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.Étienne 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, and in debt, 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.
language: English
title: Germinal
titlecomplete: Germinal (Les Rougon-Macquart, #13)
characters: Deneulin, Étienne Lantier, Souvarine, Rasseneur, Zacharie Maheu, Cécile Grégoire, Madame Hennebeau, Catherine Maheu, Léonore Maheu, Monsieur Hennebeau, Jeanlin Maheu, Monsieur Grégoire, Madame Grégoire, Pluchart, Toussaint Maheu, Chaval, Father Bonnemort, Paul Négrel, Constance Maheude, Maigrat, Alzire Maheu
genres: Classics, France, Roman, Historical, Novels, Historical Fiction, Literature, French Literature, Fiction, 19th Century
ratings_count: 36389
series: Les Rougon-Macquart
publisher: Signet Classics