La Débâcle
La Débâcle (1892), translated as The Debacle and The Downfall, is the penultimate novel of Émile Zola's Les Rougon-Macquart series, which first appeared as a serial in La Vie populaire from 21 February to 21 July 1892, before being published in book form by Charpentier.
| Author | Émile Zola |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Series | Les Rougon-Macquart |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Charpentier (book form) |
Publication date | 1892 |
| Media type | Print (serial, hardback & paperback) |
| Preceded by | La Terre |
| Followed by | Le Docteur Pascal |
The story is set against the background of the political and military tumults that ended the reign of Napoléon III and the Second Empire in 1870, in particular the Franco-Prussian War, the Battle of Sedan, and the Paris Commune.
Despite the hostility with which it was initially received by Bonapartists, monarchists, and in particular by veterans of the French army, La Débâcle was Zola's greatest commercial success, selling one hundred fifty thousand copies within five months of its release.
The late nineteenth century English novelist George Gissing tried to read the novel in French in February 1896, through "intervals of rage", but without specifying what was the cause.