Na Na (World Literature Library)

Author: émile Zola
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: French literature is not short of works depicting the lives of prostitutes, but among those that are most detailed, most vividly described, and most profoundly exposing, none can compare to Zola's novel Nana. The novel presents an invaluable picture of the prostitute class in Paris society at that time, with Nana as the central figure. The entire story is a chronicle of the rise and fall of the prostitute Nana, but the main target of the author's deliberate revelation and critique is not Nana herself, but rather the various characters in the bourgeoisie's upper class who desperately pursue lust. This is precisely where the positive significance of this novel lies, and also the reason why it has become a timeless masterpiece.