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    NAÏS MICOULIN
    NAÏS MICOULIN
    NAÏS MICOULIN
    Ebook43 pages39 minutes

    NAÏS MICOULIN

    By Emile Zola

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    In Naïs Micoulin, Émile Zola presents a short story filled with elements of naturalism and social commentary that are quintessential to his literary style. Set in a provincial village, the novel follows the tragic love affair between the young protagonist, Naïs, and the older cedar-cutter, Micoulin. Zola's vivid descriptions and keen observations of human behavior make this tale a poignant exploration of societal norms and the complexities of human desire. Through his realistic portrayal of characters and settings, Zola invites readers to contemplate the impact of class distinctions and personal choices on individual destinies. Émile Zola, known for his role as a leading figure in the naturalist movement, drew inspiration from his own observations of working-class life and the social injustices of his time. His ability to craft compelling narratives around societal issues earned him widespread acclaim and solidified his reputation as a literary powerhouse. Zola's commitment to realism and his unflinching portrayal of difficult subjects set him apart as a revolutionary voice in 19th-century literature. For readers interested in exploring the intersection of naturalism, social critique, and human relationships, Naïs Micoulin is a must-read. Zola's masterful storytelling and thought-provoking themes will captivate audiences looking for a compelling and insightful literary experience.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMusaicum Books
    Release dateOct 6, 2017
    ISBN9788027218561
    NAÏS MICOULIN
    Author

    Emile Zola

    Émile Zola was a French writer who is recognized as an exemplar of literary naturalism and for his contributions to the development of theatrical naturalism. Zola’s best-known literary works include the twenty-volume Les Rougon-Macquart, an epic work that examined the influences of violence, alcohol and prostitution on French society through the experiences of two families, the Rougons and the Macquarts. Other remarkable works by Zola include Contes à Ninon, Les Mystères de Marseille, and Thérèse Raquin. In addition to his literary contributions, Zola played a key role in the Dreyfus Affair of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. His newspaper article J’Accuse accused the highest levels of the French military and government of obstruction of justice and anti-semitism, for which he was convicted of libel in 1898. After a brief period of exile in England, Zola returned to France where he died in 1902. Émile Zola is buried in the Panthéon alongside other esteemed literary figures Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas.

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      Book preview

      NAÏS MICOULIN - Emile Zola

      I

      Table of Contents

      DURING the fruit season a brown-skinned little girl with bushy black hair used to come every month to the house of Monsieur Rostand, a lawyer of Aix, in Provence, bringing with her a huge basket of apricots or peaches, so heavy that she had hardly strength enough to carry it. She would wait in the large entrance-hall, whither all the family went to greet her.

      ‘So it’s you, Naïs,’ the lawyer would say. ‘You’ve brought us some fruit, eh? Come, you’re a good girl. And how is your father?’

      ‘Quite well, sir,’ replied the little girl, showing her white teeth.

      Then Madame Rostand would take her into the kitchen and ask her about the olives, the almonds, and the vines. But the most important question was whether there had been any rain at L’Estaque, where the Rostands’ estate was situated, a place called La Blancarde, which was cultivated by the Micoulins. There were but a few dozen almond and olive trees, but the question of rain was none the less an important one in this province, where everything perishes from drought.

      ‘There have been a few drops,’ Naïs would say. ‘The vines want more.’

      Then, having imparted her news, she ate a piece of bread and some scraps of meat, and set out again for L’Estaque in a butcher’s cart which came to Aix every fortnight. Frequently she brought some shell-fish, a lobster, a fine eel, for Micoulin fished more than he tilled the ground. When she came during the holidays, Frédéric, the lawyer’s son, used to rush into the kitchen to tell her that the family would soon take up their quarters at La Blancarde, and that she must get some nets and lines ready. He was almost like a brother to her, for they had played together as children. Since the age of twelve, however, she had called him ‘Monsieur Frédéric,’ out of respect. Every time old Micoulin heard her speak familiarly to the young man he boxed her ears, but in spite of this the two children were sworn allies.

      ‘Don’t forget to mend the nets,’ repeated the schoolboy.

      ‘No fear, Monsieur Frédéric,’ replied Naïs. ‘They’ll be ready for you.’

      Monsieur Rostand was very wealthy. He had bought a splendid seignorial mansion in the Rue du Collège at a very low price. The Hôtel de Coiron, built during the latter part of the seventeenth century, had twelve windows in its frontage, and contained enough rooms to house a religious order. Amid those vast rooms the family, consisting of five persons, including the two old servants, seemed lost. The lawyer occupied merely the first floor. For ten years he had tried, without success, to let the ground and second floors, and finally he had decided to lock them up, thus abandoning two-thirds of the house to the spiders. Echoes like those of a cathedral resounded through the empty sonorous mansion at the least noise in the entrance-hall, an enormous hall with a staircase from which one could easily have obtained sufficient material to build a modern dwelling.

      Immediately after his purchase, Monsieur Rostand had divided the grand drawingroom into two offices, by means of a partition. It was a room thirty-six feet long by twenty-four broad, lighted by six windows. Of one of the two parts he had formed his

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