The twenty Rougon-Macquart novels by Émile Zola, in order
The top 3 according to 200 votes from people: The Fortune of the Rougons (1871) · The Kill (1872) · The Conquest of Plassans (1874). (Updated Jun 19, 2024.)
"The natural and social history of a family under the Second Empire": from The Fortune of the Rougons (1871) to Doctor Pascal (1893), Émile Zola devoted twenty novels to the descendants of Adélaïde Fouque. Here they are in order of publication, with the period in which each is set and the family's main characters.
Automatically translated (original in Français). See the original
Top 20
-
1
The Fortune of the Rougons (1871)
Volume 1. Set in 1790–1851. Main characters: Pierre Rougon, Antoine Macquart, Silvère Mouret.
-
2
The Kill (1872)
Volume 2. Set in 1852–1863. Main characters: Aristide Rougon-Saccard, Maxime Saccard.
-
3
The Conquest of Plassans (1874)
Volume 4. Set in 1858–1864. Main characters: François et Marthe Mouret.
-
4
His Excellency Eugène Rougon (1876)
Volume 6. Set in 1856–1861. Main characters: Eugène Rougon.
-
5
The Sin of Father Mouret (1875)
Volume 5. Set in 1866. Main characters: Serge Mouret.
-
6
Germinal (1885)
Volume 13. Set in 1867–1869. Main characters: Étienne Lantier. The best-selling novel of the cycle, about a miners' strike.
-
7
The Belly of Paris (1873)
Volume 3. Set in 1858–1859. Main characters: Lisa Macquart-Quenu, Claude Lantier.
-
8
A Love Episode (1878)
Volume 8. Set in 1853–1855. Main characters: Hélène Mouret-Grandjean, Jeanne Grandjean.
-
9
The Joy of Life (1884)
Volume 12. Set in 1863–1876. Main characters: Pauline Quenu.
-
10
The Masterpiece (1886)
Volume 14. Set in 1862–1876. Main characters: Claude Lantier.
-
11
The Dream (1888)
Volume 16. Set in 1860–1869. Main characters: Angélique Rougon.
-
12
Doctor Pascal (1893)
Volume 20. Set in 1872–1874. Main characters: Pascal Rougon, Clotilde Saccard.
-
13
The Earth (1887)
Volume 15. Set in 1860–1869. Main characters: Jean Macquart.
-
14
L'Assommoir (1877)
Volume 7. Set in 1850–1869. Main characters: Gervaise Macquart. Zola's first great success.
-
15
Pot-Bouille (1882)
Volume 10. Set in 1861–1863. Main characters: Octave Mouret.
-
16
Money (1891)
Volume 18. Set in 1864–1869. Main characters: Aristide Saccard, Victor Saccard.
-
17
Nana (1880)
Volume 9. Set in 1867–1870. Main characters: Anna Coupeau.
-
18
The Ladies' Paradise (1883)
Volume 11. Set in 1864–1869. Main characters: Octave Mouret.
-
19
The Beast Within (1890)
Volume 17. Set in 1869–1870. Main characters: Jacques Lantier.
-
20
The Debacle (1892)
Volume 19. Set in 1870–1871. Main characters: Jean Macquart.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
Comments (1)
Germinal et L Assommoir ok, mais pour moi le meilleur reste Au Bonheur des Dames, tellement moderne