The Conquest of Plassans
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Author Description
'abbé Faujas Has Arrived!' The Arrival Of Abbé Faujas In The Provincial Town Of Plassans Has Profound Consequences For The Community, And For The Family Of François Mouret In Particular. Faujas And His Mother Come To Lodge With François, His Wife Marthe, And Their Three Children, And Marthe Quickly Falls Under The Influence Of The Priest. Ambitious And Unscrupulous, Faujas Gradually Infiltrates Into All Quarters Of The Town, Intent On Political As Well As Religious Conquest. Intrigue, Slander, And Insinuation Tear The Townsfolk Apart, Creating Suspicion And Distrust, And Driving The Mourets To Ever More Extreme Actions. The Fourth Novel In Zola's Rougon-macquart Sequence, The Conquest Of Plassans Returns To The Fictional Provençal Town From Which The Family Sprang In The Fortune Of The Rougons. In One Of The Most Psychological Of His Novels, Zola Links Small-town Politics To The Greater Political And National Dramas Of The Second Empire. 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.
Menrva's Summary
THE PULSE
The arrival of the ambitious Abbé Faujas in the provincial town of Plassans initiates a calculated campaign of social and political manipulation that destabilizes the Mouret family. François Mouret and his wife, Marthe, find their domestic stability eroded as Faujas embeds himself within their household and the wider community. Driven by a desire for power, the priest utilizes psychological influence and strategic alliances to exert control over the town's social hierarchy. The narrative follows the gradual disintegration of the Mouret family unit as they are caught in the crossfire of Faujas's political maneuvering and religious influence.
INSIDE THE PAGES
- Detailed exploration of provincial social dynamics in the Second Empire
- Psychological character study of religious and political ambition
- Third-person omniscient narrative perspective
- Focus on the intersection of private domestic life and public political machinations
- Gradual escalation of tension through insinuation and slander
- Examination of the influence of the clergy on local governance
- Integration of the Rougon-Macquart family history
- Atmospheric depiction of the fictional town of Plassans
THE COLLECTIVE ECHO
Readers and critics frequently highlight the clinical precision with which Zola dissects the moral decay of a small town under the influence of a single manipulative figure. Discussion often centers on the effectiveness of the psychological tension, as the narrative shifts from domestic drama to a broader critique of Second Empire politics. Many observers note that the pacing is deliberate, allowing the reader to witness the slow, systematic destruction of the Mouret family's social standing. The work is often praised for its ability to link intimate family dynamics to the larger national climate of the era. Readers frequently emphasize the stark realism and the lack of sentimentality in Zola's portrayal of human ambition.
Page Count:
336
Publication Date:
2014-01-01
Publisher:
Oup Oxford
ISBN-10:
019164188X
ISBN-13:
9780191641886
Historical Fiction
Political fiction
Realism
Classic Literature
French literature
