《Germinal 》作者：- Emile Zola【EPUB】

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Germinal by Emile Zola 1885 Translated and Introduced by Havelock Ellis Introduction By Havelock Ellis GERMINAL was published in 1885 after occupying Zola during the previous year. In accordancewith his usual custom--but to a greater extent than with any other of his books except LaDéb??cle--he accumulated material beforehand. For six months he travelled about the coal-miningdistrict in northern France and Belgium especially the Borinage around Mons note-book inhand. He was inquisitive was that gentleman miner told Sherard who visited theneighbourhood at a later period and found that the miners in every village knew Germinal. Thatwas a tribute of admiration the book deserved but it was never one of Zolas most popularnovels it was neither amusing enough nor outrageous enough to attract the multitude. Yet Germinal occupies a place among Zolas works which is constantly becoming more assured sothat to some critics it even begins to seem the only book of his that in the end may survive.In his own time as we know the accredited critics of the day could find no condemnationsevere enough for Zola. Brunetière attacked him perpetually with a fury that seemedinexhaustible Schérer could not even bear to hear his name mentioned Anatole France thoughhe lived to relent thought it would have been better if he had never been born. Even at thattime however there were critics who inclined to view Germinal more favourably. Thus Faguetwho was the recognized academic critic of the end of the last century while he held thatposterity would be unable to understand how Zola could ever have been popular yet recognizedhim as in Germinal the heroic representative of democracy incomparable in his power ofdescribing crowds and he realized how marvellous is the conclusion of this book. To-day when critics view Zola In the main with indifference rather than with horror althoughhe still retains his popular favour the distinction of Germinal is yet more clearlyrecognized. Seillière while regarding the capitalistic conditions presented as now of anancient and almost extinct type yet sees Germinal standing out as the poem of socialmysticism while André Gide a completely modern critic who has left a deep mark on thepresent generation observes somewhere that it may nowadays cause surprise that he should referwith admiraton to Germinal but it is a masterly book that fills him with astonishment he canhardly believe that it