Text Germinal is definitely not the only written text on the mine culture and the myth of carbon mining would exist even without this novel but the two have been forever inseparable. To write this master piece that not only griped his contemporaries but marked the apogee of naturalism in France, Zola had to be an avid reporter of details and a prophet of the social cause. It is, in fact, to this epic rendition of the realistic material that this dark saga owes its immense success. Folder Before reading the text Author Biography Chronology of life and time of Zola Book Description Germinal in 19th century Twentieth Century criticism of the Novel Further reading Note on key ideas in Germinal Critical writings on the genre, action and characters in the novel Literary tendencies in the novel The Novel in its time and beyond Bibliography and filmography
