The seventh novel in the Rougon-Macquart cycle LAssommoir (1877) is the story of a womans struggle for happiness in working-class Paris. It was a contemporary bestseller outraged conservative critics & launched a passionate debate about the legitimate scope of modern literature. At the centre of the novel stands Gervaise who starts her own laundry & for a time makes a success of it. But her husband Coupeau squanders her earnings in the Assommoir the local drinking shop & gradually the pair sink into poverty & squalor. LAssommoir is the most finely crafted of Zolas novels & this new translation captures not only the brutality but also the pathos of its characters lives. This book is a pwerful indictment of nineteenth-century social conditions & the introduction examines its relation to politics & art as well as its explosive effect on the literary scene. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford Worlds Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxfords commitment to scholarship providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features including expert introductions by leading authorities helpful notes to clarify the text up-to-date bibliographies for further study & much more.