The Fortune of the Rougons (Oxford World's Classics)

I've read precious little 19th-century Continental fiction apart from the classic Russian authors, but since I spotted this a new world has opened up--I now have something French to add to the Russian. I've also never been able to get into Proust, but I now own all 20 of this series, Les Rougon-Macquart, of which "The Fortune of the Rougons" is the first. So, this is my my third-person À la recherche du temps perdu.I'm amazed I'd never heard of this series of books, all featuring members of a family whose environment and inherited traits lead, inexorably, to suffering and destruction. This first book doesn't fail to disappoint in that way and is the foundation for all the volumes that follow. Through assiduous research and amazing descriptive ability, Zola has managed to capture some of the more viciously ambitious and mentally unbalanced citizens of Second Empire France, but also a variety of settings, social institutions, and, of course, other people of the time. But even though many characters are unsavory, the book is a gem, laying a fine story out in rich but penetrable prose. Zola has succeeded in emulating Balzac, laying down tale after tale of an era that he'd lived through and had, thankfully to his mind, just passed.The book opens with a long description à la Dickens' "Bleak House," and there is an idyllic section in the book's middle that lags a bit or can seem a bit cloying, but it's all for a purpose and well worth getting through--an excellent exercise for our modern minds in letting our imaginations open themselves up to lengthy depictions of scenery and relationships. But most of the tale moves swiftly enough and the characters are not the most complex created, so we do get caught up in the plot which is peppered with bits of humor and symbolism, keeping things compelling.A caution: don't read the introduction or even look at the family tree included in the preface of the book if you want to be unaware of the its outcome, although foreshadowing may help you, of course. Zola's not that mysterious! I can reveal a couple of basics of the intro, though, in that this book satirizes the advent of Napoleon III (1848-1851) pretty zestily and carries mythic resonance. Translator and editor Brian Nelson provides some helpful footnotes as well, listing where various characters mentioned in the text will appear later in the series.A bonus: the book's cover, a detail from a contemporary painting by Frédéric Bazille, "Family Reunion," depicts a convincingly possible Rougon family with the two parents, three sons, and daughter-in-law. Nice touch, Oxford. The paintings they have chosen for the covers have been excellent so far, not that there's a shortage of splendid French paintings from this era to choose from. Fitting, too, that Bazille died in the war that ended Napoleon III.I hope Oxford will translate the entire series, even the shorter pieces like "Une Page d'Amour" and "Le Rêve." Some have not been translated in a century or more. I have various versions of the books: old, new, good, bad, Oxford, Penguin, other. If French was less laborious for me to get through I'd be much better off, but at least I can glance at the French in online versions now and then and see what the translators are up to and pick a version I prefer. This version seems excellent, so if you love Manet's era and attitude, give it a try.

Zola can write, no doubt. Unfortunately, my book has mysteriously right-justified paragraphs, and split words mid-line, such as eleph-ant (not an actual case)... looks amateurish

I recently had some spare time on my hands and decided to start the Rougon-Macquart series by Zola. So far I have read this book and the volume that followed, The Kill. Let me start out by giving a word of warning. If you like your reading to be "neat and tidy" with likeable characters, these ain't the books for you. The writing is descriptive but somewhat rambling and the characters are, to quote the line from Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant, "Mean and nasty and ugly". To say the main people are despicable would be to insult despicable people everywhere. You'll rarely see such a bunch of losers, whiners, rogues, and cheaters in such a short period of time. That said, I found them fascinating and like watching a train wreck, you'll find yourself unable to look away. There are a couple of characters that you find yourself pulling for, but unfortunately they are dead by book's end.A few words about the Oxford University Press edition and Brian Nelson's translation. It is exquisite, with helpful notes. Many of Zola's works have not seen a new translation in a century, so it is my hope that there are more volumes to come from Mr Nelson. Read this book, you'll be pulled in by the middle of the first chapter and take a ride you'll never forget.

While this is certainly not the best of Zola, it is still well worth the reading as the first in the Rougon-Macquart series and as such provides the background to the characters in all that follows. These are not fun reads however as Zola's purpose was to lay bare the evils of French society during the Second Empire. The Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die group is currently doing a Scavenger Hunt and one of the goals is to "Read a book with a character you find irritating." It is probably good that The Fortune of the Rougons is not on the 1001 list and therefore ineligible for the Scavenger Hunt as absolutely every character in this historical drama is highly irritating!

Review for the Oxford edition:This is a beautifully written book. Extremely depressing, as you can expect from Zola. Not his best work (L'assamoir or Germinal), but I like this much more than Nana.The translation is great, and the annotations are most helpful

I am very happy to receive this new translation. After the announcement last year of a new translation by Robert Smith from the Emile Zola Society and my discovery that the Smith translation is just a rehash of the 19th-century translation by Vizetelly, this new book is long overdue. Brian Nelson has a long history of translating Zola, and his prose style is engaging ans sharp. I can't wait for his next book. The story itself sets the stage for the 19 books to come, laying the foundation for the entire family that make up the protagonists of the Rougon-Macquart. Zola, of course, deserves credit for creating a vivid portrait of provincial French life, especially its petty politicking, on the cusp of the establishment of the Second Empire amid violence and intrigue -- a really interesting time in French history. Thanks to Nelson, this story and its era will reach new audiences.

The introduction seemed a bit lacking.

This is the first in Zola's family saga, Rougon-Macquart, and it is as thrilling as the Turkish historical television series Diriliş: Ertuğrul.

This novel has an unusual structure and it dominates the readers appreciation. The young lovers (aged 17 and 13) feature in the opening chapter and return for a very well-written and moving denouement. In between we are introduced to the Rougon/ Macquart clan as we step back in history.This central section reads like a cross between a detailed obituary column and an episode of "Who do you think you are?". The Family Tree is an essential. Eventually, it carries us into the present day ie) 1852, and the bloody events in the Var region which transform the fortunes of the Rougon family.The satire on the reactionary, pro-Louis Napoleon supporters seems gentle to the modern reader. Zola spends much time laying the foundations of hereditary and environment which he will use as building blocks for the 20-novel Rougon series.All too often, the book felt like such a foundation rather than having any significant stand-alone merit. It was an enjoyable read but I was always more conscious of the structure rather than the content.

At last a translation that does justice to Zola's lusty prose. To be fair as the first volume in a series that grew to be 20 books long there are some stylistic shortcomings on display here. The plot is a bit higgledy piggledy, there are some wordy, bloated passages, but Zola's eye for description is already apparent and his characterisation is sharp and very entertaining. I just wish publishers could get their act together and get the whole series properly, newly translated and published as a whole because for me Zola is up there with Dickens and Hardy for late 19th century literature and is arguably "easier" to read.Recommended.

The first book in Zola's Rougon-Macquart cycle of twenty novels dealing with the lives of several members of a family during the French Second Empire between 1851 and 1871.I bought this to replace the translation done by Ernest Vizetelly in 1898, itself a revision of his father, Henry Vizetelly's original translation of 1886. Astonishing that 117 years have had to pass before there was a new English translation. Vizetelly's translation of this book is very poor, mainly due to the need to get around censorship laws in Britain.This edition was translated by Professor Brian Wilson and is an excellent read. Wilson has translated several of the Rougon-Macquart series.HIghly recommended.

It is not a perfect novel, but it is still extraordinary. The background is sketched for his 20 volume dynastic series about the Second Empire. It is social history, and much more. I have not read most of the early novels in the series, but that is now my task.

I was put off by its deadly seriousness in the opening chapter.But I shall return to it.