Émile Zola

Did possessing and killing amount to the same thing deep within the dark recesses of the human beast? La Bete humaine (1890), is one of Zola's most violent and explicit works. On one level a tale of murder, passion and possession, it is also a compassionate study of individuals derailed by atavistic forces beyond their control. Zola considered this his `most finely worked' novel, and in it he powerfully evokes life at the end of the Second Empire in France, where society seemed to be hurtling into the future like the new locomotives and railways it was building. While expressing the hope that human nature evolves through education and gradually frees itself of the burden of inherited evil, he is constantly reminding us that under the veneer of technological progress there remains, always, the beast within. This new translation captures Zola's fast-paced yet deliberately dispassionate style, while the introduction and detailed notes place the novel in its social, historical, and literary context. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

La Bête humaine

La Bete Humaine

jude

à quoi bon aimer, puisqu'il tuerait tout ce qu'il aimerait?

l'aimait-il donc, était-ce donc celle-là qu’il pourrait aimer, comme on aime d'amour, sans un monstrueux désir de destruction ? 

Et ça passait, ça passait, mécanique, triomphal, allant à l'avenir avec une rectitude mathématique, dans l'ignorance volontaire de ce qu'il restait de l'homme, aux deux bords, caché et toujours vivace, l'éternelle passion et l'éternel crime. 

Dès qu’elle semblait se dissiper un peu, elle revenait aussitôt, comme l'ivresse, par grandes ondes redoublées, qui l'emportaient dans leur vertige. Il ne se possédait plus, battait le vide, jeté à toutes les sautes du vent de violence dont il était flagellé, retombant à l'unique besoin d'apaiser la bête hur- lante au fond de lui. C'était un besoin physique, immédiat, comme une faim de vengeance, qui lui tordait le corps et qui ne lui laisserait plus aucun repos, tant qu’il ne l’aurait pas satisfaite.

Elle jeta un cri, et tout se brisait en elle, tout se livrait. L'ignorante qu'elle était restée, dans sa douceur passive, ne pouvait qu'obéir. Instrument d'amour, instrument de mort. 

 et elle restait là, les semaines, les mois, sur cette chaise, dans cette solitude, à sentir son corps s'en aller un peu plus, d'heure en heure. 

Rowena Wiseman

I've been giving away a lot of 5 stars lately (usually I'm pretty stingy with my fives) - but this book is phenomenal. I don't know why there isn't an English edition listed here on Goodreads - because I would have thought everyone would have been reading this book! Well they should ... It's about a natural born killer trying to suppress his urges. It takes us deep into the human psyche and explores what makes good people evil.

If you're like me, and can't read French, its title is 'The Beast in Man' ...

Un grand roman naturaliste de Zola, suivi d'une anthologie sur la figure du criminel. Édition annotée, avec un dossier pour les lycéens. Le roman de Zola. Dans ce 17e roman du cycle des Rougon-Macquart, le personnage principal est le couple formé par Jacques Lantier, un mécanicien, et le Lison, sa locomotive. Mais Jacques est la proie d'incontrôlables pulsions meurtrières... Un grand roman naturaliste qui tient à la fois du récit documentaire, du thriller et de l'oeuvre engagée.... suivi d'une anthologie sur la figure du criminelLe regard que les écrivains portent sur la figure, à la fois fascinante et inquiétante, du criminel a beaucoup évolué au cours des siècles. L'anthologie qui figure dans le volume invite à analyser cette évolution, à travers la représentation de criminels célèbres, tels qu'Odipe, Julien Sorel, L'étranger ou encore Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. Avec un dossier critiqueComprenant toutes les ressources utiles au lycéen pour étudier l'oeuvre : des repères historiques et biographiques ; des fiches sur les prinicipaux axes de lecture de l'oeuvre ; deux groupements de textes thématiques ; des documents iconographiques en couleurs et des lectures d'images ; des sujets de type bac pour l'écrit et pour l'oral. En accès gratuit pour les enseignants, il propose une séquence de cours sur l'oeuvre et les corrigés des sujets de type bac.

Et autres textes sur la figure du criminel

Joshua Line

Ethel

An captivating story with passion, murder, and obsession

Key words: French literature, Fiction, historical fiction, crime, thriller

Emile Zola is one of the major authors in France and one of the best-known practitioners of the literary school of naturalism. But don’t you worry, there is not an awful lot of description, just a necessary amount. He lived in Paris in the 19th century. His major work is the Rougon-Macquart series which is composed of twenty books and which tells the story of a typical French family during the Second French Empire. It takes place on three generations. Each book can be read as standalones but you will understand the personalities better if you follow the order. Zola always experienced his story/characters in a way.

The Beast Within is showing the third generation of the Rougon-Macquart. It is talks about the justice as well as about the railway world. Most of the story takes place either on a train or near the tracks. While writing this book, Emile Zola actually lived above a railway station. This dark novel was really good and interesting, making you reflect on the human condition and on what push someone to commit a crime. I enjoyed reading it a lot and even more since it was a buddy-read. 
It is quite a complex book but it was not difficult to read. There are so many crimes in this book, and most interestingly, Zola links it to the sexual tension between two persons. I think what I liked the most in this book was the personification of the train, the Lison. It makes the reader feel things towards the train, it is not just a machine anymore. I think you can interpret the title in two way: it could either be about the train becoming human in a way or about Jacques, the human, becoming a beast. I think the characters are very well developed from the beginning and through the book, you can sense what is going to happen. The story is very engaging; it deals with the frailty of human beings and with the dark side that hides (or not) somewhere in our minds. Even though Jacques is depicted as the most horrible character, every one of them expressed their dark side at one point of the story, showing the beast within them.

I would highly recommend this book. There is passion, obsession, and murder, everything to captivate you. 

4.5/5

One of Zola's most violent works, this novel is on one level a tale of murder and possession, and on another a compassionate study of individuals derailed by atavistic forces beyond their control. It evokes life at the end of the Second Empire in France, and a society hurtling towards the future.

La Bête Humaine

Will Vunderink

Morgane

Marisa Petri

Benjamin Oertel

Mutter

Safiya 

Andrea Ordoñez 

Natalie Stenson

Alexia

Emile Zola

" C'était le galop tout droit, la bête qui fonçait la tête basse et muette, parmi les obstacles. Elle roulait, roulait sans fin, comme affolée de plus en plus par le bruit strident de son haleine. "

La Bête humaine

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