The Fat and the Thin

by Emile Zola

Overview

Le Ventre de Paris (1873) is the third novel in Emile Zola's twenty-volume series Les Rougon-Macquart. It is set in and around Les Halles, the enormous, busy central market of 19th-century Paris. Les Halles, rebuilt in cast iron and glass during the Second Empire was a landmark of modernity in the city, the wholesale and retail center of a thriving food industry. Le Ventre de Paris (translated into English under many variant titles but literally meaning The Belly of Paris) is Zola's first novel entirely on the working class. The protagonist is Florent, an escaped political prisoner mistakenly arrested after the French coup of 1851. He returns to his step-brother Quenu, a charcutier and his wife Lisa Quenu (formerly Macquart), with whom he finds refuge. They get him a job in the market as a fish inspector. After getting mixed up in an ineffectual socialist plot against the Empire, Florent is arrested and deported again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783732617753
Publisher:	Salzwasser-Verlag Gmbh
Publication date:	12/03/2017
Pages:	298
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.81(d)

About the Author

Emile Zola, the towering figure of nineteenth-century French literature, was born in Paris in 1840. Zola was known for his naturalistic approach and sharp social commentary, and his writings frequently probed the complexity of human nature as well as the impact of society pressures on individual lives. His opus, "The Fat and the Thin" (also known as "Le Ventre de Paris"), demonstrates his literary prowess and long-lasting legacy. Published in 1873, "The Fat and the Thin" is a caustic satire of bourgeois society set against the backdrop of Parisian markets and neighborhoods. Zola's vivid characterization and thorough attention to detail create a vision of a society plagued by greed, duplicity, and moral degradation. Florent meets a range of characters representing various social groups as he navigates Paris's crowded streets, each battling with their own goals and ambitions. Through Florent's eyes, Zola reveals the harsh truths of poverty, inequality, and injustice, while also portraying moments of compassion and resilience. "The Fat and the Thin" is a forceful condemnation of the social inequities of the day, providing readers with a piercing analysis of the moral decay at the heart of bourgeois society. Emile Zola's seminal work continues to captivate readers today, asking them to examine the complexity of their own cultural structures and moral compass.