Emile Zola, Thérèse Raquin《苔蕾斯·拉甘》1867 / 1873

Emile Zola, Thérèse Raquin《苔蕾斯·拉甘》1867 / 1873

"Thérèse Raquin" is Emile Zola's novel that revolves around adultery and murder. This novel tells the story of a young woman who was unhappily married to her first cousin living with her overbearing aunt.

Zola describes this piece as the "study temperaments and not characters." Because of this novel, the author was considered as an example of naturalism.

His novel was later adapted as a play in 1873, which he also wrote. The story has since been made into films, mini-series, musicals, and more.

"They turned me into a hypocrite and a liar. They stifled me with their bourgeois comfort and I don't understand why there is any red blood left in my veins. I would lower my eyes and put on a sad, imbecilic face like them, leading the same dead life. [...] they had turned me into a docile creature with their weak kindness and their repulsive tenderness. So I lied, and I kept on lying. I stayed there, sweet and silent, dreaming about how I could hit and bite." - Emile Zola, 'Therese Raquin'

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Thérèse Raquin

Thérèse Raquin is a clinically observed, sinister tale of adultery and murder among the lower classes in nineteenth-century Paris. Zola's dispassionate dissection of the motivations of his characters, mere `human beasts' who kill in order to satisfy their lust, is much more than an atmospheric Sec...

Thérèse Raquin
Written by	Émile Zola
Date premiered	1867 / 1873
Original language	French
Genre	Naturalism, theatrical naturalism, psychological novel

左拉與自然主義思潮

自然主義的誕生

19世紀50、60年代的法國，科學技術迅猛發展，標榜「科學性」成為一種時尚，「讓科學進入文學領域」成為一句時髦的口號。

1857年，哲學家泰納在《批評和歷史論文集》中首先為文學上的自然主義下了定義，即以來觀察，用科學方法描寫生活。左拉接受了泰納的美學理論。他還閱讀了法國醫生呂卡斯的《自然遺傳的哲學和生理學論著》、勒圖爾諾醫生的《情慾生理學》、達爾文的《物種起源》等生物、遺傳學著作，逐漸形成了一整套自然主義的文學主張。

左拉認為，現代文學應該拋棄「理想的香膏」和「羅曼蒂克的糖汁」，以科學為指導，保持絕對的客觀和中立，實錄現實世界的真相。只有這樣，文學才能起到積極的作用。他主張小說家不僅要有科學的態度，對生活進行細緻的觀察，搜集大量資料，而且要有科學的方法，即實驗的方法，把人物放到各種環境中去實驗，以便考察情感在自然法則決定下的活動規律。在這樣觀點的決定下，左拉認為人和其他生物一樣，都服從某種決定論，而環境、遺傳對性格的形成具有決定性作用。

《苔蕾斯·拉甘》是左拉根據自己的美學主張創作的第一部小說。小說以一對通姦的男女遭受幽靈折磨的故事並最終自殺的故事為線索，著力渲染機體功能失常的臨床表現。自然主義文學另一代表人物龔古爾曾如此評價：「對悔恨作了一次傑出的病理解剖。」。