Émile Zola Collection: His Excellency (Eugene Rougon), Chapters X and XI

[Zulfiya]

For the next ten days,we are discussing the next two chapters (Chapters X and XI)of Eugene's life in Paris as a minister and an influential person.

[Zulfiya]

I am only halfway through, but chapter X was quite an interesting one. The interest has nothing to do with adventure, excitement, and emotional suspense, but it does portray the grim and ugly reality of the political power in nineteenth-century France and in any country of the modern world.

Eugene's tenure is not only characterized by his deliberate policy of appointing his people to create a certain safety net, but also by the political conjecture when a certain political purging is taking place. Rougon initiates arrests of anti-imperialists, and their arrests are planned ahead and the purging resembles very much the political purging in Soviet Russia where quota were introduced and should be met.

This ruthless cut-throat policy leads to an instant death of one of the arrested, and it all takes place before and after the ball when one of Rougon's political accomplices is only driven by his desire to attend the party because he was promised a dance.

Rougon's emotional indifference is often satirized through the names that are often used as his alter nomen 'this great man', 'the minister', etc.

At the same time, Rougon's discourse definitely demonstrates his supreme and consummate but corrupted soul of a politician.

‘I am here for the purpose of inquiring into your needs and doing what I can to satisfy them.’

Zola, Emile (2012-11-23). Complete Works of Emile Zola (Illustrated) (Kindle Locations 64777-64778). Delphi Classics. Kindle Edition.

He is not even ashamed to use exploit and capitalize on religious feelings.

'He even went so far as to allude to the hand of God.'

Zola, Emile (2012-11-23). Complete Works of Emile Zola (Illustrated) (Kindle Locations 65066-65067). Delphi Classics. Kindle Edition.

All in all, he is surrounded by a herd of hungry dogs, and there was a scene with dogs who were fed offal in one of the earlier chapters, and Rougon's life is at that stage is mirroring this brutal scene.

[Lisa]

I like that idea of his emotional indifference. I should have known it was coming, but this chapter shocked me. I kept thinking of Stalin because of the way Rougon seemed to have lost all sense of humanity and simply used people as pawns in a chess game. It is only when *spoiler* M dies, that he gets a sense of guilt, but he quickly suppresses it, never confronting the life-and-death reality of what he was doing.

[Zulfiya]

I do not think that he feels invincible, but I do think that he does not care. He is a very peculiar figure, a main character that is no appalling and unrelatable on any level.

[Robin P, Moderator]

I thought there was some dark humor in these chapters, when everything goes wrong for Gilquin and ruins his evening of festivities. The delays are the way in which the town resists domination by its far-off rulers. (I am reminded of the movie The Englishman Who Went Up a HIll and Came Down a Mountain.)

There was also a ridiculous side to the speeches followed by the spectacle of the explosion in the previous chapter.

I also haven't finished this section. It seems a lot of us are slower on this project. Maybe we need more time or fewer chapters for each section? Or just leave as is, and we will add comments whenever we are ready, that is fine too.

[Zulfiya]

Robin wrote: "I also haven't finished this section. It seems a lot of us are slower on this project. Maybe we need more time or fewer chapters for each section? Or just leave as is, and we will add comments whenever we are ready, that is fine too. "

I am considering many options, Robin. One of the reasons why it is a more laborious read is that it is one of his least popular novels, and it is definitely not exemplary. His other books are more dramatic and more dynamic. Besides, it is always exciting to read about human drama because we empathize. In this novel, there is hardly a relatable character. Human beings thrive on drama: some prefer to surround their lives with drama, but I like to find drama in books, and this novel is about a game of political chess without drama, or drama runs deep :-)

[Robin P, Moderator]

I agree, that this isn't a compelling story, more of a study of characters and society, and there aren't that many events. It's more a series of conversations and monologues. The events, such as changes of power and even the assassination attempt, are offstage. I'm sure that at the time it would have fascinated those who knew who the prototypes were for the characters. It would be equivalent to the novel and movie Primary Colors, that was based on the Clinton campaign.

I assumed it was slower for me because although my French is good enough to read in it, it does take longer than in English and I have to be more focused.

[Wendel]

Napoleon III sent many republicans to unhealthy tropical islands, but his regime was not a modern totalitarian system. In Stalin’s Russia passive resistance, as with the hidden carts in Martineau’s village, was unthinkable. And there were certainly no opposition newspapers, like Le Siėcle, to bully. In Rougon’s France, the apolitical bourgeois, generally had a good life and working people might feel that things were gradually getting better.

However, other aspects of evil always remain the same - in France, Russia or Joe McCarthey’s US. In the Martineau case Zola shows us two different types of malice. Rougon and Gilquin do not know the victim; their cruelty is impersonal, part of the system. Madame Correur on the other hand knowingly destroys her brother out of spite and greed. Which is worse? (Correur, I would say).

The ministerial discussion over the book Les veillées du bonhomme Jacques (Zola may have been thinking of some real publication) is interesting - after all, was the emperor himself not the author of a pamphlet titled ‘The End of Poverty’? But Rougon is very vehement, convinced that 11 out of every 12 books should be burned. This is clearly a personal thing, not just politics. Is there any connection with his love of power (not as an instrument but as an end)?

Finally, I agree that this is not a very exciting book. I would skip the remainder if it were not part of a series that, I trust, will get better. But I don’t feel that changing the schedule would help; for me at least, it would only lead to more procrastination.

[Zulfiya]

Wendel wrote: "Rougon and Gilquin do not know the victim; their cruelty is impersonal, part of the system. Madame Correur on the other hand knowingly destroys her brother out of spite and greed. Which is worse? (Correur, I would say)."

Rougon and Gilquin are mostly bureaucrats; people are not human beings for them - they are just names. Madame Correur, as you mentioned it, maliciously and intentionally destroys her brother, witnessing and anticipating his demise.

P.S. I do not think this is the schedule; it is mostly the subject matter. I am sure we will have a company for Nana or Germinal, but alas, we are reading the cycle, nit the selected novels.

[Robin P, Moderator]

When we see the Emperor up close in chapter XI, he's not very impressive. And the scheme to introduce a new type of nobles is just ridiculous. I'm sure this is true about nobility being reintroduced, but it's saddening how excited these newcomers are about it. At least that is one positive about Rougon, he doesn't support the idea, even if he would receive a title himself.

There's also a comment in this chapter about the upheaval in Paris with the building of the new boulevards under Baron Haussmann (hmm, I wonder if he was one of the newly created barons?) It reminded me of the passage in Dombey where Dickens describes the building of the railroad as a huge attack on the city.

[Zulfiya]

Robin wrote: "There's also a comment in this chapter about the upheaval in Paris with the building of the new boulevards under Baron Haussmann (hmm, I wonder if he was one of the newly created barons?) It reminded me of the passage in Dombey where Dickens describes the building of the railroad as a huge attack on the city.
"

I do remember having the same deja-vu feeling, saying to myself, 'I have already read it elsewhere'. This is the impact of urbanization and industrialization on the nineteenth-century society. The themes often reciprocate:-)