Germinal (1885)
0.1759Canon Score · ranked #106 all time
Aggregated from 5 of 14 authoritative lists, weighted by authority and adjusted for each list's scope and age. How scoring works →
About the book
The thirteenth novel in Emile Zola's great Rougon-Macquart sequence, Germinal expresses outrage at the exploitation of the many by the few, but also shows humanity's capacity for compassion and hope.Etienne Lantier, an unemployed railway worker, is a clever but uneducated young man with a dangerous temper. Forced to take a back-breaking job at Le Voreux mine when he cannot get other work, he discovers that his fellow
Why it ranks #106
Every list on which Germinal appears, with its position as published.
| List | Authority | Position |
|---|---|---|
| OCLC/WorldCat Top 500 Novels (2019) | Editorial list | #216 / 500 |
| Guardian 1000 Novels (2009) | Critics' canon | Selected |
| 1001 Books You Must Read (union) | Critics' canon | Selected |
| Bloom, The Western Canon (1994) | Editorial list | Selected |
| Telegraph 100 Novels (2009) | Editorial list | Selected |