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His Masterpiece
The Project Gutenberg EBook of His Masterpiece, by Emile Zola This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: His Masterpiece
Author: Emile Zola
Editor: Ernest Alfred Vizetelly
Release Date: May 25, 2005 [EBook #15900]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HIS MASTERPIECE ***
Produced by Dagny, and David Widger
HIS MASTERPIECE
BY
EMILE ZOLA
Edited, With a Preface, By Ernest Alfred Vizetelly
PREFACE
'HIS MASTERPIECE,' which in the original French bears the title of _L'Oeuvre_, is a strikingly accurate story of artistic life in Paris during the latter years of the Second Empire. Amusing at times, extremely pathetic and even painful at others, it not only contributes a necessary element to the Rougon-Macquart series of novels--a series illustrative of all phases of life in France within certain dates--but it also represents a particular period of M. Zola's own career and work. Some years, indeed, before the latter had made himself known at all widely as a novelist, he had acquired among Parisian painters and sculptors considerable notoriety as a revolutionary art critic, a fervent champion of that 'Open-air' school which came into being during the Second Empire, and which found its first real master in Edouard Manet, whose then derided works are regarded, in these later days, as masterpieces. Manet died before his genius was fully recognised; still he lived long enoug