The Fortune of the Rougons
The Fortune of the Rougons (French: La Fortune des Rougon), originally published in 1871, is the first novel in Émile Zola's monumental twenty-volume series Les Rougon-Macquart. In his introduction Zola indicates that this series is intended to demonstrate the interaction of heredity and environment along the lines of natural selection and evolution. While Zola's metascience is questionable, this novel is successful in its analysis of the interaction of momentous social and political events and the everyday lives and aspirations of a provincial society. In a satisfyingly intricate, vast and integrated plot, set in the time of Napoleon III's coup d'etat and establishment of the Second Empire, the fates and fortunes of the disparate descendents of one Provencal family are traced in detail. The novel ranges from idyll to cynical observation of base motives, and ends in a way that anticipates its many sequels. Summary by the soloist.
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Language: English
Group: Les Rougon-Macquart
| Section | Chapter | Reader | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Play 00 | Introduction and Author's Preface | Peter Tucker |
00:15:23 |
| Play 01 | Chapter 1, Part 1 | Peter Tucker |
00:35:30 |
| Play 02 | Chapter 1, Part 2 | Peter Tucker |
00:39:04 |
| Play 03 | Chapter 2, Part 1 | Peter Tucker |
00:48:31 |
| Play 04 | Chapter 2, Part 2 | Peter Tucker |
00:45:58 |
| Play 05 | Chapter 3, Part 1 | Peter Tucker |
00:46:09 |
| Play 06 | Chapter 3, Part 2 | Peter Tucker |
00:56:16 |
| Play 07 | Chapter 4, Part 1 | Peter Tucker |
00:54:43 |
| Play 08 | Chapter 4, Part 2 | Peter Tucker |
01:07:09 |
| Play 09 | Chapter 5, Part 1 | Peter Tucker |
01:00:11 |
| Play 10 | Chapter 5, Part 2 | Peter Tucker |
00:41:44 |
| Play 11 | Chapter 5, Part 3 | Peter Tucker |
00:41:57 |
| Play 12 | Chapter 6, Part 1 | Peter Tucker |
01:02:12 |
| Play 13 | Chapter 6, Part 2 | Peter Tucker |
01:03:27 |
| Play 14 | Chapter 6, Part 3 | Peter Tucker |
01:01:47 |
| Play 15 | Chapter 7 | Peter Tucker |
00:54:06 |