Emile Zola's "Nana"

Paper Summary:

This paper introduces and analyzes the book "Nana" by Emile Zola. Specifically, the paper discusses mid-19th century society and its values as they are depicted in the first five chapters of the book. The paper notes that "Nana" is a critique on Parisian society during the Second Empire, and it shows a society that is self-adsorbed, shallow, and devoid of just about any intellectual thought. The paper comments that it is a sad society, concerned more with how people look and who they know than anything else, and it is quite clear Zola does not approve of this decadent and disappointing society.

From the Paper:

"According to Zola, the values of society during this time leave much to be desired. The theater owner puts Nana on the stage for her "other good points" rather than her talents. Zola writes, "'Must a woman know how to act and sing? Oh, my chicken, you're too stoopid. Nana has other good points, by heaven!-- something which is as good as all the other things put together. I've smelled it out; it's deuced pronounced with her, or I've got the scent of an idiot'." The audience recognizes she is terrible, but when one member shouts, "Bravo!" the entire city embraces her, even though she has no talent."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Zola, Emile. Nana. New York: Gosset & Dunlap, 1933.

More papers on Emile Zola's "Nana":

• Analytical Essay # 23896 : "Emile Zola"
• Comparison Essay # 21681 : " Henry James' "The Tragic Muse" and Emile Zola's "Nana"."
• Analytical Essay # 29423 : "Works of Emile Zola"

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