Nana by Émile Zola (1880)

Name: Nana
Author: Émile Zola

Émile Zola's Nana opens on a first night at the Théâtres des Variétés, where the manager Bordenave is launching his new star, Nana, in a mythological burlesque called The Blonde Venus. In the crowd, journalist Fauchery, his cousin Hector de la Faloise, the theater impresario Bordenave, the banker Steiner, the theatrical couple Rose and Auguste Mignon, courtesans Lucy Stewart, Blanche de Sivry, Caroline Hequet, and the aristocratic Count Muffat de Beuville, his wife Countess Sabine, and her father the Marquis de Chouard all gather amid gossip about the mysterious new actress. Though Nana proves to have little singing or acting talent, her physical presence—and especially her appearance nude as Venus in the final act—electrifies the entire house, seducing every man present, from the young schoolboy Georges Hugon to Steiner to Count Muffat, who watches with unexpected, disturbing arousal. The next morning reveals Nana's precarious real life: she lives in a half-furnished flat paid for by a departed Russian lover, is besieged by creditors, and depends on her lady's maid Zoé and her aunt, Mme Lerat, who is raising Nana's small illegitimate son, Louiset, in the country. Nana juggles several men—a stingy tradesman ("the old miser"), a Walachian count ("the nigger"), and her genuine favorite, the impoverished dandy Daguenet—while a procuress, Mme Tricon, arranges paid encounters. The Marquis de Chouard and Count Muffat call under cover of charity collection, both visibly stirred by her; the naive Georges Hugon sneaks in with a bouquet; and Steiner besieges her with attention. Nana, weary of being pursued, escapes with her friend Labordette. The scene shifts to the rigid, devout household of the Muffats, where Countess Sabine hosts a Tuesday salon of aristocrats and bourgeois notables, including old family friend Mme Hugon and her sons Georges and Philippe. Amid decorous conversation about music, religion, and European royalty, Vandeuvres, Fauchery, and Steiner quietly organize a late supper at Nana's, recruiting guests under their breath so as not to offend propriety. Fauchery, invited to relay a supper invitation to Muffat himself, watches the count and notices an odd private resemblance between the icy, pious countess and Nana. Muffat, prompted by the sinister confessor-like family friend Théophile Venot, coldly refuses the invitation. That night, Nana hosts a chaotic, overcrowded champagne supper catered by an outside restaurant, attended by actresses, courtesans, journalists, aristocrats, and an unidentified wealthy old gentleman. Bordenave presides jovially despite a sprained foot; guests trade stories about their children, lovers, and finances; rivalries surface between Rose Mignon and Nana over both Fauchery and Steiner; and drunkenness escalates through the night. Nana, hurt that Muffat did not come, flies into a jealous rage before being calmed by Vandeuvres, who hints Muffat is too devout to be easily won and urges her not to let Steiner slip away. By dawn, amid card games, spilled champagne, and drunken debauchery, Nana settles on Steiner as her new protector, tenderly reassures Daguenet that she still loves him, and heads off with Steiner and Blanche to drink milk in the Bois de Boulogne. The narrative then jumps to backstage at the Variétés during a later performance of the Blonde Venus, where actors Simonne, Prullière, Bosc, and Fontan gather in the greenroom awaiting a prince's visit, and the text breaks off as Fontan enters in costume.

By Émile Zola · First published 1880 · Genre: Literary Fiction, Naturalism, Drama · 14 chapters · 204,008 words

First lines

At nine o'clock in the evening the body of the house at the Theatres des Variétés was still all but empty. A few individuals, it is true, were sitting quietly waiting in the balcony and stalls, but these were lost, as it were, among the ranges of seats whose coverings of cardinal velvet loomed in the subdued light of the dimly burning luster. A shadow enveloped the great red splash of the curtain, and not a sound came from the stage, the unlit footlights, the scattered desks of the orchestra. It was only high overhead in the third gallery, round the domed ceiling where nude females and children flew in heavens which had turned green in the gaslight, that calls and laughter were audible above a continuous hubbub of voices, and heads in women's and workmen's caps were ranged, row above row, under the wide-vaulted bays with their gilt-surrounding adornments.

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Nana is listed on Textopian as a novel by Émile Zola, dated 1880 CE.

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Work type: Novel
Author: Émile Zola
Date: 1880 CE
Language: English
Genres: Literary Fiction, Naturalism, Drama, Social Commentary, Historical Fiction
Length: 204,008 words
Structure: 14 chapters, 3,284 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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Discussion starters

What should a reader notice first when entering Nana?
How does this novel by Émile Zola fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
Where does Literary Fiction first become important in the reading?

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Genres

Literary Fiction — The novel explores complex characters and societal themes, focusing on the life of Nana and her impact on those around her.
Naturalism — Zola's work exemplifies naturalism, depicting the influence of environment and heredity on characters, particularly in the context of social issues.
Drama — The narrative centers around theatrical performances and the dramatic lives of its characters, reflecting the theatricality of society.
Social Commentary — The book critiques the moral and social dynamics of Parisian society, particularly regarding gender and class.