Mrs. Nejoun

Book name: Lady Nijo Author: Emile Zola Publisher: Lines and Shadows Book classification: Novel Number of pages: 72 About the book: "Lady Nijo," is the story of mutual praise, flattery, closeness, and seduction between women "Zanias" and deceived men... It is also a story of the conflict between appearances and reality! Let's also say it is a story of learning, as the narrator learns the nature of Parisian life, where every success has a price. He learns how to approach women of high society to ask them for services that will help him achieve his political and social ambitions. From here, he approached Lady Nijo, that mysterious, attractive, and elusive woman at the same time, silent and extraordinary... who hides behind her smile many things that this young man had not yet deciphered. What draws our attention in this enjoyable "novella" is that Zola's writing in it was less dense than what we are accustomed to in his literature, and his characters are less tense. In other words, some critics have said that we feel as if we are reading a chapter from "The Human Comedy" by Balzac more than reading Zola's world cast upon us. And despite the fact that the image of some women here is "fragile," the writer does not strip them of their dignity!