Emile Zola's Germinal

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I finished the book today and I'm so wonderfully overwhelmed by it. From now on my heart will swell when I think about it. Never before has a novel engaged me so thoroughly.

Opinions on the book? And what about the 1993 film of it? Is that any good?

― Ian Riese-Moraine. To Hell with you and your gradual evolution! (Eastern Mantra), Saturday, 9 April 2005 21:49 (twenty years ago)

Wonderful! Wonderful! Film is terrible! La Bete Humaine & Nana are among my favorite books!

― Remy (x Jeremy), Saturday, 9 April 2005 22:14 (twenty years ago)

I'll definitely have to examine more of the Rougon-Macquart novels. I went this one first because of my love for anarchist Voltairine de Cleyre (who wrote a poem called "Germinal" because it was the last word of Michele Angiolillo, an Italian anarchist who assassinated the Prime Minister of Spain in 1897 for the torture of anarchist prisoners who were being held at Montjuich prison, persecuted only for their beliefs). Of course, Germinal had a massive effect on anarchists and they often used the title as a rallying cry. I'm sure she read the novel...she'd have had to.

I'm amazed anyone could make a terrible film out of such a wonderful novel! That's disheartening! One would think a film of it would get the viewer to read the work. It makes me shudder to think of how I might never have read the book Closely Watched Trains by Bohumil Hrabal (unrelated to Germinal of course, but just saying) were it not for the movie, which is my current favourite film and will always be impeccable even if I do end up seeing something that trumps it.

― Ian Riese-Moraine. To Hell with you and your gradual evolution! (Eastern Mantra), Saturday, 9 April 2005 22:27 (twenty years ago)

I would never have read Germinal unless I'd had to (set text for last semester), but once I got into it it was pretty great except for being totally ridiculous sometimes, sometimes the ridiculousness is part of the greatness but some bits, like Catherine and Etienne having sex trapped down a mine on the point of death with a dead body floating past, are just a bit stupid. Film awful, had to fast forward a lot. (I hope I come up with something more articulate than this to write in the exam...)

Wasn't the word 'Germinal' a rallying cry before the novel, because of some famous riots that took place in that month? and that's why Zola used it?

― Cathy (Cathy), Sunday, 10 April 2005 00:48 (twenty years ago)

I don't know, but I don't think it was used as a rallying cry until after the novel was published, when Italian anarchist Michele Angiolillo used it as his last word in 1897 before being executed for his assassination of the Prime Minister of Spain in retaliation for the persecution and torture of Spanish anarchists on Montjuich prison who had done absolutely nothing wrong.

― Ian Riese-Moraine. To Hell with you and your gradual evolution! (Eastern Mantra), Sunday, 10 April 2005 01:17 (twenty years ago)

germinal is fantastic. i once had an ambition to read the entire rougon-macquart series but i think i fizzled out after 5 or 6. I like the masterpiece best. theres raquin wasn't very good. la bete humaine is excellent, especially since zola considered making etienne the murderer apparently.

― keith m (keithmcl), Sunday, 10 April 2005 01:53 (twenty years ago)

Awful. It's been years since I've read it though, so don't expect an explanation. I guess it beats Sister Carrie.

― RS £aRue (rockist_scientist), Sunday, 10 April 2005 02:06 (twenty years ago)

Therese Raquin and Nana are great 19th cent. French socio-melodramatic novels. I rather liked the film, but I hadn't yet read the novel.

Maupassant's 'Bel Ami' vs. Zola's 'Nana' TS

― M. White (Miguelito), Sunday, 10 April 2005 16:21 (twenty years ago)

Ooh, this was a set text for me this year too. Shamefully, I haven't read it yet - got to do that before the exam!

― Crackity (Crackity Jones), Sunday, 10 April 2005 16:39 (twenty years ago)

four weeks pass...

I'm halfway through it now and it's tremendous. Really one of the best novels I've ever read.

― Crackity (Crackity Jones), Monday, 9 May 2005 10:39 (twenty years ago)

I'd love to read some emile zola.

― cozen (Cozen), Monday, 9 May 2005 12:38 (twenty years ago)

I read it in high school and should probably re-read it again. Some of those images (like the children waking up early to go to the mine) are pretty indelible.

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Monday, 9 May 2005 12:45 (twenty years ago)

Worst. Sex. Scene. Ever. The rest is great, though. I love the opening imagery of men/crops springing up from the earth. I should read it again - it's been nearly 10 years.

― Madchen (Madchen), Monday, 9 May 2005 14:31 (twenty years ago)

Worst. Sex. Scene. Ever.
It could've been worse -- he could've gone into great detail about the grinding of their hazardously slender bodies.

― That's not cocaine! It's Ian Riese-Moraine! (Eastern Mantra), Monday, 9 May 2005 16:56 (twenty years ago)

eighteen years pass...

finished Germinal (penguin classics version) and it was surprisingly easy for a 500+ page French book from the (late) 1800s

i don't remember Dickens having this much sex in it. is that a French thing or just because it's later than Dickens?

i shall read more, maybe the two that are mentioned in the notes (the masterpiece, the drinking den) or maybe the debacle (because it's cheap). or the railway one because trains. (penguin only do about 6 or 7 of the 20, Oxford world classics do the entire set but are more expensive)

― koogs, Friday, 15 March 2024 07:20 (two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.