What do you think?
Rate this book
Les Rougon-Macquart #16
The Dream
Emile Zola's novel Le Rêve (1888) is a love idyll between a poor embroideress and the son of a wealthy aristocratic family set against the background of a sleepy cathedral town in northern France. A far cry from the seething, teeming world evoked in Zola’s best-known novels, it may at first seem a strange interlude between La Terre and La Bête Humaine in the 20-volume sequence known as the Rougon-Macquart cycle. However, belying its appearance as a simple fairytale the work reveals many of Zola’s characteristic themes, the conflict between heredity and environment, between spirituality and sensuality, between the powerful and the powerless. The dream of Angélique, the central character, is at once reality and illusion, and this interplay provides the driving force of the novel. Above all, it is, as Zola himself described it, "a poem of passion," showing the lyrical dimension of his genius. This important new translation by Michael Glencross, the first in English since that of Eliza Chase in 1893, recaptures the vigor of Zola’s original. The translator also provides a helpful introduction that situates the novel in the context of Zola’s life and work as a whole.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1888
123 people are currently reading
2507 people want to read
About the author
Émile Zola
2,733 books4,483 followersÉmile Zola was a prominent French novelist, journalist, and playwright widely regarded as a key figure in the development of literary naturalism. His work profoundly influenced both literature and society through its commitment to depicting reality with scientific objectivity and exploring the impact of environment and heredity on human behavior. Born and raised in France, Zola experienced early personal hardship following the death of his father, which deeply affected his understanding of social and economic struggles—a theme that would later permeate his writings.
Zola began his literary career working as a clerk for a publishing house, where he developed his skills and cultivated a passion for literature. His early novels, such as Thérèse Raquin, gained recognition for their intense psychological insight and frank depiction of human desires and moral conflicts. However, it was his monumental twenty-volume series, Les Rougon-Macquart, that established his lasting reputation. This cycle of novels offered a sweeping examination of life under the Second French Empire, portraying the lives of a family across generations and illustrating how hereditary traits and social conditions shape individuals’ destinies. The series embodies the naturalist commitment to exploring human behavior through a lens informed by emerging scientific thought.
Beyond his literary achievements, Zola was a committed social and political activist. His involvement in the Dreyfus Affair is one of the most notable examples of his dedication to justice. When Captain Alfred Dreyfus was wrongfully accused and convicted of treason, Zola published his famous open letter, J’Accuse…!, which condemned the French military and government for corruption and anti-Semitism. This act of courage led to his prosecution and temporary exile but played a crucial role in eventual justice for Dreyfus and exposed deep divisions in French society.
Zola’s personal life was marked by both stability and complexity. He married Éléonore-Alexandrine Meley, who managed much of his household affairs, and later had a long-term relationship with Jeanne Rozerot, with whom he fathered two children. Throughout his life, Zola remained an incredibly prolific writer, producing not only novels but also essays, plays, and critical works that investigated the intersections between literature, science, and society.
His legacy continues to resonate for its profound impact on literature and for his fearless commitment to social justice. Zola’s work remains essential reading for its rich narrative detail, social critique, and pioneering approach to the realistic portrayal of human life. His role in the Dreyfus Affair stands as a powerful example of the intellectual’s responsibility to speak truth to power.
Zola began his literary career working as a clerk for a publishing house, where he developed his skills and cultivated a passion for literature. His early novels, such as Thérèse Raquin, gained recognition for their intense psychological insight and frank depiction of human desires and moral conflicts. However, it was his monumental twenty-volume series, Les Rougon-Macquart, that established his lasting reputation. This cycle of novels offered a sweeping examination of life under the Second French Empire, portraying the lives of a family across generations and illustrating how hereditary traits and social conditions shape individuals’ destinies. The series embodies the naturalist commitment to exploring human behavior through a lens informed by emerging scientific thought.
Beyond his literary achievements, Zola was a committed social and political activist. His involvement in the Dreyfus Affair is one of the most notable examples of his dedication to justice. When Captain Alfred Dreyfus was wrongfully accused and convicted of treason, Zola published his famous open letter, J’Accuse…!, which condemned the French military and government for corruption and anti-Semitism. This act of courage led to his prosecution and temporary exile but played a crucial role in eventual justice for Dreyfus and exposed deep divisions in French society.
Zola’s personal life was marked by both stability and complexity. He married Éléonore-Alexandrine Meley, who managed much of his household affairs, and later had a long-term relationship with Jeanne Rozerot, with whom he fathered two children. Throughout his life, Zola remained an incredibly prolific writer, producing not only novels but also essays, plays, and critical works that investigated the intersections between literature, science, and society.
His legacy continues to resonate for its profound impact on literature and for his fearless commitment to social justice. Zola’s work remains essential reading for its rich narrative detail, social critique, and pioneering approach to the realistic portrayal of human life. His role in the Dreyfus Affair stands as a powerful example of the intellectual’s responsibility to speak truth to power.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews
September 28, 2024
In Beaumont's 19th century, the Hubert family took Angélique, barely ten years old, and abandoned her. The family teaches him to embroider. She becomes a specialist but dreams of the handsome prince and happiness. His dream will eventually come true.
That's a beautiful novel for readers who want to finally read something other than stories of murders, wars, or violence.
That's a beautiful novel for readers who want to finally read something other than stories of murders, wars, or violence.
March 26, 2017
It starts like it's going to be a typical Emile Zola novel. Angelique, a nine year old girl, homeless, starving, freezing, standing on the doorstep of a church, holding on to life by sheer will. She is taken in, saved by the married couple who live next door to the church. From that point on the story of Angelique's life reads like a dream. She becomes an embroider, like her adoptive parents, and grows up in the shadow of the church, St. Agnes in Beaumont, France, living a sheltered and pious life. Her dreams of life are based on the stories of the saints and she comes to believe she will meet and fall in love with a handsome and wealthy prince. You will have to read it to find out the rest. It's easy to forget while reading this novel that it is part of Zola's Rougon-Macquart series. Angelique is the abandoned daughter of Sidonie Rougon, the daughter of Pierre from volume one, The Fortune of the Rougons. Zola's depictions of 19th century French life are stark and depressing (maybe realistic?), but the writing is superb and the characters unforgettable.
June 23, 2021
So, after publishing Earth, Zola’s critics grew even more vehement in their damnation of him as a pornographer, immoral and obscene, burying his face in the mud and shit and filth of the world. In response, he wrote this.
How are we meant to read it? What is the text doing? It is certainly very different to anything else in the sequence.
My reading is this: Angelique is a young girl, isolated and shut off from the brutal realities of the world, and brought up on a diet of medieval Christian mysticism. In essence she is exposed to nothing but the pure, unadulterated essence of the Christian morality Zola’s critics expound.
And what happens? She becomes lost in a dream of a life and a reality completely divorced from the actual. She is incapable of seeing or dealing with the real, with the “misery of the world”. She is, basically, an absurdity. Like an exaggerated form of those 19thc heroines throwing themselves at the feet of Love. She waits for, expects, the mystical, the wings of an angel, the whisper of the Saint, to intervene and bring all things to perfection. In a sense she reminds me of those who believe in the influence of “The Universe” on their lives, that if they wish hard enough, the Universe will hear and grant…And, of course, such people are incapable of recognising their meaninglessness, their powerlessness, in the face of the absurdity and unfairness of the world. Such complete and total narcissism is precisely one of the flaws Naturalism seeks to counter - it is by listening to, and facing, others honestly, in all their filth and pain and failure, that we can start to break out of the dream reverberating in our own echo chambers.
And am I wrong to read the ending as ironic, satirical?
As such, what can this novel be but a giant “fuck you” to his critics?
And, if this is correct, we should be careful not to read it as though it were precisely the sort of text it satirises.
Regardless - a quick read, and one that certainly should be left until later in one’s journey through the series.
How are we meant to read it? What is the text doing? It is certainly very different to anything else in the sequence.
My reading is this: Angelique is a young girl, isolated and shut off from the brutal realities of the world, and brought up on a diet of medieval Christian mysticism. In essence she is exposed to nothing but the pure, unadulterated essence of the Christian morality Zola’s critics expound.
And what happens? She becomes lost in a dream of a life and a reality completely divorced from the actual. She is incapable of seeing or dealing with the real, with the “misery of the world”. She is, basically, an absurdity. Like an exaggerated form of those 19thc heroines throwing themselves at the feet of Love. She waits for, expects, the mystical, the wings of an angel, the whisper of the Saint, to intervene and bring all things to perfection. In a sense she reminds me of those who believe in the influence of “The Universe” on their lives, that if they wish hard enough, the Universe will hear and grant…And, of course, such people are incapable of recognising their meaninglessness, their powerlessness, in the face of the absurdity and unfairness of the world. Such complete and total narcissism is precisely one of the flaws Naturalism seeks to counter - it is by listening to, and facing, others honestly, in all their filth and pain and failure, that we can start to break out of the dream reverberating in our own echo chambers.
And am I wrong to read the ending as ironic, satirical?
As such, what can this novel be but a giant “fuck you” to his critics?
And, if this is correct, we should be careful not to read it as though it were precisely the sort of text it satirises.
Regardless - a quick read, and one that certainly should be left until later in one’s journey through the series.
August 6, 2017
Introduction
Note on the Translation
--The Dream
Note on the Translation
--The Dream
June 24, 2022
[3.5/5]
Un Zola optimista, quién diría que algún día me encontraría con tal sorpresa.
Angélique Marie tiene un sueño: ella desea conocer a un príncipe, joven, atractivo, y rico, casarse con él y vivir el amor ideal que en su mente siempre se ha imaginado. Un sueño del que su madre adoptiva le asegura —casi con toda la seguridad del mundo— que sería imposible hacerlo realidad dada la posición social a la que pertenecen. Con este argumento, un pequeño número de personajes en el que todos juegan un papel importante en la historia, una ambientación precisa y donde se vislumbra la Francia del siglo XIX casi como un retrato, y una historia de amor que te hará creer que lo imposible puede ser posible hasta cierto punto, Zola nos deleita con una novela más en su serie de Les Rougon-Macquart, una obra tardía dentro de la serie y quizá de las menos conocidas y leídas actualmente.
Puedo entender el porqué de que este libro no se edite actualmente en español, si bien existieron ediciones antiguas, y es que la obra se siente como una novela menor o incluso "olvidada" del autor, especialmente cuando se compara frente a sus obras maestras como Germinal o La taberna, lo cual es algo que me pasó y la razón por la que decidí decantarme por las 3.5 estrellas: estoy seguro de que habrá mejores novelas que esta en la serie, pero que tampoco alcanzarán a estar entre las mejores, dejando a El sueño en tal posición.
En general, disfruté mucho con esta historia, que me hizo pasar ratos agradables, y otros que sí que me dejaron a punto del llanto (como es típico con el naturalismo de Zola), y el final, que si bien no fue lo que esperaba dado que es un final no tan Zola, me dejó satisfecho y con ganas de seguir leyendo los libros que completarán la saga.
Una recomendación más, especialmente si quieres conocer la narrativa del autor, antes de aventurarte hacia sus obras mayores, las cuales son un deleite total.
Finalmente, dejo uno de los párrafos que más me encantaron dentro de las citas que marqué, y es que por más que intente buscar al Zola de mis anteriores experiencias, aquí veo uno más puro, más meloso, y que se aleja de ese huracán que destruye todo a su paso:
“Venga conmigo, los caminos están oscuros a estas horas, el coche nos llevará entre las tinieblas; e iremos siempre, siempre, mecidos, dormidos el uno en brazos del otro, como ocultos bajo un plumón, sin temer la frescura de la noche. Cuando despunte el día, seguiremos bajo el sol, siempre, siempre más lejos hasta que lleguemos al país donde se es feliz… Nadie nos conocerá, viviremos ocultos en el fondo de algún extenso jardín sin otra preocupación que la de amarnos más cada nuevo día. Habrá allí flores grandes como árboles, frutas más dulces que la miel. Y viviremos de nada, en medio de esa eterna primavera, viviremos de nuestros besos, alma querida.”
Un Zola optimista, quién diría que algún día me encontraría con tal sorpresa.
Angélique Marie tiene un sueño: ella desea conocer a un príncipe, joven, atractivo, y rico, casarse con él y vivir el amor ideal que en su mente siempre se ha imaginado. Un sueño del que su madre adoptiva le asegura —casi con toda la seguridad del mundo— que sería imposible hacerlo realidad dada la posición social a la que pertenecen. Con este argumento, un pequeño número de personajes en el que todos juegan un papel importante en la historia, una ambientación precisa y donde se vislumbra la Francia del siglo XIX casi como un retrato, y una historia de amor que te hará creer que lo imposible puede ser posible hasta cierto punto, Zola nos deleita con una novela más en su serie de Les Rougon-Macquart, una obra tardía dentro de la serie y quizá de las menos conocidas y leídas actualmente.
Puedo entender el porqué de que este libro no se edite actualmente en español, si bien existieron ediciones antiguas, y es que la obra se siente como una novela menor o incluso "olvidada" del autor, especialmente cuando se compara frente a sus obras maestras como Germinal o La taberna, lo cual es algo que me pasó y la razón por la que decidí decantarme por las 3.5 estrellas: estoy seguro de que habrá mejores novelas que esta en la serie, pero que tampoco alcanzarán a estar entre las mejores, dejando a El sueño en tal posición.
En general, disfruté mucho con esta historia, que me hizo pasar ratos agradables, y otros que sí que me dejaron a punto del llanto (como es típico con el naturalismo de Zola), y el final, que si bien no fue lo que esperaba dado que es un final no tan Zola, me dejó satisfecho y con ganas de seguir leyendo los libros que completarán la saga.
Una recomendación más, especialmente si quieres conocer la narrativa del autor, antes de aventurarte hacia sus obras mayores, las cuales son un deleite total.
Finalmente, dejo uno de los párrafos que más me encantaron dentro de las citas que marqué, y es que por más que intente buscar al Zola de mis anteriores experiencias, aquí veo uno más puro, más meloso, y que se aleja de ese huracán que destruye todo a su paso:
“Venga conmigo, los caminos están oscuros a estas horas, el coche nos llevará entre las tinieblas; e iremos siempre, siempre, mecidos, dormidos el uno en brazos del otro, como ocultos bajo un plumón, sin temer la frescura de la noche. Cuando despunte el día, seguiremos bajo el sol, siempre, siempre más lejos hasta que lleguemos al país donde se es feliz… Nadie nos conocerá, viviremos ocultos en el fondo de algún extenso jardín sin otra preocupación que la de amarnos más cada nuevo día. Habrá allí flores grandes como árboles, frutas más dulces que la miel. Y viviremos de nada, en medio de esa eterna primavera, viviremos de nuestros besos, alma querida.”
November 26, 2024
رویا، شانزدهمین کتاب از مجموعه بیست جلدی روگن ماکاره و داستان دختری یتیم که عاشق مردی اشراف زاده میشه رو روایت میکنه. داستان کتاب در اواخر دوران امپراتوری دوم فرانسه اتفاق میفته اما برعکس بقیه کتاب های مجموعه که در نقد ابعاد مختلف امپراتوری نوشته شده بودن، این کتاب یک حالت رویاگونه داره و هیچ ارتباط مستقیمی با بستر تاریخی دورانش نداره. قلم زولا تو این کتاب از شکل کوبنده معمول خودش فاصله گرفته و فضای کتاب هم بیشتر عاشقانه هست تا واقع گرایانه. زولا تو این کتاب به رونق گرفتن عرفان و ادیان در سال های آخر امپراتوری دوم میپردازه و یه نقد ریزی هم به اختلاف طبقاتی جامعه فرانسه میکنه. انگار زولا میخواسته نشون بده که با وجود ارثی بودن ویژگی های روانی، اگه فرد تو یه خانواده درست و حسابی بزرگ بشه، امکان کم شدن شدت ویژگی های مخرب ارثی وجود داره🤔
بنظرم این رمان ضعیف ترین کار زولائه. داستان خیلی کنده و شخصیت ها کاملا تک بعدی هستن. نثر زولا تو این کتاب شاعرانه هست اما عدم ارتباط تاریخی و اجتماعی با بستر زمانه خودش باعث شده که به گیرایی باقی کتاب های مجموعه نباشه. در کل کتاب بدی نیست اگر دنبال خوندن یک کتاب متفاوت از زولا هستید ولی اون عمق و نقد تند و تیزی که ویژگی اصلی کتاب های زولا هستن رو نداره
بنظرم این رمان ضعیف ترین کار زولائه. داستان خیلی کنده و شخصیت ها کاملا تک بعدی هستن. نثر زولا تو این کتاب شاعرانه هست اما عدم ارتباط تاریخی و اجتماعی با بستر زمانه خودش باعث شده که به گیرایی باقی کتاب های مجموعه نباشه. در کل کتاب بدی نیست اگر دنبال خوندن یک کتاب متفاوت از زولا هستید ولی اون عمق و نقد تند و تیزی که ویژگی اصلی کتاب های زولا هستن رو نداره
November 9, 2025
پشیمانم:)
از اونجایی که به عاشقانه های افق ایمان داشتم گرفتمش و الان برام سواله چرا اینو افق چاپ کرده😭
حرفی ندارم
حرفی نداشت..
از اونجایی که به عاشقانه های افق ایمان داشتم گرفتمش و الان برام سواله چرا اینو افق چاپ کرده😭
حرفی ندارم
حرفی نداشت..
December 18, 2011
Here’s something to warm the cockles this Christmas (what are cockles anyway? do cockles fit in a stocking and are cockles an acceptable present for a nephew?)—a Zola novel with a happy ending! Happy, that is, if you happen to be a pious foundling embroiderer with aspirations to sainthood who wins her Prince Charming after having her heart crushed and submitting to her parents’ pessimistic wishes and God’s will, who is brought back to life two minutes from death by a snog from an archbishop who also happens to be future hubby’s father. I think that qualifies as happy, or indeed a cogent English sentence. I want cockles for Christmas. Please send this starving boy all your cockles!
December 12, 2022
The Dream is one of the lesser known Rougon-Macquart novels and this was the first time I have read it. Set in the town of Beaumont, alongside a medieval cathedral, it reads like a fairytale with miracles and religious passions alongside Zola’s familiar detailed style of describing architecture and embroidery methods. The main character is Angelique who is found on a blizzardy Christmas Day on the church steps. A childless couple, Hubert and Hubertine (whose dead mother has ‘cursed’ them) bring Angelique into their home wedged between buttresses of the cathedral. They are embroiderers and their work is exclusively for the church. Angelique is brought up in this sheltered life and is passionate about saints and becomes an expert embroiderer. Her dream is that a rich man’s son will fall in love with her and take her away!
As usual I enjoyed Zola’s vivid descriptions but even though this is the shortest of the novels in the series it dragged (especially in the second half). I found the strange ending less than satisfying, I kept waiting for some Zola realism to hit! But as the excellent introduction in this edition explains there were reasons why Zola wrote it this way, partly as a reaction to all the critics that accuse him of obscenity, he wanted to write characters with a softer side. The title though, ‘The Dream’, suggests that Zola himself didn’t believe it to be real!
“Listen to what they are saying: that hope endures, even in death. Even in humiliation, love survives, and triumphs… And, finally now, listen! The very air is full of whispering spirits; these are my companions, virgins invisible to the eye, drawing near to us. Listen, listen!”
As usual I enjoyed Zola’s vivid descriptions but even though this is the shortest of the novels in the series it dragged (especially in the second half). I found the strange ending less than satisfying, I kept waiting for some Zola realism to hit! But as the excellent introduction in this edition explains there were reasons why Zola wrote it this way, partly as a reaction to all the critics that accuse him of obscenity, he wanted to write characters with a softer side. The title though, ‘The Dream’, suggests that Zola himself didn’t believe it to be real!
“Listen to what they are saying: that hope endures, even in death. Even in humiliation, love survives, and triumphs… And, finally now, listen! The very air is full of whispering spirits; these are my companions, virgins invisible to the eye, drawing near to us. Listen, listen!”
December 21, 2016
Μια πολύ όμορφη ρομαντική ιστορία. Ότι πρέπει για χαλαρή ανάγνωση τις Χριστουγεννιάτικες μέρες!
August 8, 2022
Dreams are wonderful. We can dream but can they come true?
Angélique is an orphaned girl who is raised by a childless couple, Hubert and Hubertine (I love these names). They are both embroiderers working for the nearby cathedral and so they teach young Angélique their art. And she shows great promise.
Angélique loves the images of saints found in the cathedral, so much so that they inspire her. All of the saints, especially the women saints suffered a great deal and being an orphan, she can identify with them. “Elle voulait garder la sagesse de Catherine, la modestie d'Élisabeth, la chasteté d'Agnès, réconfortée par l'appui des saintes, certaine qu'elles seules l'aideraient à vaincre.” Yes, she dreams a lot.
However, she has a dream to marry a handsome prince and be swept away. In her own words, “Riche comme un roi, beau comme un dieu.” Lofty ambition for a simple trades girl.
Enter the handsome stain glass painter, Félicien. They connect over religious saints and even work on a project for the bishop. Of course, love raises its head and the two…well you know young people are!
Of course, our young Félicien has a secret. He isn’t any old glass painter, he is the son of Monseigneur d'Hautecœur, a nobleman who lost his wife when Félicien was born. Like the Hubert’s, Monseigneur felt he was cursed so he raised his son more humbly.
But as the saying goes, “Si Dieu veut, je veux.” She sure can.
Émile Zola weaves this short novel through young love, religious fervour, beliefs and curses to quite an operatic-like ending. Bravo!
To understand where this falls into the Rougon-Macquart novels, Angélique is the great grand daughter of Adelaïde Fouque (Tante Dide). The references are slim and this almost feels like a separate reprieve from the epic tales.
Hmm, dream like one might say.
Angélique is an orphaned girl who is raised by a childless couple, Hubert and Hubertine (I love these names). They are both embroiderers working for the nearby cathedral and so they teach young Angélique their art. And she shows great promise.
Angélique loves the images of saints found in the cathedral, so much so that they inspire her. All of the saints, especially the women saints suffered a great deal and being an orphan, she can identify with them. “Elle voulait garder la sagesse de Catherine, la modestie d'Élisabeth, la chasteté d'Agnès, réconfortée par l'appui des saintes, certaine qu'elles seules l'aideraient à vaincre.” Yes, she dreams a lot.
However, she has a dream to marry a handsome prince and be swept away. In her own words, “Riche comme un roi, beau comme un dieu.” Lofty ambition for a simple trades girl.
Enter the handsome stain glass painter, Félicien. They connect over religious saints and even work on a project for the bishop. Of course, love raises its head and the two…well you know young people are!
Of course, our young Félicien has a secret. He isn’t any old glass painter, he is the son of Monseigneur d'Hautecœur, a nobleman who lost his wife when Félicien was born. Like the Hubert’s, Monseigneur felt he was cursed so he raised his son more humbly.
But as the saying goes, “Si Dieu veut, je veux.” She sure can.
Émile Zola weaves this short novel through young love, religious fervour, beliefs and curses to quite an operatic-like ending. Bravo!
To understand where this falls into the Rougon-Macquart novels, Angélique is the great grand daughter of Adelaïde Fouque (Tante Dide). The references are slim and this almost feels like a separate reprieve from the epic tales.
Hmm, dream like one might say.
October 27, 2025
Questo romanzo pubblicato da Emile Zola nel 1888 e inserito nel grandioso ciclo Rougon-Maquart presenta ambientazione, personaggi e trama del tutto estranei a quei contesti che ho imparato ad apprezzare e lodare negli ultimi anni:
quello che troviamo in questo romanzo infatti è uno Zola dalla scrittura dimessa e lontano dai suoi abituali temi sociali che invece di raccontare rivolte di masse popolari e ardite imprese di arrivisti si adagia nella storia edificante di un’orfanella che, adottata da due pii sposi senza figli, impara da loro la vita semplice e laboriosa, la dedizione alla religione, l’amore per tutte le creature bisognose di aiuto e di sostegno non solo materiale; ma nella vita della giovanissima Angelique dalla bellezza virginea e dai puri lineamenti irrompe l’amore per Félicien e allora sarà una lotta impari quella che porta alla felicità.
Un romanzo che non posso dire mi abbia del tutto deluso ma certamente uno Zola irriconoscibile sia nelle forme che nei contenuti.
quello che troviamo in questo romanzo infatti è uno Zola dalla scrittura dimessa e lontano dai suoi abituali temi sociali che invece di raccontare rivolte di masse popolari e ardite imprese di arrivisti si adagia nella storia edificante di un’orfanella che, adottata da due pii sposi senza figli, impara da loro la vita semplice e laboriosa, la dedizione alla religione, l’amore per tutte le creature bisognose di aiuto e di sostegno non solo materiale; ma nella vita della giovanissima Angelique dalla bellezza virginea e dai puri lineamenti irrompe l’amore per Félicien e allora sarà una lotta impari quella che porta alla felicità.
Un romanzo che non posso dire mi abbia del tutto deluso ma certamente uno Zola irriconoscibile sia nelle forme che nei contenuti.
April 7, 2023
Following a ponderous start, this short novel builds to a crescendo. It is the story of a simple, abandoned girl, Angélique, who is taken in by a childless couple of master embroiderers who live in the shadow of a great cathedral. She lives a simple life, becomes entranced with an ancient book of saints and has a dream of enduring, perfect love. With Angélique, Zola creates an allegorical tale of St. Agnes, who vowed to God to maintain her purity. She seeks chaste love and finds it with the aristocratic Félicien. Their love, however, faces many obstacles of heredity, social class mores and religion. In many ways, the conclusion reminds me of a Catholic version of Isaac Bashevis Singer's stories of love.
The Dream is chronologically the 16th of the 20 novels of the Rougon-Macquart cycle but the 5th in the recommended reading order suggested by Zola. It is very much a departure of the tenor of the other novels, but worth reading for those who are interested in stories about pious love and religious devotion.
The Dream is chronologically the 16th of the 20 novels of the Rougon-Macquart cycle but the 5th in the recommended reading order suggested by Zola. It is very much a departure of the tenor of the other novels, but worth reading for those who are interested in stories about pious love and religious devotion.
September 20, 2020
In odor di santità...
« Livre à mettre entre toutes les mains.
Pureté parfaite, dans la forme élancée.
Psychologie, lutte du milieu et de l’éducation contre l’hérédité.
L’envolée, l’au-delà, l’inconnu, le rêve.
La vie telle qu’elle n’est pas, tous bons, honnêtes, heureux. »
Questo era il piano con cui E. Zola si accingeva a scrivere “Il sogno” (1888), sedicesimo romanzo, in ordine di pubblicazione, del ciclo de I Rougon- Maquart ma quinto se si vuole seguire la storia sulla sua traccia temporale.
Chi legge questi romanzi del Ciclo non può non cogliere il progetto naturalista di Zola perché è chiaramente esplicitato. Ciò non toglie però che il metodo realista una volta messa la penna nelle mani giuste ha la forza di rendere vivi gli spazi materiali e i caratteri dei personaggi che si muovono sulla scena.
Questa, a mio avviso, rimane la potenza di Zola.
Un romanzo che, tuttavia, ho letto come un'appendice.
” Sentiva ruggire nel fondo di sé il demone del male ereditario: cosa sarebbe diventata se fosse rimasta nel suo terreno natale? Certamente una ragazza perduta; invece cresceva in quell’angolo benedetto, in uno stato di salute sempre rinnovata a ogni stagione. Non era forse grazia quell’atmosfera creata dai racconti che sapeva a memoria, dalla fede che vi aveva bevuto, dal mistico aldilà in cui si immergeva, quell’atmosfera dell’invisibile in cui il miracolo sembrava accompagnare naturalmente la sua vita di ogni giorno?
Questa atmosfera che la armava per la battaglia della vita come la grazia aveva armato i martiri, era lei stessa a crearla, inconsciamente: nasceva dalla sua immaginazione infiammata di favole e dai desideri inconsapevoli dell’adolescenza; veniva dilatata da tutto ciò che ella ignorava, era evocata dall’ignoto che era in lei e nelle cose. Tutto veniva da lei e a lei tornava; l’uomo creava Dio per salvare l’uomo: non esisteva che il sogno.”
« Livre à mettre entre toutes les mains.
Pureté parfaite, dans la forme élancée.
Psychologie, lutte du milieu et de l’éducation contre l’hérédité.
L’envolée, l’au-delà, l’inconnu, le rêve.
La vie telle qu’elle n’est pas, tous bons, honnêtes, heureux. »
Questo era il piano con cui E. Zola si accingeva a scrivere “Il sogno” (1888), sedicesimo romanzo, in ordine di pubblicazione, del ciclo de I Rougon- Maquart ma quinto se si vuole seguire la storia sulla sua traccia temporale.
Chi legge questi romanzi del Ciclo non può non cogliere il progetto naturalista di Zola perché è chiaramente esplicitato. Ciò non toglie però che il metodo realista una volta messa la penna nelle mani giuste ha la forza di rendere vivi gli spazi materiali e i caratteri dei personaggi che si muovono sulla scena.
Questa, a mio avviso, rimane la potenza di Zola.
Un romanzo che, tuttavia, ho letto come un'appendice.
” Sentiva ruggire nel fondo di sé il demone del male ereditario: cosa sarebbe diventata se fosse rimasta nel suo terreno natale? Certamente una ragazza perduta; invece cresceva in quell’angolo benedetto, in uno stato di salute sempre rinnovata a ogni stagione. Non era forse grazia quell’atmosfera creata dai racconti che sapeva a memoria, dalla fede che vi aveva bevuto, dal mistico aldilà in cui si immergeva, quell’atmosfera dell’invisibile in cui il miracolo sembrava accompagnare naturalmente la sua vita di ogni giorno?
Questa atmosfera che la armava per la battaglia della vita come la grazia aveva armato i martiri, era lei stessa a crearla, inconsciamente: nasceva dalla sua immaginazione infiammata di favole e dai desideri inconsapevoli dell’adolescenza; veniva dilatata da tutto ciò che ella ignorava, era evocata dall’ignoto che era in lei e nelle cose. Tutto veniva da lei e a lei tornava; l’uomo creava Dio per salvare l’uomo: non esisteva che il sogno.”
August 27, 2024
like the fairy tales.the story of the orphan Angélique.and her dream to be saved by a handsome prince and to live happily ever after....
the end was very sad....
the end was very sad....
June 27, 2020
Come mi succede con altri scrittori che amo, avrei voluto che Zola vivesse in eterno. Non solo attraverso le sue opere.
February 6, 2024
mon premier Zola de terminé et j'ai adoré.
February 4, 2021
The author gives us something very different in this book of the cycle as instead of the bad side of human nature he focuses on the exact opposite. His heroine represents absolute goodness and purity, she is an ethereal creature who does not seem to belong to this world that has surrendered to its passions. Although she is the daughter of the well-known family, her upbringing in a loving environment, guided by Christian principles, has eradicated any bad tendencies she may have inherited. Of course, this upbringing kept her away from the realities of the world, making her live in a wonderful world, full of divine interventions, virgin saints and religious images, a world in which she enjoys living, despite its limitations, as it offers her morals and spiritual satisfaction. This world is disturbed by love, offering her the passion she lacked, a passion that judging by the experience of her immediate relatives does not foretell good things. Even this passion, however, can not lead her out of the path of virtue and innocence to which she has dedicated her life.
Through this story and through many metaphors the author gives us this contrast between the imaginary world of the heroine and the harsh reality. The living Christian world may be limited and perhaps largely built on imagination but it can offer stability and a sense of purpose through its absolute certainties that are opposed to the chaos of modern life. The author shows understanding, pointing out the exaggerations but at the same time, he does not remain unmoved in front of this beauty, something that lures him into a wonderful sentimentality that gives this story a sense of a romantic fairy tale. The same lured me as a reader, moved me as I wandered through these wonderful pages, full of literary beauty but also deeper meanings. A really beautiful book.
Κάτι πολύ διαφορετικό μας δίνει ο συγγραφέας σε αυτό το βιβλίο του κύκλου καθώς αντί για την κακή πλευρά της ανθρώπινης φύσης επικεντρώνεται στο ακριβώς αντίθετο. Η ηρωίδα του εκπροσωπεί την απόλυτη καλοσύνη και την αγνότητα, είναι ένα αιθέριο πλάσμα δεν φαίνεται να ανήκει σε αυτόν τον κόσμο που έχει παραδοθεί στα πάθη του. Αν και είναι κόρη της γνωστής οικογένειας, η ανατροφή της σε ένα περιβάλλον γεμάτο αγάπη, καθοδηγούμενο από τις χριστιανικές αρχές, έχει εξαφανίσει οποιαδήποτε κακή τάση που θα μπορούσε να έχει κληρονομήσει. Βέβαια αυτή η ανατροφή την κράτησε μακριά από τις πραγματικότητες του κόσμου, κάνοντας την να ζει σε έναν θαυμαστό κόσμο, γεμάτο θεϊκές παρεμβάσεις, παρθένες αγίες και θρησκευτικές εικόνες, έναν κόσμο στον οποίο χαίρεται να ζει, παρά τους περιορισμούς του, καθώς της προσφέρει ηθική και πνευματική ικανοποίηση. Αυτόν τον κόσμο έρχεται να αναστατώσει ο έρωτας, προσφέροντάς της το πάθος που της έλειπε, ένα πάθος που κρίνοντας από την εμπειρία των αμέσων συγγενών της δεν προμηνύει καλά πράγματα. Ακόμα και αυτό το πάθος, όμως, δεν μπορεί να τη βγάλει από το δρόμο της αρετής και της αθωότητας στον οποίο έχει αφιερώσει τη ζωή της.
Μέσα από αυτή την ιστορία και μέσα από πολλές μεταφορές ο συγγραφέας μας δίνει αυτή την αντίθεση μεταξύ του ιδεατού κόσμου της ηρωίδας και της σκληρής πραγματικότητας. Ο χριστιανικός κόσμος που ζει μπορεί να είναι περιορισμένος και ίσως χτισμένος σε μεγάλο βαθμό πάνω στη φαντασία αλλά μπορεί να προσφέρει σταθερότητα και μία αίσθηση σκοπού μέσα από τις απόλυτες βεβαιότητες του που έρχονται φυσικά σε αντίθεση με το χάος της σύγχρονης ζωής. Ο συγγραφέας δείχνει κατανόηση, επισημαίνοντας τις υπερβολές αλλά την ίδια στιγμή δεν μένει ασυγκίνητος μπροστά σε αυτήν την ομορφιά, κάτι που τον παρασέρνει σε έναν υπέροχο συναισθηματισμό που δίνει σε αυτή την ιστορία μία αίσθηση ρομαντικού παραμυθιού. Το ίδιο παρέσυρε και εμένα ως αναγνώστη κάνοντας με να συγκινηθώ καθώς περιπλανώμουν σε αυτές τις υπέροχες σελίδες, τις γεμάτες λογοτεχνική ομορφιά αλλά και βαθύτερα νοήματα. Ένα πραγματικά πολύ όμορφο βιβλίο.
Through this story and through many metaphors the author gives us this contrast between the imaginary world of the heroine and the harsh reality. The living Christian world may be limited and perhaps largely built on imagination but it can offer stability and a sense of purpose through its absolute certainties that are opposed to the chaos of modern life. The author shows understanding, pointing out the exaggerations but at the same time, he does not remain unmoved in front of this beauty, something that lures him into a wonderful sentimentality that gives this story a sense of a romantic fairy tale. The same lured me as a reader, moved me as I wandered through these wonderful pages, full of literary beauty but also deeper meanings. A really beautiful book.
Κάτι πολύ διαφορετικό μας δίνει ο συγγραφέας σε αυτό το βιβλίο του κύκλου καθώς αντί για την κακή πλευρά της ανθρώπινης φύσης επικεντρώνεται στο ακριβώς αντίθετο. Η ηρωίδα του εκπροσωπεί την απόλυτη καλοσύνη και την αγνότητα, είναι ένα αιθέριο πλάσμα δεν φαίνεται να ανήκει σε αυτόν τον κόσμο που έχει παραδοθεί στα πάθη του. Αν και είναι κόρη της γνωστής οικογένειας, η ανατροφή της σε ένα περιβάλλον γεμάτο αγάπη, καθοδηγούμενο από τις χριστιανικές αρχές, έχει εξαφανίσει οποιαδήποτε κακή τάση που θα μπορούσε να έχει κληρονομήσει. Βέβαια αυτή η ανατροφή την κράτησε μακριά από τις πραγματικότητες του κόσμου, κάνοντας την να ζει σε έναν θαυμαστό κόσμο, γεμάτο θεϊκές παρεμβάσεις, παρθένες αγίες και θρησκευτικές εικόνες, έναν κόσμο στον οποίο χαίρεται να ζει, παρά τους περιορισμούς του, καθώς της προσφέρει ηθική και πνευματική ικανοποίηση. Αυτόν τον κόσμο έρχεται να αναστατώσει ο έρωτας, προσφέροντάς της το πάθος που της έλειπε, ένα πάθος που κρίνοντας από την εμπειρία των αμέσων συγγενών της δεν προμηνύει καλά πράγματα. Ακόμα και αυτό το πάθος, όμως, δεν μπορεί να τη βγάλει από το δρόμο της αρετής και της αθωότητας στον οποίο έχει αφιερώσει τη ζωή της.
Μέσα από αυτή την ιστορία και μέσα από πολλές μεταφορές ο συγγραφέας μας δίνει αυτή την αντίθεση μεταξύ του ιδεατού κόσμου της ηρωίδας και της σκληρής πραγματικότητας. Ο χριστιανικός κόσμος που ζει μπορεί να είναι περιορισμένος και ίσως χτισμένος σε μεγάλο βαθμό πάνω στη φαντασία αλλά μπορεί να προσφέρει σταθερότητα και μία αίσθηση σκοπού μέσα από τις απόλυτες βεβαιότητες του που έρχονται φυσικά σε αντίθεση με το χάος της σύγχρονης ζωής. Ο συγγραφέας δείχνει κατανόηση, επισημαίνοντας τις υπερβολές αλλά την ίδια στιγμή δεν μένει ασυγκίνητος μπροστά σε αυτήν την ομορφιά, κάτι που τον παρασέρνει σε έναν υπέροχο συναισθηματισμό που δίνει σε αυτή την ιστορία μία αίσθηση ρομαντικού παραμυθιού. Το ίδιο παρέσυρε και εμένα ως αναγνώστη κάνοντας με να συγκινηθώ καθώς περιπλανώμουν σε αυτές τις υπέροχες σελίδες, τις γεμάτες λογοτεχνική ομορφιά αλλά και βαθύτερα νοήματα. Ένα πραγματικά πολύ όμορφο βιβλίο.
October 23, 2013
I pretty much hated this from the beginning. If I had not decided to read the entire series, skipping nary a one, I probably would have set this aside fairly early.
Zola presents us with the history of the miracles of any number of saints. Angelique, the central character of The Dream, is a believer. I am not a believer, so mostly I just rolled my eyes. Then Zola presents us with the history of the d'Hautecoeur family from about the 12th Century. I don't know if this was a real or fictitious family, but it was neither the Rougon nor the Macquart and I didn't care. More eye rolling. I guess I got good eye exercise, but I don't think that's the part of my body that needs it.
I did learn a bit about embroidery and that was fairly interesting. Sigh. On to the next one.
Zola presents us with the history of the miracles of any number of saints. Angelique, the central character of The Dream, is a believer. I am not a believer, so mostly I just rolled my eyes. Then Zola presents us with the history of the d'Hautecoeur family from about the 12th Century. I don't know if this was a real or fictitious family, but it was neither the Rougon nor the Macquart and I didn't care. More eye rolling. I guess I got good eye exercise, but I don't think that's the part of my body that needs it.
I did learn a bit about embroidery and that was fairly interesting. Sigh. On to the next one.
November 21, 2020
این دیگه چه کتابی بود بابا! ۹۰ درصد کتاب که توصیف قدیس های مسیحی و پارچه های زربافت بود و بقیه ش هم یه داستان آبکی با یه پایان مسخره
حیف از ایییییین همه وقتی که برای این کتاب کسل کننده گذاشتم
حیف از ایییییین همه وقتی که برای این کتاب کسل کننده گذاشتم
May 23, 2022
In seguito alle aspre critiche piovute dopo la pubblicazione del romanzo La terra, nel 1888 Émile Zola decide di cimentarsi in un nuovo romanzo, il cui fulcro principale ha poco a che fare con i soliti temi da lui trattati nei suoi libri precedenti. Con questo romanzo l'autore francese ha voluto in qualche modo togliersi l'etichetta di scrittore interessato soltanto a temi sociali, crudi e scomodi, e dimostrare ai suoi detrattori che anche lui è capace di scrivere una storia sentimentale, che narra un amore puro e casto in quel periodo molto in voga oltralpe.
Il romanzo si apre durante una notte di Natale, fredda e nevosa in un paese della Piccardia, per la precisione a Beaumont, piccolissimo paese del nord della Francia. Nel portone della chiesa scorgiamo una bambina di circa otto anni, che cerca riparo in questa notte gelida. La piccola si chiama Angélique che, dopo essere fuggita dalla famiglia adottiva, ha vagato senza meta per le strade francesi fino a trovare riparo nella porta della cattedrale di Beaumont. Mentre è lì sola che cerca di scaldarsi e ripararsi dal vento gelido, viene scorta dai coniugi Hubert e Hubertine, una coppia di tessitori e ricamatori di paramenti sacri da generazioni, senza figli, che abita in una casa addossata alla cattedrale. I coniugi decidono di aiutarla e pochi giorni dopo aver scoperto che è sola al mondo decidono di adottarla. Tutto quello che possiede la piccola è un libro di poche pagine in cui ci sono scritte le sue scarne generalità. All'inizio Angélique è diffidente, scontrosa, spaventata ma col tempo, la bambina instaura un rapporto di fiducia con i due coniugi; passano alcuni anni e la bambina cresce in un ambiente famigliare sereno, fatto di cose semplici e di amore divenendo un'abile ricamatrice anche lei.
Al momento della sua pubblicazione questo romanzo non ebbe il successo sperato; e sicuramente è inferiore agli altri romanzi del ciclo che ho letto finora.
Il sottotitolo della mia edizione recita: “fiaba d'amore all'ombra della cattedrale”, frase che secondo me riassume benissimo in una sola frase la vicenda descritta da Zola (che somiglia molto ad una fiaba); una storia dolce, dall'atmosfera onirica e la meno brutale del ciclo.
Il sogno, quindi, appartiene al ciclo Rougon Macquart anche se si discosta parecchio dai romanzi che lo precedono. Ciò che lo collega al ciclo e viene subito all'occhio è il fatto che la giovane protagonista è la figlia naturale, abbandonata ancora in fasce, di uno dei personaggi del suddetto ciclo. Secondo me, però, questo non è l'unico collegamento con il famoso ciclo, poiché Angélique, la protagonista assoluta del romanzo, è segnata anche lei dall'eredità familiare: soggetta a sbalzi d'umore improvvisi, è orgogliosa, passionale, violenta e ambiziosa, spesso scontrosa e irascibile. Queste sue inclinazioni naturali ereditate dalla madre biologica vengono però mitigate dall'educazione, dalla dolcezza e dalla fermezza della madre adottiva. La giovane Angélique (mai nome fu così adatto ad un personaggio) cresce lontano dal mondo esterno ed oltre all'arte del ricamo, impara a leggere e scrivere quel tanto che le basta per leggere il libro sulla vita dei santi, “La legenda aurea” di Jacopo da Varazze. Questo libro (l'unico che abbia mai letto) la colpisce profondamente e come dice lo stesso autore “la ispirava, la rallegrava, la esaltava, in esso trovava conforto e speranza” a tal punto da desiderare di voler vivere la sua vita proprio come quella delle sante martiri: belle, caste, pure, sapienti, combattive, la cui esistenza è fatta di tormenti, tentazioni, di fede inattaccabile ed espiazioni. Oltre a questo sogno religioso Angélique ne ha un 'altro, più materiale e comune a quasi tutte le adolescenti, ed è quello di trovare il grande amore con un principe azzurro e la ricchezza, sogno, che in questo caso, si realizzerà nelle fattezze del ricco Félicien. Il rapporto tra i due è fatto di sguardi, piccoli gesti, rossori. La loro è una tenera storia d'amore ma la fervente religiosità di Angélique condiziona la sua vita quel tanto che basta ad annientare le sue passioni sentimentali; nel suo rapporto con Félicien ella è tormentata dai sensi di colpa per voler trarre profitto dalla ricchezza di lui, e trascurare così il suo sogno religioso.
Il titolo del romanzo, quindi, allude a due sogni che nutre la protagonista.
Il sogno è un romanzo scritto in maniera raffinata e peculiare, dal ritmo scorrevole e l'atmosfera soave. É uno Zola un po' anomalo nei temi (quello amoroso, religioso e utopistico) ma il suo stile affascinante lo ritroviamo e lo riconosciamo facilmente. Uno stile fatto di intensità narrativa, scrupolose documentazioni, descrizioni minuziose (dell'architettura della cattedrale o del ricamo) e ricostruzioni dettagliate (ad esempio di attività artigianali o lavorative come il bucato) che si stagliano davanti agli occhi del lettore come degli affreschi. In questo romanzo Zola dimostra che sa descrivere anche una storia d'amore, ma soprattutto l'innamoramento di due giovani anime pure; per me questo romanzo non è altro che un'ulteriore conferma di questa sua dote, di cui ne avevo già avuto una prova nella descrizione della storia d'amore tra Silvere e Miette ne La fortuna dei Rougon.
Il sogno è un romanzo piacevole, certo un po' appesantito nella prima parte dalle lunghe digressioni sui santi, ma la seconda parte, invece, è coinvolgente con le belle e trascinanti descrizioni della rigogliosa natura primaverile, che sembra un personaggio principale anch'esso e non fa solo da sfondo alla vicenda. I personaggi del libro sono pochi ma tutti ben delineati: Angélique e Félicien sono un po' troppo impalpabili, a tratti irrealistici e mancano di quella profondità che, invece, hanno la madre di lei, Hubertine, e il padre di lui, il Vescovo, i due personaggi più disincantati del romanzo.
Come sempre nei romanzi dell'autore francese non manca la critica alla società e ad alcuni suoi aspetti. Man mano che si procede nella lettura è sempre meno velata, anzi, diviene sempre più forte la critica dell'autore nei confronti della religione e delle credenze popolari (intese come sistema di regole da seguire); credenze capaci di modellare le menti delle persone, annichilirle in uno stato di sofferenza, acquiescenza e prostrazione davanti a Dio e finendo solo per condizionare la propria vita magari in attesa di un miracolo.
Un romanzo, La rêve, che dimostra che se uno scrittore sa davvero scrivere lo fa anche quando esce dal seminato dimostrando così tutta la sua bravura e di essere uno scrittore con la S maiuscola come, infatti, lo è Zola.
Il suo bisogno della grazia la riportava all'umiltà, alla sola speranza dell'aiuto dell'invisibile; ella allora non agiva più, lasciava agire le forze misteriose, diffuse intorno a lei.
Il romanzo si apre durante una notte di Natale, fredda e nevosa in un paese della Piccardia, per la precisione a Beaumont, piccolissimo paese del nord della Francia. Nel portone della chiesa scorgiamo una bambina di circa otto anni, che cerca riparo in questa notte gelida. La piccola si chiama Angélique che, dopo essere fuggita dalla famiglia adottiva, ha vagato senza meta per le strade francesi fino a trovare riparo nella porta della cattedrale di Beaumont. Mentre è lì sola che cerca di scaldarsi e ripararsi dal vento gelido, viene scorta dai coniugi Hubert e Hubertine, una coppia di tessitori e ricamatori di paramenti sacri da generazioni, senza figli, che abita in una casa addossata alla cattedrale. I coniugi decidono di aiutarla e pochi giorni dopo aver scoperto che è sola al mondo decidono di adottarla. Tutto quello che possiede la piccola è un libro di poche pagine in cui ci sono scritte le sue scarne generalità. All'inizio Angélique è diffidente, scontrosa, spaventata ma col tempo, la bambina instaura un rapporto di fiducia con i due coniugi; passano alcuni anni e la bambina cresce in un ambiente famigliare sereno, fatto di cose semplici e di amore divenendo un'abile ricamatrice anche lei.
Al momento della sua pubblicazione questo romanzo non ebbe il successo sperato; e sicuramente è inferiore agli altri romanzi del ciclo che ho letto finora.
Il sottotitolo della mia edizione recita: “fiaba d'amore all'ombra della cattedrale”, frase che secondo me riassume benissimo in una sola frase la vicenda descritta da Zola (che somiglia molto ad una fiaba); una storia dolce, dall'atmosfera onirica e la meno brutale del ciclo.
Il sogno, quindi, appartiene al ciclo Rougon Macquart anche se si discosta parecchio dai romanzi che lo precedono. Ciò che lo collega al ciclo e viene subito all'occhio è il fatto che la giovane protagonista è la figlia naturale, abbandonata ancora in fasce, di uno dei personaggi del suddetto ciclo. Secondo me, però, questo non è l'unico collegamento con il famoso ciclo, poiché Angélique, la protagonista assoluta del romanzo, è segnata anche lei dall'eredità familiare: soggetta a sbalzi d'umore improvvisi, è orgogliosa, passionale, violenta e ambiziosa, spesso scontrosa e irascibile. Queste sue inclinazioni naturali ereditate dalla madre biologica vengono però mitigate dall'educazione, dalla dolcezza e dalla fermezza della madre adottiva. La giovane Angélique (mai nome fu così adatto ad un personaggio) cresce lontano dal mondo esterno ed oltre all'arte del ricamo, impara a leggere e scrivere quel tanto che le basta per leggere il libro sulla vita dei santi, “La legenda aurea” di Jacopo da Varazze. Questo libro (l'unico che abbia mai letto) la colpisce profondamente e come dice lo stesso autore “la ispirava, la rallegrava, la esaltava, in esso trovava conforto e speranza” a tal punto da desiderare di voler vivere la sua vita proprio come quella delle sante martiri: belle, caste, pure, sapienti, combattive, la cui esistenza è fatta di tormenti, tentazioni, di fede inattaccabile ed espiazioni. Oltre a questo sogno religioso Angélique ne ha un 'altro, più materiale e comune a quasi tutte le adolescenti, ed è quello di trovare il grande amore con un principe azzurro e la ricchezza, sogno, che in questo caso, si realizzerà nelle fattezze del ricco Félicien. Il rapporto tra i due è fatto di sguardi, piccoli gesti, rossori. La loro è una tenera storia d'amore ma la fervente religiosità di Angélique condiziona la sua vita quel tanto che basta ad annientare le sue passioni sentimentali; nel suo rapporto con Félicien ella è tormentata dai sensi di colpa per voler trarre profitto dalla ricchezza di lui, e trascurare così il suo sogno religioso.
Il titolo del romanzo, quindi, allude a due sogni che nutre la protagonista.
Il sogno è un romanzo scritto in maniera raffinata e peculiare, dal ritmo scorrevole e l'atmosfera soave. É uno Zola un po' anomalo nei temi (quello amoroso, religioso e utopistico) ma il suo stile affascinante lo ritroviamo e lo riconosciamo facilmente. Uno stile fatto di intensità narrativa, scrupolose documentazioni, descrizioni minuziose (dell'architettura della cattedrale o del ricamo) e ricostruzioni dettagliate (ad esempio di attività artigianali o lavorative come il bucato) che si stagliano davanti agli occhi del lettore come degli affreschi. In questo romanzo Zola dimostra che sa descrivere anche una storia d'amore, ma soprattutto l'innamoramento di due giovani anime pure; per me questo romanzo non è altro che un'ulteriore conferma di questa sua dote, di cui ne avevo già avuto una prova nella descrizione della storia d'amore tra Silvere e Miette ne La fortuna dei Rougon.
Il sogno è un romanzo piacevole, certo un po' appesantito nella prima parte dalle lunghe digressioni sui santi, ma la seconda parte, invece, è coinvolgente con le belle e trascinanti descrizioni della rigogliosa natura primaverile, che sembra un personaggio principale anch'esso e non fa solo da sfondo alla vicenda. I personaggi del libro sono pochi ma tutti ben delineati: Angélique e Félicien sono un po' troppo impalpabili, a tratti irrealistici e mancano di quella profondità che, invece, hanno la madre di lei, Hubertine, e il padre di lui, il Vescovo, i due personaggi più disincantati del romanzo.
Come sempre nei romanzi dell'autore francese non manca la critica alla società e ad alcuni suoi aspetti. Man mano che si procede nella lettura è sempre meno velata, anzi, diviene sempre più forte la critica dell'autore nei confronti della religione e delle credenze popolari (intese come sistema di regole da seguire); credenze capaci di modellare le menti delle persone, annichilirle in uno stato di sofferenza, acquiescenza e prostrazione davanti a Dio e finendo solo per condizionare la propria vita magari in attesa di un miracolo.
Un romanzo, La rêve, che dimostra che se uno scrittore sa davvero scrivere lo fa anche quando esce dal seminato dimostrando così tutta la sua bravura e di essere uno scrittore con la S maiuscola come, infatti, lo è Zola.
Il suo bisogno della grazia la riportava all'umiltà, alla sola speranza dell'aiuto dell'invisibile; ella allora non agiva più, lasciava agire le forze misteriose, diffuse intorno a lei.
January 26, 2014
An author worthy of his renommée. Emile Zola is one the pioneers in nineteenth century French literature, having written the classical series called Les Rougon-Macquart that portrays heredity and its inescapable weight on the descendants of the notorious family of The Rougon-Macquart.
Reproached of not giving the divine and the metaphysical a place in his series of novels, Zola wrote Le Rêve about mystification and the supernatural. This book tells the story of a beautiful, chaste and pious young girl called Angélique, her name reflecting her cherubic nature, who is abandoned by her mother, Sidonie Rougon and is adopted by a poor couple of embroiderers, les Hubert. The heavy hereditary impact on Angelique was visible, she was impulsive, mutinous and passionate but her rapturous whims and enraged revolts were always attenuated by her spiritual attachment and her religious devotion.
The narrative reaches its climax when Angelique has to choose between love, passion and, irrevocably, vice on the one hand and obedience and virtue on the other hand, but her pious and stern education finally thwarts her inveterate capricious and inflamed character.
Beautifully-written fiction, satisfies your appetite for an angelic tale of love and all its complications in an epoch when social disparities stood in the way of youthful infatuation. Unlike what is said about Zola, his descriptions aren't tedious and his style isn't hard to keep up with, quite on the contrary, he is endowed with one of the best writing skills I've seen.
Reproached of not giving the divine and the metaphysical a place in his series of novels, Zola wrote Le Rêve about mystification and the supernatural. This book tells the story of a beautiful, chaste and pious young girl called Angélique, her name reflecting her cherubic nature, who is abandoned by her mother, Sidonie Rougon and is adopted by a poor couple of embroiderers, les Hubert. The heavy hereditary impact on Angelique was visible, she was impulsive, mutinous and passionate but her rapturous whims and enraged revolts were always attenuated by her spiritual attachment and her religious devotion.
The narrative reaches its climax when Angelique has to choose between love, passion and, irrevocably, vice on the one hand and obedience and virtue on the other hand, but her pious and stern education finally thwarts her inveterate capricious and inflamed character.
Beautifully-written fiction, satisfies your appetite for an angelic tale of love and all its complications in an epoch when social disparities stood in the way of youthful infatuation. Unlike what is said about Zola, his descriptions aren't tedious and his style isn't hard to keep up with, quite on the contrary, he is endowed with one of the best writing skills I've seen.
January 27, 2020
J'ai toujours eu l'impression qu'une oeuvre reflète l'état de son auteur, et en lisant Le Rêve, j'ai imaginé Emile ayant un excès de zèle, écrivant avec ardeur chaque ligne de ce bouquin, ressentant chaque sentiment qu'il faisait subir Angélique.
Tout va bien, tu commences à lire et tout va bien, et c'est exactement ce qui t'inquiète, car avec Zola, tu trouves presque toujours quelque chose qui ne va pas bien. Et tu continues à lire, tu te laisse prendre dans ce monde angélique d'Angélique, tu vis avec elle ses secousses d'adolescente, sa ferveur, son amour pour ses fils et ses aiguilles. Et puis, vient Félicien, tout comme elle l'imaginait, bien qu'il n'ai pas un prince, il est le fils de Monseigneur, riche, et fou d'amour pour Angélique.
Mais Angélique n'était pas destiné pour vivre joyeuse, elle avait le destin des saintes qu'elle aimait tant, fascinée par leurs histoires.
Angélique a aimé à en mourir.
Tout va bien, tu commences à lire et tout va bien, et c'est exactement ce qui t'inquiète, car avec Zola, tu trouves presque toujours quelque chose qui ne va pas bien. Et tu continues à lire, tu te laisse prendre dans ce monde angélique d'Angélique, tu vis avec elle ses secousses d'adolescente, sa ferveur, son amour pour ses fils et ses aiguilles. Et puis, vient Félicien, tout comme elle l'imaginait, bien qu'il n'ai pas un prince, il est le fils de Monseigneur, riche, et fou d'amour pour Angélique.
Mais Angélique n'était pas destiné pour vivre joyeuse, elle avait le destin des saintes qu'elle aimait tant, fascinée par leurs histoires.
Angélique a aimé à en mourir.
May 6, 2019
Quite different to Zola’s other novels in the Rougon Macquart. Not really an enjoyable read!
October 4, 2024
The story takes place in Val-d'Oise, in a city called Beaumont-sur-Oise (Zola was largely inspired by Cambrai to describe this city). Beaumont-sur-Oise's description is accurate, with the old upper town and the more modern lower town. The city is accessible via the Gare du Nord. The heroine is Angélique Rougon, daughter of Sidonie Rougon and unknown father (born fifteen months after the death of her mother's husband). From birth she was placed by the midwife in Public Assistance, then entrusted to a nanny in Nièvre, a florist and, finally, to the Rabiers, a family of tanners who mistreat her. One Christmas night, she decides to flee the Rabiers and is taken by a couple of embroiderers, Hubert, who discovered her frozen, leaning against a pillar of Beaumont Cathedral. This very pious family (they embroider for clothes and ecclesiastical ornaments) lives in a small house facing the cathedral. Angélique, who became Hubert's pupil, shows a lot of dedication and a taste for embroidery. At the same time, she reads and discovers the Golden Legend, a book that will change her teenage life. She identifies with the martyrs, dreams of having the same glorious destiny as them, looking out the window at the apparition that will change her life.
This apparition finally arrives in the form of a charming young man, Félicien, a glass painter that she identifies with São Jorge descended from its stained glass. Love is born in them, but their families are opposed to marriage: on the one hand, Hubertine Hubert, their adoptive mother, who married despite her mother's ban and believes she was punished for not being able to have children, does not want a marriage dictated by passion; the same goes for Félicien's father, Monsignor d'Hautecœur, who received orders after his wife's death and became a bishop. Finally, seeing that Angelica is slowly consumed by this prohibition, the two families consent to the marriage.
Here we can find passages or even characters from fairy tales. The fairy tale flourished in the 17th century, notably with Charles Perrault, who wrote several short stories such as Cinderella and Donkey Skin.
A short story is written in a dream setting with few easily identifiable characters: good or bad. Take Cinderella's story as an example. The young woman is the main character, she is "graceful" while the stepmother is "cruel".
In the novel, we can make a connection with Andersen's tale: The Little Matchmaker. The latter tells the story of a poor young woman sleeping in front of a church and trying to sell boxes of matches to earn a minimum of money. But at the end of each day she sold only one packet of matches. Shivering with cold and hunger, she then wandered from street to street. The beginning of this novel is the same.
The rest of this theme is based on the popular expression of the fairy tale and not on the genre in the first sense.
Zola also addresses the theme of religion, but in a much less violent and controversial way than in previous novels. This time, he is interested in the popular faith and the revival of mysticism in French society in the second half of the 19th century.
This apparition finally arrives in the form of a charming young man, Félicien, a glass painter that she identifies with São Jorge descended from its stained glass. Love is born in them, but their families are opposed to marriage: on the one hand, Hubertine Hubert, their adoptive mother, who married despite her mother's ban and believes she was punished for not being able to have children, does not want a marriage dictated by passion; the same goes for Félicien's father, Monsignor d'Hautecœur, who received orders after his wife's death and became a bishop. Finally, seeing that Angelica is slowly consumed by this prohibition, the two families consent to the marriage.
Here we can find passages or even characters from fairy tales. The fairy tale flourished in the 17th century, notably with Charles Perrault, who wrote several short stories such as Cinderella and Donkey Skin.
A short story is written in a dream setting with few easily identifiable characters: good or bad. Take Cinderella's story as an example. The young woman is the main character, she is "graceful" while the stepmother is "cruel".
In the novel, we can make a connection with Andersen's tale: The Little Matchmaker. The latter tells the story of a poor young woman sleeping in front of a church and trying to sell boxes of matches to earn a minimum of money. But at the end of each day she sold only one packet of matches. Shivering with cold and hunger, she then wandered from street to street. The beginning of this novel is the same.
The rest of this theme is based on the popular expression of the fairy tale and not on the genre in the first sense.
Zola also addresses the theme of religion, but in a much less violent and controversial way than in previous novels. This time, he is interested in the popular faith and the revival of mysticism in French society in the second half of the 19th century.
April 9, 2024
Disclaimer parce que ça me fait mal au cœur d'écrire cette critique : j'adore Zola. Et je sais aussi que c'est un génie et qu'il sait faire bien bien mieux.
J'ai pas du tout aimé cette lecture, la seule chose que j'ai aimé (et ça, ça bouge pas), c'est l'écriture de Zola, toujours aussi ciselée, limpide et divine. Mais ça s'arrête là, et je me suis même surprise à expédier la fin du texte, tant je roulais des yeux d'agacement.
Emile s'essaie donc au romantisme, dans une incursion baroque très éloignée de ses autres textes de la saga des Rougon-Macquart. Ça se lamente sur les pavées d'église, ça sanglote pour un amour impossible qui n'en est pas un, ça geint sur les tombes, ça se fait saigner les mains de dévotion et ça pousse le pathétisme dans des recoins insoupçonnés du ridicule.
Je n'ai jamais été cliente du romantisme, donc le baroque et les excès sentimentaux et éplorations successives du Rêve ne m'ont jamais semblé crédibles : tout est improbable et kitsch, avec des pointes de rococo dans les dernières pages que j'ai trouvées détestables.
Je lis Zola pour son naturalisme, ici il y en a très peu : les quelques descriptions que j'affectionne se concentrent sur le métier de brodeuse, mais même ces évocations m'ont assez peu intéressé tant les termes (inconnus) n'évoquaient rien pour moi. J'ai à peine pu m'accrocher à ces descriptions pour avoir un peu de chair me rendant l'histoire et les personnages tangibles.
Angélique, fanatique dévote azimutée à la Légende Dorée, vit un rêve creux et vain de princesse Disney. Si j'ai aimé les évocations religieuses de La faute de l'abbé Mouret, mâtinées de panthéisme païen, ici on verse dans le fanatisme religieux où tous les archétypes de la Légende Dorée (autre grand passage de description qui nous prépare au karcher l'intrigue et sa résolution) se succèdent. On voit Zola arriver avec ses énormes sabots (jolis, néanmoins, les sabots) pour nous broder une parabole indigeste. Tout le monde est chiant et creux, Angélique rejoint la litanie des Saintes que ne connaissent que les religieuses béates. Vraiment, l'ennui. Si encore Zola se moquait d'elle !
Il est vrai que si vous aimez les contes et le cucul des histoires de prince charmant, vous serez servi : ajoutez y une plume délectable, et votre lecture se finira en apothéose ! A choisir le rêve et les illusions d'une femme, je préfère ceux d'Emma Bovary.
J'ai pas du tout aimé cette lecture, la seule chose que j'ai aimé (et ça, ça bouge pas), c'est l'écriture de Zola, toujours aussi ciselée, limpide et divine. Mais ça s'arrête là, et je me suis même surprise à expédier la fin du texte, tant je roulais des yeux d'agacement.
Emile s'essaie donc au romantisme, dans une incursion baroque très éloignée de ses autres textes de la saga des Rougon-Macquart. Ça se lamente sur les pavées d'église, ça sanglote pour un amour impossible qui n'en est pas un, ça geint sur les tombes, ça se fait saigner les mains de dévotion et ça pousse le pathétisme dans des recoins insoupçonnés du ridicule.
Je n'ai jamais été cliente du romantisme, donc le baroque et les excès sentimentaux et éplorations successives du Rêve ne m'ont jamais semblé crédibles : tout est improbable et kitsch, avec des pointes de rococo dans les dernières pages que j'ai trouvées détestables.
Je lis Zola pour son naturalisme, ici il y en a très peu : les quelques descriptions que j'affectionne se concentrent sur le métier de brodeuse, mais même ces évocations m'ont assez peu intéressé tant les termes (inconnus) n'évoquaient rien pour moi. J'ai à peine pu m'accrocher à ces descriptions pour avoir un peu de chair me rendant l'histoire et les personnages tangibles.
Angélique, fanatique dévote azimutée à la Légende Dorée, vit un rêve creux et vain de princesse Disney. Si j'ai aimé les évocations religieuses de La faute de l'abbé Mouret, mâtinées de panthéisme païen, ici on verse dans le fanatisme religieux où tous les archétypes de la Légende Dorée (autre grand passage de description qui nous prépare au karcher l'intrigue et sa résolution) se succèdent. On voit Zola arriver avec ses énormes sabots (jolis, néanmoins, les sabots) pour nous broder une parabole indigeste. Tout le monde est chiant et creux, Angélique rejoint la litanie des Saintes que ne connaissent que les religieuses béates. Vraiment, l'ennui. Si encore Zola se moquait d'elle !
Il est vrai que si vous aimez les contes et le cucul des histoires de prince charmant, vous serez servi : ajoutez y une plume délectable, et votre lecture se finira en apothéose ! A choisir le rêve et les illusions d'une femme, je préfère ceux d'Emma Bovary.
March 10, 2025
Une atmosphère mystique et médiévale habite ce 16ème volume des Rougon-Macquart
Le moyen âge: l’époque des princesses, des chevaliers mais aussi l’apogée du christianisme
L’existence d’Angélique n’est qu’une vaste illusion, elle se réfugie dans les légendes, la religion ou encore l’amour pour vivre son rêve.
Une critique de la religion à l’image de la Faute de l’abbé Mouret mais cette fois ci moins directe, c’est toute en subtilité que Zola nous fais comprendre la chimère du bonheur dans la foi "l’homme créait Dieu pour sauver l’homme"
L’idéal d’Angélique mène à la dégénérescence, cette vierge aussi blanche que la pureté essaye tout de même d’échapper à ce bonheur trop grand pour être vrai mais ses songes la rattrape…
Un mélange des héroïnes les plus emblématiques; la princesse de Clèves, Eugénie Grandet ou encore Madame Bovary qui mène peut être à l’abondance d’un cliché féminin nauséabond, même si cette condition est apitoyée par Zola.
Avec ce conte de fée Zola nous propose une vision presque fatale du bonheur à l’image de la peau de chagrin; au moment où la félicité doit se conclure pour toujours elle cache deja la mort derrière son enchantement.
Le moyen âge: l’époque des princesses, des chevaliers mais aussi l’apogée du christianisme
L’existence d’Angélique n’est qu’une vaste illusion, elle se réfugie dans les légendes, la religion ou encore l’amour pour vivre son rêve.
Une critique de la religion à l’image de la Faute de l’abbé Mouret mais cette fois ci moins directe, c’est toute en subtilité que Zola nous fais comprendre la chimère du bonheur dans la foi "l’homme créait Dieu pour sauver l’homme"
L’idéal d’Angélique mène à la dégénérescence, cette vierge aussi blanche que la pureté essaye tout de même d’échapper à ce bonheur trop grand pour être vrai mais ses songes la rattrape…
Un mélange des héroïnes les plus emblématiques; la princesse de Clèves, Eugénie Grandet ou encore Madame Bovary qui mène peut être à l’abondance d’un cliché féminin nauséabond, même si cette condition est apitoyée par Zola.
Avec ce conte de fée Zola nous propose une vision presque fatale du bonheur à l’image de la peau de chagrin; au moment où la félicité doit se conclure pour toujours elle cache deja la mort derrière son enchantement.
August 17, 2022
The Dream marks a stark departure from the naturalism the Rougon-Macquart cycle is known for, and is instead a story of innocent love, composed in a Romantic mode and culminating in rather fantastical scenes. Miracles, martys, and embroidery in and around a cathedral with a strong medieval atmosphere. Angélique is almost too disconnected from the characters of the other novels, and I sort of wish Zola had tied it a tad more into the web of the R-M cycle, at least fleshing out the story of the mother who appears in The Kill and Money. Nonetheless, it is a charming little novel, and a part of its appeal lies precisely in its unique position among the other novels.
December 19, 2021
sonu hatrıma düştükçe kahrolur, dahası sinirlenirim.
O zaman Felicien söz dinledi, çekildi. Seviliyordu, bu isteklerinden de fazla bir şeydi. Ama, pencerenin önüne varınca döndü, genç kıza bir kere daha uzun uzun baktı; sanki ondan, beraberinde bir şey götürmek istiyordu. Şafak aydınlığına gömülü, bakışlarının bu sürekli okşayışı içinde birbirlerine gülümsüyorlardı.
Felicien, son bir defa daha:
— Sizi seviyorum, dedi. Angelique, aynı sözle karşılık verdi.
— Sizi seviyorum.
kitabın güncel bir baskısının olmaması da başka bir tartışma konusu.
O zaman Felicien söz dinledi, çekildi. Seviliyordu, bu isteklerinden de fazla bir şeydi. Ama, pencerenin önüne varınca döndü, genç kıza bir kere daha uzun uzun baktı; sanki ondan, beraberinde bir şey götürmek istiyordu. Şafak aydınlığına gömülü, bakışlarının bu sürekli okşayışı içinde birbirlerine gülümsüyorlardı.
Felicien, son bir defa daha:
— Sizi seviyorum, dedi. Angelique, aynı sözle karşılık verdi.
— Sizi seviyorum.
kitabın güncel bir baskısının olmaması da başka bir tartışma konusu.
September 7, 2017
Zola reste Zola. C'est bien écrit. Mais... POURQUOI cette histoire? Pourquoi?
J'avoue être perplexe!
J'avoue être perplexe!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews