Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-07

There are perhaps not 5000 persons
in the United States who have read
1.-The Fortune Of the Rougons," by
Emile lola.
To feel ones self a part Of such a
small group among 130,0o0,000 people
Is something. Here Is a little inner
circle Of readers who keep alive the
lola cult, which once swept the word.
"The Fortune of the Rougons" is the
initial volume of the great Rougon-
Macquart series Of 20 novels which
lola began in 1871 and finished IN
1898.
This series was once very widely
known. The Dreyfus affair. in which
lola played such a prominent part
brought him and it additional publicity
throughout the world.
Three of its component novels, LAS
sommoir," "Germinal" and Mana
became known to readers everywhere
and today are read ultimately by all
who value good writing in the novel
form.
The base Of that gigantic series,
however, the story which gives the
background for the rest, is seldom read
in this country.
Two factors are responsible for this
state of affairs In the first place, lola
seems old-fashioned. His realism"
has been far outdone by modern
writer's. His novels even seem Victorian
to sophisticated readers of today.
In the second place, there is only
one edition of 1.-The Fortune of the
Rougons" available in translation in
this country, as far as we know, that
issued by the Bonis in 1925.
A third factor perhaps should be men
toned. 1.-The Fortune Of the Rougons''
~ q
is interesting, primarily, because it be-
gan famous series of connected novels.
What lola attempted to do in his 20
long volumes is best explained in the
authors own words, prefaced to the
book under consideration:
Il wish to explain how a family, a
small group of human beings, conducts
itself in a given social system after
poisoning forth and giving birth to 10
or 20 members, who, though they may
appear, at the first glance, profoundly
dissimilar one from the other, are, as
analysis demonstrates, most closely
linked together from the point of view
OF affinity. Heredity, like gravity, has
its laws.
BY resolving the duplex question of
temperament and environment. I shall
endeavor to discover and follow the
thread of connection which leads math-
ematically from one man to another.
And when I have possession of every
thread and hold complete social group
in my hands, shall show this group at
work, participating in an historical Pc
Rod; I shall depict it in action, with
all its varied energies, and I shall
analyZe both the will power Of each
member and the general tendency of
the whole.
1.-The great characteristic Of the Rou-
gon-Macquarts, the group or family
which propose to study, is their rave
nous appetite, the great outburst of our
age which rushes upon enjoyment.
Physiologically the Rougon Macquarts
represent the slow succession Of acct
dents pertaining to the nerves or the
organic lesion, and, according to en-
vironment, determine in each individual
member of the race those feelings, de-
sires and passions-brief1y. all the nat
ural and instructive manifestations Pc
culiar to humanity-whose outcome as
Sumes the conventional name Of virtue
or vice.
Historically the Rougon- Macquarts
proceed from the masses, radiate
throughout the whole of contemporary
society and ascend to all sorts of posi-
tons by the force of that impulsion of
essentially modern origin which sets the
lower classes marching through the So
cial system. . This work, which will
comprise several episodes, is therefore,
in my mind, the natural and social his
tory of a family under the Second En-
pre-. And the first episode, here called