Novel
Germinie Lacerteux
Opening lines
—Sauvée! vous voilà donc sauvée, mademoiselle! fit avec un cri de joie la bonne qui venait de fermer la porte sur le médecin, et, se précipitant vers le lit où était couchée sa maîtresse […]
“Saved! So you are saved, mademoiselle!” cried the maid joyfully, having just closed the door behind the doctor, and, rushing to the bed where her mistress lay […]
Translation by Erostrate
Text quoted from gutenberg.org
Synopsis
Come from her village to Paris, Germinie Lacerteux is a servant to an old spinster, Mlle de Varandeuil, who regards her as devoted and steady. She falls for an unscrupulous young man, Jupillon, and gradually gives him everything she owns. Unknown to her mistress, she soon slips into a double life that no one around her suspects.
Context
The novel appeared from Charpentier in 1865. It arose from a discovery: the two brothers learned that their servant, Rose Malingre, had led a double life without their knowledge. Their preface, regarded as the first manifesto of naturalism, claims for the people the right to enter the novel. The book was fiercely debated in literary circles, and Zola took a close interest in the undertaking.
Who it is for
A novel in short chapters, written in a nervous style, which takes a deliberately clinical view of a harsh subject.
Prizes and reception
It is counted among the founding novels of naturalism; Leonard Tancock translated it into English for Penguin.
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