Project Gutenberg 2004-10-25 Public domain in the USA. 399 Zola, Émile 1840 1902 Zola, Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola, Emile Robins, E. P. La débâcle. English The Downfall Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_D%C3%A9b%C3%A2cle Dagny, John Bickers and David Widger "The Downfall" by Émile Zola is a novel written in the late 19th century that explores themes of war, social dynamics, and human suffering against the backdrop of the Franco-Prussian War. The story primarily centers around the experiences of soldiers as they confront the harsh realities of battle and the inadequacies of their leaders, with a focus on characters like Jean Macquart and Maurice Levasseur as they grapple with both physical and moral challenges. At the start of the novel, the scene is set in the encampment near Mülhausen, where soldiers await the anticipated clash with Prussian forces. Zola vividly describes the atmosphere filled with tension and foreboding as Jean Macquart, a corporal with a complicated past, reflects on his return to military life. The opening also introduces Maurice, a more educated but conflicted young man, highlighting the stark differences in class and perspective among the soldiers. As the narrative progresses through their interactions and the murmurs of impending battle, it portrays the soldiers' mix of camaraderie and despair, foreshadowing the chaotic events that will lead to their eventual downfall. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 69.9 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en War stories Franco-Prussian War, 1870-1871 -- Fiction PQ Text Category: Historical Novels Category: Novels Category: French Literature 1457275 2025-10-06T07:15:15.517536 text/html 1460904 2024-10-28T20:49:36 text/html 653964 2025-10-06T07:15:28.246997 application/epub+zip 654455 2025-10-06T07:15:17.742540 application/epub+zip 654456 2025-10-06T07:15:16.431591 application/epub+zip 1036926 2025-10-06T07:15:37.276991 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 996179 2025-10-06T07:15:27.450958 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 967951 2022-09-07T13:13:41.011078 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1421467 2025-10-06T07:15:14.506589 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 1401734 2024-10-28T20:49:36 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17259 2025-10-06T07:15:37.415932 application/rdf+xml 10194 2025-10-06T07:15:16.945513 image/jpeg 2802 2025-10-06T07:15:16.687537 image/jpeg 613712 2025-10-06T07:15:15.630526 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog fr.wikipedia en.wikipedia