Am I my Brother's keeper? Émile Zola’s Thérèse Raquin as a retelling of Cain and Abel

William B Holley

doi:10.18352/relief.975

Am I my Brother's keeper? Émile Zola’s Thérèse Raquin as a retelling of Cain and Abel

William B Holley

World Languages & Cultures

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Émile Zola’s Thérèse Raquin exemplifies what the author would develop as his naturalist philosophy. This philosophy, based upon what the Zola considered to be a scientific and empirical process to understand the human condition, appears at a time in France where many different philosophical thoughts converge. This paper looks at how Zola’s declared scientific study of the “human-beast” is in fact a retelling of the Biblical tale of Cain and Abel, perhaps spurred by the confusion of the competing philosophies.

Original language	American English
Journal	RELIEF - Revue Électronique de Littérature Française
Volume	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.18352/relief.975
State	Published - Jan 1 2017

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities
French and Francophone Language and Literature
French and Francophone Literature

Keywords

Bible
Cain and Abel
Naturalism
Thérèse Raquin
fratricide
Émile Zola

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http://doi.org/10.18352/relief.975

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Am I my Brother's keeper? Émile Zola’s Thérèse Raquin as a retelling of Cain and Abel

Abstract

Disciplines

Keywords

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