Nana, Popular Edition of World Literature Classics

Author: émile Zola
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-06-01
Features: émile Zola is a renowned French naturalist writer, and this book is one of the major works in his series Livre des Gondrecourt. It is a classic example of exposes literature. The protagonist, Nana, is noticed by the manager of a variety show theater and becomes the leading actress in Venus of the Golden Hair, achieving great success. The men of high society in Paris are utterly captivated by her, and she is successively supported by the banker Steiner and the Count de Muffat, the attendant of the Queen, becoming a sensation in Paris. She devours the money of the men who pursue her, driving them into bankruptcy, and some even lose their lives. She eventually dies of smallpox. At this time, the Second Empire is about to collapse in the Franco-Prussian War, and Nana's rise and fall become a reflection of the corruption and decadence of the society of the Second Empire.