Project Gutenberg 2018-03-20 Public domain in the USA. 451 Zola, Émile 1840 1902 Zola, Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola, Emile Vizetelly, Ernest Alfred 1853 1922 Vizetelly, E. A. (Ernest Alfred) Vizetelly, Ernest A. The Downfall (La Débâcle): A Story of the Horrors of War Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_D%C3%A9b%C3%A2cle Produced by Clare Graham & Marc D'Hooghe at Free Literature (Images generously made available by the Internet Archive.) "The Downfall (La Débâcle): A Story of the Horrors of War" by Émile Zola is a historical novel written in the late 19th century. The narrative explores the catastrophic failures of the French Army during the Franco-Prussian War, particularly focusing on the dismal battle of Sedan and its aftermath. The story is anchored around two main characters, Jean and Maurice, representing different facets of French society as they experience the chaos and tragedy of war. At the start of the novel, the reader is introduced to a weary camp of French soldiers stationed near Mulhausen, just before the war escalates. As tensions build, Corporal Jean Macquart and Private Maurice Levasseur navigate the dismal conditions, awaiting news of impending conflict. Amidst their daily struggles, fears of an approaching enemy and the realities of their situation become apparent. The opening chapters set the stage for both the psychological and physical horrors of war, establishing a tone of impending doom as the regiment is soon swept into the chaos of retreat and disarray following their disastrous encounters with the Prussians. The complexities of camaraderie and class differences between Jean, a peasant soldier, and Maurice, a young man of privilege, begin to unfold as they confront the grim realities of their circumstances. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 64.8 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Franco-Prussian War, 1870-1871 -- Fiction PQ Text Category: Historical Novels Category: French Literature 1432117 2025-07-22T13:50:34.095684 text/html 1445453 2018-03-20T14:27:52 text/html 875162 2025-07-22T13:50:46.309663 application/epub+zip 894866 2025-07-22T13:50:35.668727 application/epub+zip 655547 2025-07-22T13:50:34.883692 application/epub+zip 1253921 2025-07-22T13:50:55.070603 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1177404 2025-07-22T13:50:45.437630 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 943015 2022-08-25T14:37:46.554224 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1354438 2025-07-22T13:50:32.633737 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 1354534 2018-03-20T14:27:46 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19698 2025-07-22T13:50:55.212591 application/rdf+xml 20657 2025-07-22T13:50:34.997686 image/jpeg 2720 2025-07-22T13:50:34.941668 image/jpeg 517345 2018-03-20T14:27:54 application/octet-stream application/zip 827336 2018-03-20T14:27:54 application/octet-stream application/zip 825464 2025-07-22T13:50:34.211742 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 en.wikipedia fr.wikipedia en.wikipedia