50 pages • 1 hour read
Émile Zola, Transl. Gerhard KrügerA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
In Chapter 7, Fauchery writes an opinion piece for the Figaro that condemns Nana in the harshest possible terms, not as an actress but as a person who is infecting Parisian society with her loose morals. The article is titled “La Mouche d’Or,” meaning The Golden Fly. Like a fly, Fauchery writes, Nana enjoys wallowing in filth and then spreading it around to anyone with whom she comes in contact, infecting the upper classes without a second thought.
The fly is an apt symbol for Nana in the sense that insects do not spread disease out of malice; they simply follow their instincts, unconscious of their actions’ effects. Similarly, Zola’s naturalist ideology leads him to portray Nana as a woman merely following the instincts she has collected through heredity and environment. Yes, she sometimes develops and acts on personal resentments; at times she even justifies her ruination of men as a form of revenge for her lower-class background and previous ill treatment. However, she wreaks much of her ruin without premeditation. Steiner, for instance, is a lover she mostly considers a boring annoyance. She has no simmering resentment against him. She makes demands for money, and he obliges until he has nothing left.
Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
By these authors
Beauty
View Collection
Books that Feature the Theme of...
View Collection
Books that Feature the Theme of...
View Collection
Challenging Authority
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Class
View Collection
European History
View Collection
French Literature
View Collection
Historical Fiction
View Collection
Nation & Nationalism
View Collection
Naturalism
View Collection
Power
View Collection
Realism
View Collection
School Book List Titles
View Collection
SuperSummary Staff Picks
View Collection
The Power & Perils of Fame
View Collection