The Soil La Terre: A Realistic Novel

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'Only the earth is immortal...the earth we love enough to commit murder for her.' This novel, the fifteenth in the Rougon-Macquart series, is celebrated as one of Zola's greatest works, alongside Germinal and L'Assommoir. Set in a Beauce village in northern France, it portrays the brutal realities of peasant life and their deep connection to the land. Jean Macquart, a veteran of Solferino and a wandering farm laborer, becomes entangled with the Fouan family while courting young Francoise. He finds himself in a fierce conflict over the property of Papa Fouan as the old man divides his land among his three children. What begins as familial tension escalates into greed and violence, illustrating a Darwinian struggle for dominance. Zola's raw portrayal of the savagery inherent in peasant life shocked contemporary readers and sparked criticism of Naturalism's literary approach. This new translation successfully conveys the novel's mix of brutality and lyricism, capturing the relentless cycles of the natural world. For over a century, Oxford World's Classics has provided a diverse range of literature, ensuring accurate texts and valuable features such as expert introductions, clarifying notes, and updated bibliographies for further exploration.