Nana by Emile Zola. Specifically

¶ … Nana" by Emile Zola. Specifically it will discuss mid-19th century society and its values as they are depicted in the first five chapters of the book. This book is Zola's critique on Parisian society during the Second Empire, and it shows a society that is self-adsorbed, shallow, and devoid of just about any intellectual thought. It is a sad society, concerned more with how people look and who they know than anything else, and it is quite clear Zola does not approve of this decadent and disappointing society.

Zola's book opens with two young men attending the theater in Paris, about to see the debut of the young Nana, a prostitute who has made it to the stage. He shows Paris society as they enter the theater, and the shallowness of their world. The people go to the theater to "be seen," not to be entertained, and they accept anything that gains acceptance in the upper levels of society. Early in the book, the two men sit in the theater and discuss everyone they know, attempting to impress each other with their social connections. Zola shows that people are obsessed with knowing the "right" people and their appearance in society, and that translates to a society that is shallow, opulent, and decadent. At Nana's apartment, the women lunch and play cards, and later, there is a scene in the drawing room of a countess, where the people discuss each other behind their backs and again become "bored." Nana entertains; even though she is flat broke, and is shockingly phony toward her guests, it is clear she despises them, but tries to charm them anyway. Then, she is whisked away in a prince's carriage after another performance at the theater.

According to Zola, the values of society during this time leave much to be desired. The theater owner puts Nana on the stage for her "other good points" rather than her talents. Zola writes, "Must a woman know how to act and sing? Oh, my chicken, you're too stoopid. Nana has other good points, by heaven!-- something which is as good as all the other things put together. I've smelled it out; it's deuced pronounced with her, or I've got the scent of an idiot'." The audience recognizes she is terrible, but when one member shouts, "Bravo!" The entire city embraces her, even though she has no talent. They are shallow enough to care only about how she looks and the opinions of others, and this is what Zola is attempting to show in this book. Nana is actually an ugly soul covered in a beautiful package, and she ruins every man she becomes involved with. However, she is the toast of the town, and to be accepted in society, a person must accept her, like it or not. Zola shows that society was so concerned with how a person looked, dressed, and who they knew, that they were shallow, self-centered, and not really very attractive at all.

Not only are the Parisians shallow and self-serving, they are all morally shallow, as well. Nana openly sleeps with several paying lovers, and most of the men have mistresses on the side. Sex is openly discussed in the novel, even though it is alluded to in many sections. Men have affairs, and so do women, they just do not talk about them as much. It is interesting that Zola also shows how simple society really was, and how lacking they were in anything concrete or important. After lunch, the women at Nana's play cards, and Nana is "bored" by everything. This is a society without intellectual stimulation or pursuit, and so, it is no wonder she is bored. She has no reason to use her mind, and so, she has developed no intellect or passion about anything. She is bored, and this society is boring.

Beauty and ugliness are skewed in Zola's view, as well. Body and dress were of supreme importance, even more important than personality, intellect, and decency. He writes often of the opulent fabrics, gowns and embellishments that were the height of fashion at the time. In the theater he notes, "There were signals, rustlings of fabrics, a continual march past of skirts and head dresses, accentuated by the black hue of a dress coat or a surtout."

Later, in Nana's apartment, one of her guests wears a fabulous hat. He writes, "The hat was smart to distraction. In front it was greatly exaggerated, and it was adorned with a lofty feather"