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Reviewed by:
  • Re-Reading Zola and Worldwide Naturalism: Miscellanies in Honour of Anna Gural-Migdal, ed. Carolyn Snipes-Hoyt, Marie-Sophie Armstrong, and Riikka Rossi
  • Susie Hennessy (bio)
Re-Reading Zola and Worldwide Naturalism: Miscellanies in Honour of Anna Gural-Migdal, edited by Carolyn Snipes-Hoyt, Marie-Sophie Armstrong, and Riikka Rossi. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013. vii + 434 pp. Cloth, $92.99.

This ambitious collection of essays (twenty-nine in all, in both French and English) addresses naturalism as a French literary movement, considering its evolution in Zola’s hands and its repercussions in other countries and other media, past and present. The table of contents includes some very eminent Zola scholars, a testament to the integrity of the studies contained within. The range of topics (divided into six sections) reminds the reader that naturalism indeed reaches worldwide, reflecting the representational practices [End Page 96] that resulted from scientific and industrial advances. Nor can naturalism be restricted to Zola’s conception or his “project.” Rather, naturalism can be seen as a response to changes in society that led people to think in new ways. This volume, which is by no means a definitive exploration of naturalism, emphasizes the diverse perspectives that have grown out of Zola’s work and that continue to influence writers today.

The first section, “The Zolian Project and Legacy,” examines the fundamental notions of Zola’s naturalist esthetics, tracing their development in Les Rougon-Macquart as well as in his art criticism and journalism. Alain Pagès takes up the author’s application of the scientific thought that would align Zola’s work with sociology. Rather than following the principles of the canon, Zola posits the experimental approach and develops the strict methodology for which he remains well-known. Pagès describes the groundbreaking approach of Zola and the groupe de Médan, citing their originality and their drive to break down barriers of tradition in order to develop new literary forms. Another topic addressed in this section is the body as a driving force in Zola’s art criticism and in his novels: “La contemplation de la peinture et la lecture du roman doivent recourir au souvenir où la sensation visuelle vécue constitue sans cesse une énergie impérissable dans l’esprit du spectateur et du lecteur.” Zola’s writing creates images that stay with the reader, all the while offering insight to the author’s outlook on humanity.

The following two sections, “The Naturalist Text as Document” and “Representational Techniques in The Rougon-Macquart,” ponder the documentary-style research conducted by Zola and its integration with the fictional constructs he designed. One author contends that Zola’s fiction could be considered historical writing and that some novels could be used as “touristico-historical” guidebooks. Conversely, Andrea Gogröf points out the moralizer in Zola when he writes of the bourgeois elite bringing about its own downfall in La Curée. As geographically or historically accurate as his novels may be, the choices Zola makes in plot development and character creation work in concert with his research, ultimately disclosing the author’s world view.

“Lesser-Known Naturalist Writers” features studies of three of Zola’s contemporaries, although not necessarily among his circle of disciples. Here, Marie-Sophie Armstrong examines the parallel careers of Zola and Marius Roux, comparing their distinctive approach in applying naturalist techniques to their writing. While Roux practiced a somewhat rigid, reportorial style, Zola fleshed out his descriptions, adding the “regardeur voyeur” perspective that makes his novels so engaging. Despite their stylistic [End Page 97] and perhaps literary differences, it seems that Zola may have borrowed ideas from Roux for his Rougon-Macquart series.

Jean Anderson brings up issues of interiority and exteriority as they apply to masculine and feminine approaches to naturalism. Anderson suggests that the writing of Alice Fleury Durand (a.k.a. Henry Gréville) is based on the same documentary-style reality for which Zola is known, even though she did not fully integrate determinism into her novels and often took a less neutral position in explaining the fate of her characters.

The authors featured in this section necessarily suggest a much broader view of naturalism, demonstrating...

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