In Conversation with Agnes Callard
On Émile Zola
I recently decided to climb the great mountain that is Émile Zola’s twenty-volume magnum opus, Les Rougon-Macquart (1871-1893). I wrote a little bit about my early reaction to his work two weeks ago. Shortly after I began my ascent, I learned my friend Agnes Callard was already a good distance ahead of me. Agnes and I thought it might be interesting to get together and compare notes.
I found Agnes’s reflections on Zola quite compelling, and in consequence I find my initial reflections, linked above, somewhat unjust, or at least incomplete. I’m now looking forward to getting to the end of Balzac’s La Rabouilleuse (1842) and swinging back again to Zola — Au Bonheur des dames (1883) is next on my list (Balzac is still my fave, for the moment).
I hope this will be the first of several conversations with Agnes, among others, on topics literary and artistic, and I hope you will enjoy this first stab of mine at a video ‘stack. (I hate my voice, and I’m conflicted about my face, so I haven’t watched this myself and do not know whether there are any technical problems or glitches.)
If you do enjoy it, and especially if you are new to The Hinternet, having arrived here from Agnes’s set, I would be very happy if you would consider subscribing. —JS-R
Really enjoyed this discussion! In my 20s (I am now 72) I remember reading two Zola novels. I remember admiring them so much--that memory of savoring his well told stories has never left me even though I can’t remember which two it is was I read. His description of (was it Gervais or?) someone having DTs has never left me. He described it as a dance and when one reached that point of DTs their death was imminent. I now want to go back and read Zola again after this discussion. Also the Temptation of St Anthony by Flaubert is now on my list! Thank you!