Emile Zola
“If you ask me what I came into this life to do, I will
tell you: I came to live out loud.”
“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift
is nothing without the work.”
“I am little concerned with beauty or perfection, I
don’t care for great centuries. All I care about is
life, struggle, intensity I am at ease in my century.”
April 2nd 1840 – September 29th 1902
Background
 Name: Emile Edouard Charles Antoine Zola
 Born & Died in Paris, France (1840-1902)
 Worked as a cleric shipping company & a publishing house
 Journalist, novelist and critic
 He contributed literary columns & art reviews for the
Cartier de Villemessant newspapers
 Best known for Les Rougon-Macquart (1871-1893)
Literary Naturalism
 The founder of the literary naturalism movements
 He adjusted scientific principles to observe society to
interpret in fiction. Le Roman Experimental (1880)
 His naturalism theories were published into a 20 book
series called Les Rougon-Macquart
Public Reception
 His novels were attacked & banned due to their detailed
and sordid nature.
 He was imprisoned for libel for his open support (J’Accuse)
for an army officer Alfred Dreyfus who was convicted of
treason.
Naturalism Vs. Realism
 Realism is a more faithful/ accurate portrayal of life,
whereas naturalism is a slightly more exaggerated form of
Realism.
Bibliography
Emile Zola Biography - Birthday, Photos - Who2.com. (n.d.). Who2 Biographies |. Retrieved September 4, 2012,
from http://www.who2.com/bio/emile-zola
Emile Zola Quotes - BrainyQuote. (n.d.). Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Retrieved September 4, 2012, from
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/emile_zola.html
SansGuilt. (n.d.). Compare and Contrast: The Similarities and Differences between Realism and Naturalism.
SansGuilt on HubPages. Retrieved September 4, 2012, from http://sansguilt.hubpages.com/hub/Compareand-Contrast-The-Similarities-and-Differences-between-Realism-and-Naturalism
name:. (n.d.). Emile Zola. www.kirjasto.sci.fi . Retrieved September 4, 2012, from
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/ezola.htm
temperament, r. t., environment., thread, w. I., hands, h. a., action, p. i., energies, w. a., et al. (n.d.). Emile
Zola - Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss.. The Literature Network: Online
classic literature, poems, and quotes. Essays & Summaries. Retrieved September 4, 2012, from
http://www.online-literature.com/emile-zola/
Émile Zola Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com . (n.d.). Famous Biographies & TV Shows - Biography.com .
Retrieved September 4, 2012, from http://www.biography.com/people/%C3%A9mile-zola-37621