![]() ![]() Zola channeled his considerable intellect and literary talent into a tale of how brutal poverty pushes a ragged group of miners to struggle against both the intransigent greed of their bosses and the ruthless ferocity of their greatest ally, the state. When Étienne Lantier arrives in the fictional town of Montsou in search of a job, he does not expect to come face to face with a microcosm of the capitalist system that rules the French countryside. The opening section to one of the most enduring novels in the French literary tradition is not a particularly cheery one. … Maybe it’s not the Emperor’s own fault but why does he need to go off to fight in America? Not to mention the cattle that’s dying of cholera, like everyone else.” It’s a crying shame round here, people laid off, workshops closing down, one after the other. You should’ve seen ‘em three or four years ago, thundering away, they couldn’t find enough workmen, never was so much money about … but now we’ve got to tighten our belts again. “Oh, there are plenty of factories, all right. The old man coughed up some phlegm and then spoke up loudly against the wind: ![]() ![]() “Are there any factories in Montsou?” the young man asked. ![]()
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