Sie befinden Sich nicht im Netzwerk der Universität Paderborn. Der Zugriff auf elektronische Ressourcen ist gegebenenfalls nur via VPN oder Shibboleth (DFN-AAI) möglich. mehr Informationen...
Tying up the Loose Ends of an Epoch: Zola's Docteur Pascal
Ist Teil von
French historical studies, 1989-04, Vol.16 (1), p.202-216
Ort / Verlag
Baton Rouge, La., etc: Society for French Historical Studies
Erscheinungsjahr
1989
Link zum Volltext
Quelle
Alma/SFX Local Collection
Beschreibungen/Notizen
Emile Zola's most famous novel, Germinal (1885) has been an invaluable documentary source for historians. Le Docteur Pascal (1893), the twentieth and last volume of the Rougon-Macquart series, has received much less attention. It is the only volume set outside the temporal boundaries of the Second Empire; the action takes place in 1873. Although there is agreement that this novel is vastly inferior in literary quality to earlier volumes in the series, Zola invested a great deal in this summation of a quarter century of monumental effort. There is evidence that he identified strongly with its protagonist. A contextual approach shows that despite its technical weaknesses, Le Docteur Pascal is a rich historical document. The peculiar variant of Darwinism that constrained Zola and determined the way he brought his work to closure is investigated. The broad synchronism of Third Republic France is less central than Zola's immediate biographical context in explaining this intensely historical and ideological novel.