Melissa Stacy’s Reviews > Émile Zola: A Very Short Introduction > Status Update

The ninth novel in Zola's Rougon-Macquart series, "Nana," is a book all about slut-shaming. A prostitute named Nana, infused with the corruption of "rampant female sexuality," is depicted as being solely responsible for the entire downfall of French society.

Definitely won't be reading that one.

F*cking patriarchy.

A very good book, and dense enough that I read the first 58 pages twice before continuing on.

As to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870: wow, what a shitshow. I have never studied that war before, especially in regards to the revolutionary Commune in Paris that was brutally suppressed by the monarchists/royalists/Versailles government. Over 25,000 Parisians were killed by government troops when they retook the city.

Very interesting read.

I doubt I will ever read Zola's novel, "The Belly of Paris." But it was fascinating to read about it.

I skipped to the chapter on Zola's novel, "Germinal," next. But I'll go back and read the chapters I skipped over afterwards.