This book is called ‘Nana’ after the main character. Nana is the 9th novel in Zola's long book series that follows the fortunes of the Les Rougon-Macquart family.
It opens in Paris 1867 when all the world's eyes are on the city as it hosts the World Fair. The novel follows Nana, the lower class daughter of a laundress, as she storms Paris with her beauty and sexuality; rising to prominence as a contemporary celebrity and high-class prostitute. Nana, with her vibrant character, graces all tiers of Parisian society, from the poverty of the street pedlars and prostitutes to brushing shoulders with royalty. Zola bunches everyone together to show class, money and status does not equate to sound morality…
The Author
Émile Zola was a nineteenth-century French Novelist. To contextualise him, you could call him Paris's answer to Dickens. He wrote prolifically, I can't even find a definite number of his books ranging from 17-23 plus. He has long been my Mum's favourite and she has constantly tried to persuade me to read him, and I have shamefully side lined him... until now!
The Plot
It is very easy to enter the novel and make immediate and superficial judgments about how Zola explores social moral corruption and female sexuality, but for me it wasn't so clear cut. For the majority of the novel, I was behind Nana as why shouldn’t she, from the poverty she was born into, seize the opportunity of wealth, fortune and hopefully a better life? In one respect it is her choice but equally how many opportunities were there for girls in her position?
The story begins at her debut performance at the theatre. To the shock of the audience, from all corners of Parisian society, she plays the goddess Venus… naked! This appearance immediately catapults her to the attention of wealthy men. Government officials, army officers, bankers, journalists and aristocrats all pursue her resulting in bankruptcy and humiliation. Whilst for the first half of the novel you enjoy this life of being adored and of excess with Nana. Your, and certainly my, sympathies shifted to those losing everything as Nana destroys the lives around her with her wanton excess and desire for more and more wealth.
Corruption and Female Sexuality
As said, Nana occupies a difficult position and Zola does not make it easy for you to decide where your sympathies should lie. With Nana, whom, with perhaps few options, is using her body for the acquisition of personal wealth and status?
With the wealthy men? Whilst as individual’s their pursual of Nana is not easy to sympathise with - they’re downfalls ripple across society – to their families and other individuals who are dependent on them.
I personally believe that right up until the ending (that I don’t agree with but will try not to spoil), Zola doesn’t leave a definite answer. The novel fluctuates between Nana’s actions being justified in one instance to decidedly cruel in another. However, she isn’t the only one guilty of this and because of the novels obvious focus on her, it admonishes the other culprits of being equally culpable of the corruption in society.
Judging the Cover!
I find the blurb on my Oxford World Classics edition makes its decision, on the last chapter, known by saying that Zola seems to say ‘that what transpires is not so much a result of the corruption of the Empire, as of rampant female sexuality’. Yeah, I’d say but only in the last paragraph. You really have to ask yourself, when reading it today, what is driving this female sexuality to rampant and damaging? Nana’s control of these wealthy men becomes more and more sinister – as she sees what she can get and how to control them. This vice is there own if you ask me; Comte Muffat, the richest of her ‘followers’, tries again and again to get away from Nana, always returning pitifully at her feet, literally begging to be allowed back into her company.
Female Relationships and sisterhood
Zola shows well the position of normal street prostitutes against Nana’s style of prostitution. Nana’s friend, Satin, particularly represents the street prostitutes of Paris at the time. The cruelty of the law is shown in that street prostitutes, if caught by police in raids of brothels, were subjected to being ‘registered’ which resulted in stringent and regular medical examinations - that the women had little say over.
In her rise in society Nana does not forget her friend, Satin. One night while riding home from the theatre, Nana sees Satin worn and bedraggled in the street. Nana takes her to her apartments in the wealthiest part of town, cleans her up and allows her to say. One night, Satin runs back to the streets. This cycle occurs a few times. In one such instant, in a crash, Nana runs with her and they glide through the low quarters of Paris’s brothels.
Satin and Nana’s relationship goes beyond just friendship as Zola explicitly shows them as lovers. The men that surround Nana, whilst being annoyed at Satin distracting her, aren’t fussed about Satin as a love rival seeing the same-sex relationship as immaterial to their relations with Nana.
There is something beautiful in the relationship Satin and Nana shar as it is devoid of money or wealth, and they are constantly giggling and enjoying each other without expectation or material gain. There seems to be a safety in this relationship for both Nana and Satin; who have both continually been at the mercy of male violence. The female relationship provides a haven to enjoy themselves and their sexuality without men corrupting it.
Who is the real corruptor hmmm?
I really enjoyed this book. I received three more Zola’s for Christmas, so hope to write more on his books soon!
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