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| 1879 poster for an American theatre production of L'Assommoir by Augustin Daly from Wikipedia |
I've just finished Emile Zola's L'Assommoir published in 1877. The novel is a relentlessly grim tale of poverty and alcoholism in nineteenth century Paris. Cheery it isn't - believe me.
It opens with Gervaise Macquart being abandoned in Paris by her lover Lantier. Left with two children to bring up, she marries Coupeau, a sober roofing worker. Eventually, through thrift and borrowing from friends, she manages to open her own own laundry and clearstarching business.
Throughout the novel lurks L'Assommoir, a kind of bar with its own brandy still, not really translatable into English. Zola uses the huge copper brandy still as a kind of malign spirit (forgive the pun) lurking in the background yet dominating the wretched lives of those poverty-stricken unfortunates drawn into its fatal embrace.
Gervaise's laundry is the high point of her life, but Coupeau falls from a roof, is badly injured and although he eventually recovers he takes to drink. Why he falls into alcoholism isn't clear, but the novel tends to be plot-driven rather than character-driven. It may be out of character for Coupeau to become an alcoholic even after his accident - but the plot demands it.
Gervaise's laundry is the high point of her life, but Coupeau falls from a roof, is badly injured and although he eventually recovers he takes to drink. Why he falls into alcoholism isn't clear, but the novel tends to be plot-driven rather than character-driven. It may be out of character for Coupeau to become an alcoholic even after his accident - but the plot demands it.
Zola tells a good story and the book is well worth reading, but don't expect too much insight into the psychology of his characters. L'Assommoir is considered to be a masterpiece, but for me it is somewhat didactic. A good read but not a great novel in my view. Nevertheless, I've only read this book and Thérèse Raquin and both have whetted my appetite for more of Zola's work.
2 comments:
If you found this a good read, may I suggest you follow it up with 'Nana' - one of my favourites?
Although the narrative is linked - it's the story of Coupeau's daughter Anna - it stands alone as a narrative charting her meteoric rise in the Parisian theatrical demi-monde, allowing Zola free range to chart human failings from the gutter to the top of high society.
You are right that Coupeau's descent into alcoholism is not clearly accounted for; this may be because the series of 20 novels of which this forms part was designed to examine the families of two men - Rougon and Macquart (Gervaise is Macquart's daughter)- whose character flaws emerge in the character and actions of their descendants; it is thus Gervaise's decline rather than that of her husband that is of primary interest to the author.
Zola's recommended order for reading the series is given in Wikipedia under 'Rougon-Macquart' but be warned, they can be deeply depressing when consumed in large quantities.
Mac - I will follow it up with Nana.
I've downloaded all Zola's novels onto my Kindle and it wasn't until I was part way through L'Assommoir that I thought to check if I should be reading them in some kind of order.
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