The Rush for the Spoil

The Rush for the Spoil (1872) is a novel by Émile Zola that follows the lives of several French citizens raised by the same mother, exploring themes of family, politics, class, and history. It spans the French Second Empire and features the character of Aristide Saccard, a man born into poverty who rises to wealth through unscrupulous means. The novel highlights the hypocrisy and obscenity of wealth in nineteenth-century France.

Format: Hardback
Length: 278 pages
Publication date: 15 February 2022
Publisher: West Margin Press

The Rush for the Spoil (1872) is a novel by French author Émile Zola, the second of twenty volumes in his monumental Les Rougon-Macquart series. This epic tale of family, politics, class, and history follows the diverse paths of several French citizens raised by the same mother. Spanning the entirety of the French Second Empire, Zola offers a sweeping portrait of change that refuses to shy away from controversy and truth as it delves into the essence of heredity and human nature.

Aristide Saccard, the son of Pierre Rougon, a man born into poverty who rose through vanity and sheer opportunism to a position of power in the France of Napoleon III, is the protagonist of the story. After a rakish youth, Aristide promises his brother Eugene, a prominent politician, that he will make his way in the world under a different surname. Despite his destined failure, Aristide manages to secure funding for a scheme involving the purchase of homes destined for demolition. By collecting government compensation for each property, Aristide turns a handsome profit and eventually becomes one of the richest men in Paris. However, when his wife becomes terminally ill, he sacrifices his morality by marrying a wealthy pregnant woman, whose father has promised an immense dowry.

As the years pass, Aristide's fragmented family suffers under the weight of their father's impropriety, exposing the hypocrisy and obscenity of wealth in nineteenth-century France. The Rush for the Spoil is a story of family and fate, a thrilling and detailed novel that continues a series rich enough for its author to explore in twenty total volumes. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Émile Zola's The Rush for the Spoil is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Dimension: 203 x 127 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781513133225