Thérèse Raquin
1868 novel by Émile Zola / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thérèse Raquin [teʁɛz ʁakɛ̃] is an 1868 novel by French writer Émile Zola, first published in serial form in the literary magazine L'Artiste in 1867. It was Zola's third novel, though the first to earn wide fame. The novel's adultery and murder were considered scandalous and famously described as "putrid" in a review in the newspaper Le Figaro.
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Author | Émile Zola |
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Original title | Thérèse Raquin |
Translator | Edward Vizetelly Robin Buss |
Language | French |
Genre | Naturalism, theatrical naturalism, psychological novel |
Set in | Paris, 1860s |
Published | L'Artiste |
Publication date | 1867-68 (serialized) 1873 (as book) |
Publication place | France |
Published in English | 1886–89[1] |
Media type | Print: serialized in journal |
Pages | 144 |
843.89 | |
LC Class | PQ2521.T3 E5 |
Preceded by | Les Mystères de Marseille |
Followed by | Madeleine Férat |
Original text | Thérèse Raquin at French Wikisource |
Thérèse Raquin tells the story of a young woman, unhappily married to her first cousin by an overbearing aunt, who may seem to be well-intentioned but in many ways is deeply selfish. Thérèse's husband, Camille, is sickly and egocentric and when the opportunity arises, Thérèse enters into a turbulent and sordidly passionate affair with one of Camille's friends, Laurent.
In his preface, Zola explains that his goal in this novel was to "study temperaments and not characters".[2] Because of this detached and scientific approach, Thérèse Raquin is considered an example of naturalism.
Thérèse Raquin was first adapted for the stage as an 1873 play written by Zola himself. It has since then been adapted numerous times as films, TV mini-series, musicals, and an opera, among others.