Work [Travail] by Émile Zola

"Work [Travail]" by Émile Zola is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story presents a deep exploration of the struggles of the working class, focusing on Luc Froment, who witnesses the hardships faced by laborers, particularly through the lens of an impoverished family struggling to survive amidst harsh societal conditions. This work reflects Zola’s commitment to social realism and critiques the injustices prevalent in industrial society. At the start of the novel, Luc Froment finds himself in a bleak industrial setting, observing a young woman named Josine and her little brother Nanet as they wait in despair outside of a steelworks called the Abyss. The narrative vividly describes the oppressive atmosphere of the factory town, the emotional weight of the characters, and the societal issues stemming from labor strife stirred by a recent strike. Josine's suffering, compounded by her injured hand and helplessness in the face of starvation, highlights the precarious existence of the working class, setting the stage for an exploration of themes such as the necessity of collective struggle and the human cost of industrialization. The opening portrays a world filled with suffering and desperation, drawing the reader into the social commentary that will unfold throughout the book. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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About this eBook

Author Zola, Émile, 1840-1902
Translator Vizetelly, Ernest Alfred, 1853-1922
Title Work [Travail]
Credits Dagny and Marc D’Hooghe
Reading Level Reading ease score: 64.6 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
Language English
LoC Class PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Subject French fiction -- Translations into English
Category Text
eBook-No. 55282
Release Date
Last Update Oct 23, 2024
Copyright Public domain in the USA.
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