Nana Paperback - 2006

From the publisher

&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LI&&RNana&&L/I&&R, by &&LSTRONG&&REmile Zola&&L/B&&R&&L/B&&R, is part of the &&LI&&R&&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R &&L/I&&Rseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics&&L/I&&R: &&LDIV&&R

• New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars
Biographies of the authors
• Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events
Footnotes and endnotes
• Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work
Comments by other famous authors
• Study questions to challenge the readers viewpoints and expectations
Bibliographies for further reading
• Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate

All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. &&LI&&RBarnes & Noble Classics &&L/I&&Rpulls together a constellation of influences--biographical, historical, and literary--to enrich each readers understanding of these enduring works.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&ROne of the founders of literary naturalism, &&LSTRONG&&Rmile Zola&&L/B&&R thought of his novels as a form of scientific research into the effects of heredity and environment. He created characters, gave them richly detailed histories, and placed them in carefully observed, precisely described environments, and his readers watch as they wriggle and thrash toward their inevitable destinies.&&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&RIn &&LI&&RNana&&L/I&&R, the characters are a prostitute, who rises from the streets to become what Zola calls a "high-class cocotte," and the men--and women--whom she loves, betrays, and destroys. Among the novel's many ironies is the mutual envy felt by Nana and those around her. She yearns for their material possessions, while they admire her apparent independence and sexual self-confidence. And despite the chaos Nana causes, Zola imagines her as being essentially "good-natured," a stupid, vain but beautiful creature who can't help drawing people into her web.&&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&RNot surprisingly, Nana's portrait of a decadent world in which a prostitute amasses great wealth and power provoked protests from "polite society," and it became one of Zola's most controversial works. Today it is regarded as his masterpiece. &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R &&L/P&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LSTRONG&&RLuc Sante&&L/B&&R&&L/B&&R is the author of &&LI&&RLow Life, Evidence, and The Factory of Facts&&L/I&&R and coeditor, with Melissa Holbrook Pierson, of &&LI&&RO.K. You Mugs: Writers on Movie Actors&&L/I&&R.&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&R