Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog Project Gutenberg 2004-10-25 Public domain in the USA. 124 Zola, Émile 1840 1902 Zola, Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola, Emile Robins, E. P. La débâcle. English The Downfall Reading ease score: 69.9 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. 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.) en War stories Franco-Prussian War, 1870-1871 -- Fiction PQ Text Browsing: History - Warfare Browsing: Literature Browsing: Fiction 1457219 1457345 2024-10-06T10:04:48.686546 2023-10-06T10:49:23.942512 text/html text/html 1484689 2021-11-27T04:55:00 text/html 653983 2024-10-06T10:05:03.023446 application/epub+zip 654543 2024-10-06T10:04:51.175519 application/epub+zip 654543 2024-10-06T10:04:49.717554 application/epub+zip 1037048 2024-10-06T10:05:13.368485 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 996187 2024-10-06T10:05:02.104446 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 967951 2022-09-07T13:13:41.011078 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1421480 1421461 2024-10-06T10:04:47.251575 2023-10-06T10:49:22.717504 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 1421250 2021-11-27T04:56:23 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 20200 2024-10-06T10:05:13.512442 application/rdf+xml 10194 2024-10-06T10:04:50.294524 image/jpeg 2802 2024-10-06T10:04:50.006503 image/jpeg 545193 2021-11-27T04:58:26 application/octet-stream application/zip 553193 2021-11-27T04:58:50 application/octet-stream application/zip 613724 2024-10-06T10:04:48.814560 application/octet-stream application/zip en.wikipedia fr.wikipedia