num_pages: 592
description: The thirteenth novel in Émile Zola’s great Rougon-Macquart sequence, Germinal expresses outrage at the exploitation of the many by the few, but also shows humanity’s capacity for compassion and hope.Etienne Lantier, an unemployed railway worker, is a clever but uneducated young man with a dangerous temper. Forced to take a back-breaking job at Le Voreux mine when he cannot get other work, he discovers that his fellow miners are ill, hungry, in debt, and unable to feed and clothe their families. When conditions in the mining community deteriorate even further, Lantier finds himself leading a strike that could mean starvation or salvation for all.•New translation• Includes introduction, suggestions for further reading, filmography, chronology, explanatory notes, and glossary
language: English
title: Germinal
titlecomplete: Germinal
characters: Toussaint Maheu, Alzire Maheu, Souvarine, Monsieur Grégoire, Madame Hennebeau, Étienne Lantier, Chaval, Léonore Maheu, Maigrat, Madame Grégoire, Rasseneur, Monsieur Hennebeau, Zacharie Maheu, Deneulin, Catherine Maheu, Cécile Grégoire, Constance Maheude, Paul Négrel, Father Bonnemort, Jeanlin Maheu, Pluchart
genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, French Literature, Novels, Literature, Roman, Classics, Fiction, 19th Century, France
ratings_count: 36382
series: Les Rougon-Macquart
publisher: Penguin Classics