizetelly, Vizetelly & Co.) The Fortune of the Rougons (1898, tr. unknown edited by E. A. Vizetelly, Chatto & Windus) The Fortune of the Rougons (2012, tr. Brian Nelson, Oxford University Press)[15] 2. La Curée The Rush for the Spoil (1886, tr. unknown for H. Vizetelly, Vizetelly & Co.) The Kill (1895, tr. A. Teixeira de Mattos, Lutetian Society) The Kill (2004, tr. Brian Nelson, Oxford University Press)[16] The Kill (2004, tr. Arthur Goldhammer, Modern Library)[17] 3. Le Ventre de Paris La Belle Lisa or The Paris Market Girls (1882, tr. Mary Neal Sherwood, T. B. Peterson Bros.) The Fat and the Thin (1888, tr. unknown for H. Vizetelly, Vizetelly & Co.) The Fat and the Thin (1896, tr. E. A. Vizetelly, Chatto & Windus) Savage Paris (1955, tr. David Hughes & Marie-Jacqueline Mason, Elek Books) The Belly of Paris (2007, tr. Brian Nelson, Oxford University Press)[18] The Belly of Paris (2009, tr. Mark Kurlansky, Modern Library)[19] 4. La Conquête de Plassans The Conquest of Plassans (1887, tr. unknown for H. Vizetelly, Vizetelly & Co.) A Priest in the House (1957, tr. Brian Rhys, Elek Books) The Conquest of Plassans (2014, tr. Helen Constantine, Oxford University Press)[20] 5. La Faute de l'Abbé Mouret Abbé Mouret's Transgression (1886, tr. unknown for H. Vizetelly, Vizetelly & Co.) Abbé Mouret's Transgression (1900, tr. unknown edited by E. A. Vizetelly, Chatto & Windus) The Sin of the Abbé Mouret (1904, tr. M. Smyth, McLaren & Co.) The Abbé Mouret's Sin (1957, tr. Alec Brown, Elek Books, republished as The Sinful Priest in 1960) The Sin of Father Mouret (1969, tr. Sandy Petrey, Prentice-Hall)[21] The Sin of Abbé Mouret (2017, tr. Valerie Minogue, Oxford University Press)[22] 6. Son Excellence Eugène Rougon Clorinda or The Rise and Reign of His Excellency Eugène Rougon (1880, tr. Mary Neal Sherwood, T.B. Peterson & Bros.) His Excellency Eugène Rougon (1886, tr. unknown for H. Vizetelly, Vizetelly & Co.) His Excellency (1958, tr. Alec Brown, Elek Books) His Excellency Eugène Rougon (2018, tr. Brian Nelson, Oxford University Press)[23] 7. L'Assommoir L'assommoir (1879, tr. Mary Neal Sherwood, T.B. Peterson & Bros.) Gervaise (1879, tr. E. Binsse, G. W. Carleton & Co.) The ‘Assommoir’ (1884, tr. unknown for H. Vizetelly, Vizetelly & Co.) L'Assommoir (1895, tr. Arthur Symons, Lutetian Society) The Dram Shop (1897, tr. unknown edited by E. A. Vizetelly, Chatto & Windus) Drink (1903, tr. S.J.A. Fitzgerald, Greening & Co.) The Dram Shop (1951, tr. Gerard Hopkins, Hamish Hamilton) The Gin Palace (1952, tr. Buckner B. Trawick, Avon Publications) L'Assommoir (1962, tr. Atwood H. Townsend, New American Library) L'Assommoir (1970, tr. Leonard Tancock, Penguin Books) L'Assommoir (1995, tr. Margaret Mauldon, Oxford University Press)[24] The Drinking Den (2000, tr. Robin Buss, Penguin Books)[25] The Assommoir (2021, tr. Brian Nelson, Oxford University Press)[26] 8. Une Page d'amour Hélène: A Love Episode (1878, tr. Mary Neal Sherwood, T.B. Peterson & Bros.) A Love Episode (1886, tr. unknown for H. Vizetelly, Vizetelly & Co.) A Love Episode (1895, tr. E. A. Vizetelly, Hutchinson & Co.) A Page of Love (1897, tr. T. F. Rogerson, Geo Barrie & Son) A Love Episode (1905, tr. C. C. Starkweather, Société des Beaux-arts) A Love Affair (1957, tr. Jean Stewart, Elek Books) A Love Story (2017, tr. Helen Constantine, Oxford University Press)[27] 9. Nana Nana (1884, tr. unknown for H. Vizetelly, Vizetelly & Co.) Nana (1895, tr. Victor Plarr, Lutetian Society) Nana (1926, tr. Joseph Keating, Cecil Palmer) Nana (1953, tr. Charles Duff, William Heinemann) Nana (1964, tr. Lowell Blair, Bantam Books) Nana (1972, tr. George Holden, Penguin Books)[28] Nana (1992, tr. Douglas Parmee, Oxford University Press)[29] Nana (2020, tr. Helen Constantine, introduction and annotation by Brian Nelson, Oxford University Press)[30] 10. Pot-Bouille Piping Hot! (1885, tr. unknown for H. Vizetelly, Vizetelly & Co.) Pot-Bouille (1895, tr. Percy Pinkerton, Lutetian Society) Restless House (other versions of Pinkerton's translation) Pot Luck (1999, tr. Brian Nelson, Oxford University Press)[31] 11. Au Bonheur des Dames Shop Girls of Paris (1883, tr. Mary Neal Sherwood, T.B. Peterson & Bros.) The Ladies' Paradise (1883, tr. Frank Belmont, Tinsley Bros.) Ladies' Delight (1957, tr. April Fitzlyon, John Calder) The Ladies Paradise (1995, tr. Brian Nelson, Oxford University Press)[32] Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies' Delight) (2001, tr. Robin Buss, Penguin Books)[33] 12. La joie de vivre How Jolly Life Is! (1886, tr. unknown for H. Vizetelly, Vizetelly & Co.) The Joy of Life (1901, tr. unknown edited by E. A. Vizetelly, Chatto & Windus) Zest for Life (1955, tr. Jean Stewart, Elek Books) The Bright Side of Life (2018, tr. Andrew Rothwell, Oxford University Press)[34] 13. Germinal Germinal (1885, tr. Carlynne, Belford, Clarke & Co.) Germinal (1886, tr. Albert Vandam, Vizetelly & Co.) Germinal (1894, tr. Havelock Ellis and Edith Ellis, Lutetian Society) Germinal (1954, tr. L. W. Tancock, Penguin Books) Germinal (1962, tr. Willard R. Trask, Bantam Books) Germinal (1970, tr. Stanley Hochman and Eleanor Hochman, New American Library)[35] Germinal (1993, tr. Peter Collier, Oxford University Press)[36] Germinal (1996, tr. David Baguley's revision of Havelock Ellis and Edith Ellis translation, Everyman Paperbacks) Germinal (2004, tr. Roger Pearson, Penguin Books)[37] Germinal (2011, tr. Raymond N. MacKenzie, Hackett Publishing) 14. L'Œuvre The Masterpiece (1886, tr. G. D. Cox, T. B. Peterson & Bros.) His Masterpiece (1886, tr. Albert Vandam, Vizetelly & Co.) His Masterpiece (1902, tr. Albert Vandam edited by E. A. Vizetelly, Chatto & Windus) The Masterpiece (1946, tr. Katherine Woods, Howell Soskin) The Masterpiece (1950, tr. Thomas Walton, Elek Books) The Masterpiece (1993, tr. Roger Pearson's revision of Thomas Walton's translation, Oxford University Press)[38] 15. La Terre The Soil (c. 1888, tr. G. D. Cox, T. B. Peterson & Bros.) The Soil (1888, tr. unknown for E. A. Vizetelly, Vizetelly & Co.) La Terre (1895, tr. Ernest Dowson, Lutetian Society) Earth (1954, tr. Ann Lindsay, Elek Books) Earth (1962, tr. Margaret Crosland, New English Library) The Earth (1980, tr. Douglas Parmee, Penguin Books)[39] Earth (2016, tr. Brian Nelson and Julie Rose, Oxford University Press) [40] 16. Le Rêve The Dream (1893, tr. Eliza E. Chase, Chatto & Windus) The Dream (2005, tr. Michael Glencross, Peter Owen)[41] The Dream (2005, tr. Andrew Brown, Hesperus Press)[42] The Dream (2018, Paul Gibbard, Oxford University Press)[43] The Dream (2024, Liam Ferousse) ISBN 979-8304395991 17. La Bête humaine The Human Beast (c. 1891, tr. G. D. Cox, T. B. Peterson) The Monomaniac (1901, tr. Edward Vizetelly, Hutchinson & Co.) The Human Beast (1937, tr. Louis Colman, Julien Press) The Human Beast (1954, tr. Frances Frenaye, Avon Publications) The Beast in Man (1958, tr. Alec Brown, Elek Books) La Bete Humaine (1977, tr. Leonard Tancock, Penguin Books)[44] La Bete Humaine (1999, tr. Roger Pearson, Oxford University Press)[45] The Beast Within (2008, tr. Roger Whitehouse, Penguin Books)[46] 18. L'Argent Money (1891, tr. Benjamin R. Tucker, Benjamin R. Tucker) Money (1894, tr. E. A. Vizetelly, Chatto & Windus) Money (2014, tr. Valerie Minogue, Oxford University Press)[47] Money (2016, tr. André Naffis-Sahely, Alma Books) 19. La Débâcle The Downfall (1892, tr. E. A. Vizetelly, Chatto & Windus) The Downfall or The Smash-up (1898, tr. E. P. Robins, The Cassell Co.) The Downfall (1902, tr. W. M. Sloane, P. F. Collier & Son) The Debacle (1968, tr. John Hands, Elek Books) The Debacle (1972, tr. Leonard Tancock, Penguin Books)[48] La Débâcle (2000, tr. Elinor Dorday, Oxford University Press)[49] 20. Le Docteur Pascal Doctor Pascal (1893, tr. E. A. Vizetelly, Chatto & Windus) Doctor Pascal (1901, tr. Mary J. Serrano, MacMillan Co.) Doctor Pascal (1957, tr. Vladimir Kean, Elek Books) Doctor Pascal (2020, tr. Julie Rose with notes by Brian Nelson, Oxford University Press)[50]

## Adaptations

The BBC adapted the novels into a 27-episode (20 hour) radio drama series called *Blood, Sex and Money by Emile Zola*. The "radical re-imagining" was broadcast in three seasons on [BBC Radio 4](/source/BBC_Radio_4) between November 2015 and October 2016.[51][52][53]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Bibliothèque nationale de France](/source/Biblioth%C3%A8que_nationale_de_France), Manuscrits, NAF 10345, f. 14-15. Available online here ["Archived copy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080914025050/http://seacoast.sunderland.ac.uk/~os0tmc/zola/diff.htm). Archived from [the original](http://seacoast.sunderland.ac.uk/~os0tmc/zola/diff.htm) on 2008-09-14. Retrieved 2008-09-26.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_archived_copy_as_title)) (in French)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** In a note included in *[Une Page d'amour](/source/Une_Page_d'amour)*. Text available at [wikisource](https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Une_page_d%E2%80%99amour) (in French)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** In *Le Roman expérimental* (1888), Zola talks extensively about Claude Bernard and mentions the work of Charles Darwin. Text available at [wikisource](https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Le_Roman_exp%C3%A9rimental) (in French)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Extract from the author's preface of *La Fortune des Rougon*. Original text in French available at [wikisource](https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/La_Fortune_des_Rougon_-_Préface), translated text by [the Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5135)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-here_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-here_5-1) ["Romans de Jeunesse"](http://emilezola.free.fr/d_genese.htm). *emilezola.free.fr*. Retrieved 2024-11-04.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** *Traité philosophique et physiologique de l'hérédité naturelle dans les états de santé et de maladie du système nerveux: avec l'application méthodique des lois de la procréation au traitement général des affections dont elle est le principe...* Lucas, Prosper (1805–1885) Available online as part of the online archive of the [BNF](/source/Biblioth%C3%A8que_nationale_de_France) here [\[1\]](http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k86272g)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Bibliothèque nationale de France|BNF] Ms10290, fo285

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Bibliothèque nationale de France|BNF] Ms10290, fo172

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** BNF, Manuscrits, NAF 10274, f. 581

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Information found here [http://expositions.bnf.fr/zola/grand/z075.htm](http://expositions.bnf.fr/zola/grand/z075.htm) (in French)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** [Image:Zola-Liste-des-romans-1872.jpg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zola-Liste-des-romans-1872.jpg)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Original text available at [wikisource](https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/L%27Assommoir_-_Pr%C3%A9face) (in French).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-vitz_13-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-vitz_13-1) The reading order recommended by Zola can be found in [Ernest Alfred Vizetelly](/source/Ernest_Alfred_Vizetelly)'s *[Emile Zola, novelist and reformer: an account of his life & work](https://archive.org/details/emilezolanovelis00vizerich)* (1904), [ppg.348-364](https://archive.org/stream/emilezolanovelis00vizerich#page/348/mode/2up).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Graham King (1978). [*Garden of Zola: Emile Zola and His Novels for English Readers*](https://archive.org/details/gardenofzolaemil0000king_x0a7). Barrie & Jenkins. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780214204036](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780214204036).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** *The Fortune of the Rougons*; first trans. by [Brian Nelson](/source/Brian_Nelson_(literature_professor)) in 2012. Oxford Worlds Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-956099-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-956099-8)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** *The Kill* (*La Curée*); first trans. by Brian Nelson in 2004. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-953692-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-953692-4) (re-issue 2008)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** *The Kill*; first trans. bu Arthur Goldhammer in 2004. Modern Library. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-679-64274-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-679-64274-9) (2004)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** *The Belly of Paris* (*Le Ventre de Paris*); first trans. by Brian Nelson in 2007. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-280633-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-280633-8) (2008)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** *The Belly of Paris*; first trans. by [Mark Kurlansky](/source/Mark_Kurlansky) in 2009. Modern Library. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8129-7422-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8129-7422-5) (2009)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** *The Conquest of Plassans* (*La Conquête de Plassans*); first trans. by Helen Constantine in 2014. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0199664788](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0199664788) (2014)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** *The Sin of Father Mouret*; first trans. by Sandy Petrey in 1969. Prentice-Hall. Latest edition is University of Nebraska Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8032-9901-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8032-9901-6) (1983)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** *The Sin of Abbé Mouret*; trans. by Valerie Pearson Minogue in 2017. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-1987-3663-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-1987-3663-9) (2017)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** *His Excellency Eugène Rougon*; trans. by Brian Nelson in 2018. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-1987-4825-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-1987-4825-0) (2018)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** *L'Assommoir*; first trans. by Margaret Mauldon in 1995. Oxford World's Classics (re-issued 1999). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-283813-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-283813-1)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** *The Drinking Den* (*L'Assommoir*); first trans. by Robin Buss in 2000. Penguin Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-14-044954-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-14-044954-9) (re-issued 2004)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** *The Assommoir* (2nd edition); first trans. by Brian Nelson in 2021. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0198828563](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0198828563). This edition uses modern slang to effect while the Mauldon edition uses 19th century slang to maintain a period feel. There are thus two editions to choose from.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-27)** *A Love Story* (*Une Page d'amour*); first trans. by Helen Constantine in 2017; Edited by [Brian Nelson](/source/Brian_Nelson_(literature_professor)). Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-1987-2864-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-1987-2864-1) (2017)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-28)** *Nana*. first trans. by George Holden in 1972. Penguin Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-14-044263-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-14-044263-2) (1972)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-29)** *Nana*; first trans. by Douglas Parmee in 1992. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-283670-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-283670-0) (re-issue 1999)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-30)** *Nana*; first trans. by Helen Constantine in 2020. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0198814269](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0198814269) (2000)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-31)** *Pot Luck* (*Pot-Bouille*); first trans. by Brian Nelson in 1999. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-283179-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-283179-8) (1999)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-32)** *The Ladies Paradise* (*Au Bonheur des Dames*); first trans. by Brian Nelson in 1995. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-953690-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-953690-0) (re-issued 2008)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-33)** *Au Bonheur des Dames*; first trans. by Robin Buss in 2001. Penguin Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-14-044783-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-14-044783-5) (re-issued 2004)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-34)** *The Bright Side of Life*; trans. by Andrew Rothwell in 2018. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-1987-5361-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-1987-5361-2) (2018)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-35)** *Germinal*. first trans. by Stanley Hochman and Eleanor Hochman in 1970. Signet Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-451-51975-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-451-51975-7) (1970)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-36)** *Germinal*, first trans. by Peter Collier in 1993. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-953689-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-953689-4) (re-issued 2008)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-37)** *Germinal*; first trans. by Roger Pearson in 2004. Penguin Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-14-044742-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-14-044742-2) (2004)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-38)** *The Masterpiece* (*L'Œuvre*); first trans. by Thomas Walton in 1993. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-953691-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-953691-7) (re-issued 2008)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-39)** *The Earth* (*La Terre*); first trans. by Douglas Parmee in 1980. Penguin Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-14-044387-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-14-044387-5) (re-issued 2002)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-40)** *The Earth*; first trans. by Brian Nelson in 2016. Oxford World's Classic. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0199677870](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0199677870) (2016)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-41)** *The Dream*, first trans. by Michael Glencross in 2005. Peter Owen Ltd. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7206-1253-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7206-1253-0) (2005).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-42)** *The Dream*, first trans. by Andrew Brown in 2005. [Hesperus Press](/source/Hesperus_Press). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-84391-114-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-84391-114-2) (2005)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-43)** *The Dream*; first trans. by Paul Gibbard in 2018. Oxford World's Classic. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0198745983](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0198745983) (2018)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-44)** *La Bete Humaine*; first trans. by Leonard Tancock in 1977. Penguin Books. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-14-044327-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-14-044327-4) (1977)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-45)** *La Bete Humaine*; first trans. by Roger Pearson in 1999. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-283814-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-283814-8) (1999)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-46)** *The Beast Within* (*La Bete Humaine*); first trans. by Roger Whitehouse in 2008. Penguin Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-14-044963-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-14-044963-1) (2008)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-47)** *Money*; trans. by Valerie Minogue in 2014. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0199608379](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0199608379) (2014)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-48)** *The Debacle* (*La Debacle*); first trans. by Leonard Tancock in 1972. Penguin Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-14-044280-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-14-044280-9) (1972)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-49)** *La Débâcle*, first trans. by Elinor Dorday in 2000. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-282289-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-282289-5) (2000)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-50)** *Doctor Pascal*, first trans. by Julie Rose in 2020. Oxford World's Classics. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780198746164](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780198746164)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Blood,_Sex_and_Money_BBC_Radio_4_51-0)** ["Blood, Sex and Money by Emile Zola"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06pydll). *[BBC Radio 4](/source/BBC_Radio_4)*. Retrieved 25 October 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Blood,_Sex_and_Money_BBC_Radio_4_(2)_52-0)** ["Blood, Sex and Money by Emile Zola (episodes)"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06pydll/episodes/guide). *[BBC Radio 4](/source/BBC_Radio_4)*. Retrieved 13 April 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-spectator-20151203_53-0)** Chisholm, Kate (3 December 2015). ["There will be blood"](https://beta.spectator.co.uk/article/there-will-be-blood-3-december-2015). *The Spectator*. Retrieved 2 March 2020.

## External links

- [*The Rougon-Macquart* Novels of Emile Zola (for English-speaking Readers)](http://www.well.com/user/jax/literature/Rougon-Macquart.html) provides an American enthusiast's introduction, insights and synopses.

- [Le Compagnon des Rougon-Macquart](https://www.rougon-macquart.fr/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210726054741/https://www.rougon-macquart.fr/) 2021-07-26 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) : 1300+ pages (in French)

v t e Émile Zola Les Rougon-Macquart La Fortune des Rougon La Curée Le Ventre de Paris La Conquête de Plassans La Faute de l'Abbé Mouret Son Excellence Eugène Rougon L'Assommoir Une page d'amour Nana Pot-Bouille Au Bonheur des Dames La joie de vivre Germinal L'Œuvre La Terre Le Rêve La Bête humaine L'Argent La Débâcle Le Docteur Pascal Other novels Les Mystères de Marseille Thérèse Raquin Madeleine Férat L'Inondation The Three Cities Non-fiction J'Accuse...! Libretti Messidor (1897) L'Ouragan (1901) L'Enfant roi (1905) Les Quatre journées (1916) Film adaptations L'Assommoir (1909) Germinal (1913) Maddalena Ferat (1920) The Earth (1921) Nana (1926) L'Argent (1928) Thérèse Raquin (1928) The Struggle (1931) Nana (1934) La Bête Humaine (1938) Shop Girls of Paris (1943) Nana (1944) Thérèse Raquin (1953) Human Desire (1954) Nana (1955) Gervaise (1956) La bestia humana (1957) Lovers of Paris (1957) Germinal (1963) The Game Is Over (1966) The Demise of Father Mouret (1970) Nana, the True Key of Pleasure (1982) Nana (1985) Germinal (1993) Thirst (2009) In Secret (2013) Musical adaptations Le Rêve (1891 opera) L'attaque du moulin (1893 opera) Lazare (1903 oratorio) Naïs Micoulin (1907 opera) Thou Shalt Not (2001 musical) Thérèse Raquin (2001 opera) Television adaptations Cruel Train (1995 film) The Paradise (2012 series) The Ladies' Paradise (2015 series) Related François Zola (father) Naturalism Portrait of Emile Zola (1868 painting) A Studio at Les Batignolles (1870 painting) The Life of Emile Zola (1937 film) Cézanne et Moi (2016 film)

Authority control databases International VIAF GND National United States France BnF data Poland Israel Other IdRef

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Les Rougon-Macquart](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Rougon-Macquart) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Rougon-Macquart?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.