1. Nana (1880) represents the underclasses, a prostitute and "devourer of men" who rises among the Parisian elite as a destructive and wholly powerful figure who disrupts conventions and comes to represent the downfall of the Second French Empire.
2.Germinal
Zola himself descended mineshafts in his methodically intense approach to writing Germinal (1885). Set in the 1860s it deals with the struggle of the proletariat and the inhumane working conditions of striking coal miners in Northern France and inspired numerous film and television adaptations.
All of that series of books by Zola said the same thing was true in every line of work from farmer to prostitute. I made it a goal to read them all and have never been sorry. The movie Germinal was pretty good but not as good as the book. I was hooked. If we don't learn from history we are doomed to repeat it. I don't know who said that first but it is still true.
I think Zola's greatest literary excellence is his ability to maintain the artful illusion of scientific impartiality while detailing the often sinister exterior and interior lives of his characters. Some are easy to hate, but Zola, given to caricature in his minor characters, never wholly condemns his major characters. Even the most vile with blood on their hands excite within us some degree of compassion and understanding when treated by the pen of the master.
In order to enjoy Zola's works, It is absolutely NOT necessary to read the series in the order Zola wrote it! In fact, that would be a mistake! While all the novels are well worth reading, some are, inevitably, better than others. I will try to read more about Zola's works
