The downfall
By: tr. from the French, with a critical essay by Professor W. M. Sloane.
Series: The French classical romances; French classical romances
Publisher: P. F. Collier & son
Published: 1902
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 624
Subjects: Zola, Emile, -- 1840-1902 -- Portraits
Description: First published in 1892, this is the penultimate and longest novel in les Rougon-Macquart series. The story is set against the background of the political and military events that ended the reign of Napoleon III and the Second Empire in 1870, in particular the Franco-Prussian War, the Battle of Sedan and the Paris Commune. Dazzling romance, political intrigue, military conflict--this kind of top-rate historical fiction is a heady brew that French writer Emile Zola serves up better than anyone before or since. One of the novels in the author's celebrated Les Rougon-Macquart series, The Downfall follows the travails and triumphs of farmer and soldier Jean Macquart, who rises above adversity in a time of terrible discord to find a semblance of peace and happiness.