{"product_id":"9781593082925","title":"Nana (Barnes \u0026 Noble Classics Series)","description":"\u003ci\u003eNana\u003c\/i\u003e, by \u003cb\u003eEmile Zola\u003c\/b\u003e, is part of the \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics\u003c\/i\u003e: \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBiographies of the authors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFootnotes and endnotes \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSelective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComments by other famous authors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStudy questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBibliographies for further reading \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndices \u0026amp; Glossaries, when appropriate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003eAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics \u003c\/i\u003epulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.\u003cp style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"\u003eOne of the founders of literary naturalism, \u003cb\u003eÉmile Zola\u003c\/b\u003e thought of his novels as a form of scientific research into the effects of heredity and environment. He created characters, gave them richly detailed histories, and placed them in carefully observed, precisely described environments, and his readers watch as they wriggle and thrash toward their inevitable destinies.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eNana\u003c\/i\u003e, the characters are a prostitute, who rises from the streets to become what Zola calls a “high-class cocotte,” and the men—and women—whom she loves, betrays, and destroys. Among the novel’s many ironies is the mutual envy felt by Nana and those around her. She yearns for their material possessions, while they admire her apparent independence and sexual self-confidence. And despite the chaos Nana causes, Zola imagines her as being essentially “good-natured,” a stupid, vain but beautiful creature who can’t help drawing people into her web.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"\u003eNot surprisingly, Nana’s portrait of a decadent world in which a prostitute amasses great wealth and power provoked protests from “polite society,” and it became one of Zola’s most controversial works. Today it is regarded as his masterpiece. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eLuc Sante\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eLow Life, Evidence, and The Factory of Facts\u003c\/i\u003e and coeditor, with Melissa Holbrook Pierson, of \u003ci\u003eO.K. You Mugs: Writers on Movie Actors\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"Barnes \u0026 Noble","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47031133077744,"sku":"9781593082925","price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781593082925_p0.jpg?v=1763811891","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781593082925","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}