Nana (with CD) (Permanent Memory Version)

Author: émile Zola
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2003-05-01
Features: Nana's bold depiction of the life of prostitutes led to its prohibition in many places. The Roman Catholic Church had already included it in its list of banned books as early as 1894, and none of Zola's other works were spared from being censored by the Church. Additionally, countries such as the United Kingdom and Russia had successively banned its publication. In response to the criticism from Russian readers toward Zola's naturalist style, the publishing authorities issued a special statement that they published Zola's works but did not endorse his naturalist literary views. Zola, however, remained stubbornly true to himself, continuing to write The Rougon-Macquart Family with his naturalist techniques. As Maupassant said, "He loved to portray the challenging truth of nudity, knowing it would provoke readers yet persisted in doing so. He wanted readers to learn to digest this ugliness rather than be repulsed by it." Nana specifically explores lust and sensuality, with detailed descriptions and vulgar language. This "gaze of the voyeur staring intently at female nudity" was not something that should have appeared so frequently in literature. Yet, critics defending Zola argued that since "Nana" did exist in society, Zola could not avoid the issue of pornography in his work and had the right to reflect it. Moreover, Zola was not a participant in the world of pornography; he drew on his accumulated knowledge and used his wisdom to create Nana, making it far from being obscene.