The Monomaniac La B Te Humaine

'The Monomaniac' narrates Jacques Lantiere’s perpetual yet ultimately catastrophic descent into a maelstrom of madness unfolding upon the railroads between Paris and Le Havre during the late 19th Century. The protagonist Lantiere, a deputy station master by day, suspects his wife of infidelity by night. Tormented by memories of events that occurred many years ago, Lantiere resolves to excavate the past piece by piece, but little does he know what sort of skeletons he is going to unleash from the proverbial closet. Nor does he bear an inkling of the unfathomable repercussions of his actions. 'The Monomaniac' is a fast-paced and suspenseful psychological thriller casting light on the dark passions simmering underneath the surface of every human being and exploring how, accompanied by even darker emotions, these passions may lead to a man's untimely demise if not held in restraint before it is too late. Beloved by fans of 19th Century French literature and true crime alike, this gripping tale based on a real-life account is bound to haunt you long after you have turned the final page. Widely regarded as the founding father of scientific naturalism in literature, which aimed to describe things as they really were at the time, Zola was considered an influence by many prominent artists and writers of his time and the coming era, such as Vincent van Gogh, Tom Wolfe and John Steinbeck. Émile Zola (1840-1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright and pioneer of French naturalism, making him one of France’s most significant and prolific writers in the 19th century alongside Balzac. His fascination with the human condition and going above beyond realism lead him to important literary topics such as violence and its repercussions, alcoholism, prostitution and domestic abuse. His most celebrated works include 'Germinal', 'Nana' and 'Work' and over twenty of his novels are a part of a collection named Les Rougon-Macquart. Zola was nominated twice for the Nobel Prize in Literature and many of his works have been filmed.

"Well, what are you thinking about?"She started, gave a little shudder, as if surprised, and trembled with alarm."Oh! of nothing!" she answered."But you are not eating. Have you lost your appetite?" he inquired."Oh! no; you'll see," she replied.Séverine, having emptied her glass of white wine, finished the slice of pâté onher plate. But there was a cry of alarm. They had eaten the small loaf; not amouthful remained for the cheese. They clamoured, then laughed, and finally, afterdisturbing everything, found a piece of stale bread at the back of the sideboardcupboard of Mother Victoire.Although the window was open, it continued very warm, and the young woman,seated with her back to the stove, could not get refreshed; and she had becomemore rosy and excited, by the unforeseen talkative lunch in this room.Speaking of Mother Victoire, Roubaud had returned to Grandmorin; there wasanother who owed him a famous debt of gratitude. The mother of a child who haddied, she became wet-nurse to Séverine, whose birth had sent her mamma into thegrave. Later on, as wife of a fireman of the company, who spent all he earned indrink, she was leading a wretched existence in Paris by the aid of a little sewing,when, happening to meet her foster-daughter, the former intimacy had beenrenewed, while the President, at the same time, took her under his protection. Hehad now obtained for her the post of attendant at the lavatory for ladies. Thecompany gave her no more than 100 frcs., but she made nearly 1,400 frcs. out ofthe gratuities, without counting the lodging, this room where they were lunching,and her coals. Indeed, she had a most comfortable post. And Roubaud calculatedthat if Pecqueux, the husband, had brought home the 2,800 frcs. which he earnedas fireman, wages and gratuities together, instead of running riot at both ends ofthe line, they would have had between them more than 4,000 frcs. a year, doublewhat he received as assistant station-master at Havre.In the meanwhile, their sharp hunger had become appeased, and they dawdledover the rest of the meal, cutting the cheese into small pieces to make the feast lastlonger. Conversation also flagged."By the way," said he, "why did you decline the invitation of the President to goto Doinville for two or three days?"In the comfort of a good digestion, he had just been running over in his mind,the incidents of their visit in the morning to the mansion in the Rue du Rocher, quiteclose to the station; he had seen himself again in the large, stern study, and heagain heard the President telling them that he was leaving on the morrow forDoinville. Then, as if acting on a sudden impulse, the latter had suggested takingthe 6.30 express with them that evening, and conducting his god-daughter on avisit to his sister, who had been wanting to see her for a long time. But the youngwoman had given all kinds of reasons which prevented her, she said, fromaccepting the invitation."For my part," he remarked, "I saw no inconvenience in this little trip. You mighthave remained there till Thursday. I should have been able to manage without you;don't you think so? We have need of them in our position. It is rather silly to showindifference to their politeness, and the more so as your refusal seemed to causehim real pain. And that was why I never ceased pressing you to accept, until youtugged at my coat; and then I spoke as you did, but without understanding what itmeant. Eh! why wouldn't you go?"Séverine, with restless eyes, gave a gesture of impatience."How could I leave you all alone?" she exclaimed.

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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1901 edition. Excerpt: ... And La Lison went on again, descending at her heavy and weary gait the ten miles or so of gentle slope to Barentin. Daylight now began to appear, but very dimly; and it seemed as if this livid glimmer came from the snow itself which fell more densely, confused and cold, overwhelming the earth with the refuse of the sky. As day grew, the violence of the wind redoubled, and the snowflakes were driven along in balls. At every moment the fireman had to take his shovel to clear the coal at the back of the tender between the partitions of the water-tank. The country, to right and left, so absolutely defied recognition, that the two men felt as if they were being borne along in a dream. The vast flat fields, the rich pastures enclosed in green hedges, the apple orchards were naught but a white sea, barely swelling with choppy waves, a pallid, quivering expanse where everything became white. And the driver erect, with his hand on the reversing-wheel, his face lacerated by the gusts of wind, began to suffer terribly from cold. When the train stopped at Barentin, M. Bessiere, the station-master, himself approached the engine, to warn Jacques that a considerable accumulation of snow had been signalled in the vicinity of La Croix-de-Maufras. " I believe it is still possible to pass," he added; "but it will not be without difficulty." Thereupon, the young man flew into a passion, and with an oath exclaimed: ' "I said as much at Beuzeville! Why couldn't they put on a second locomotive? We shall be in a nice mess now!" The headguard had just left his van, and he became angry as well. He was frozen in his box, and declared that he could not distinguish a signal from a telegraph pole. It was a regular groping...

Did possessing and killing amount to the same thing deep within the dark recesses of the human beast? La Bete humaine (1890), is one of Zola's most violent and explicit works. On one level a tale of murder, passion and possession, it is also a compassionate study of individuals derailed by atavistic forces beyond their control. Zola considered this his `most finely worked' novel, and in it he powerfully evokes life at the end of the Second Empire in France, where society seemed to be hurtling into the future like the new locomotives and railways it was building. While expressing the hope that human nature evolves through education and gradually frees itself of the burden of inherited evil, he is constantly reminding us that under the veneer of technological progress there remains, always, the beast within. This new translation captures Zola's fast-paced yet deliberately dispassionate style, while the introduction and detailed notes place the novel in its social, historical, and literary context. 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.

This book is about how France's two major documentary authors of the nineteenth century – Gustave Flaubert and Émile Zola – incorporate medical knowledge about the body into their works, and in so doing exploit its metaphorical potential of the body to engage in critical reflection about the accumulation and reconfiguration of knowledge.