num_pages: 499
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, 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.•New translation• Includes introduction, suggestions for further reading, filmography, chronology, explanatory notes, and glossary
language: English
title: Germinal
titlecomplete: Germinal (Les Rougon-Macquart, #13)
characters: Constance Maheude, Zacharie Maheu, Chaval, Rasseneur, Toussaint Maheu, Madame Hennebeau, Father Bonnemort, Catherine Maheu, Alzire Maheu, Léonore Maheu, Paul Négrel, Jeanlin Maheu, Souvarine, Pluchart, Deneulin, Monsieur Grégoire, Cécile Grégoire, Madame Grégoire, Maigrat, Étienne Lantier, Monsieur Hennebeau
genres: Historical, Literature, Classics, Novels, 19th Century, France, Roman, Historical Fiction, French Literature, Fiction
ratings_count: 36389
series: Les Rougon-Macquart
publisher: Penguin Classics