The Sin Of Abbe Mouret — Emile Zola

The Sin of Abbe Mouret tells the compelling story of the young priest Serge Mouret Striving after spiritual purity and sanctity he lives a life of constant prayer but his neglect of all physical needs leads to serious illness followed by amnesia No longer knowing he is a priest he falls in love with his nurse Albine Together like a latter day Adam and Eve they roam through an Eden like garden called the Paradou seeking a forbidden tree in whose shade they will make love Zola memorably shows their gradual awakening to sexuality and his poetic descriptions of the luxuriant and beautiful Paradou create a lyrical celebration of Nature When Serge regains his memory and recalls his priestly vows anguish inevitably follows The whole story with its numerous biblical parallels becomes a poetic reworking of the Fall of Man and a questioning of the very meaning of innocence and sin Zola explores the conflict between Church and Nature the sterility of the Church and the fertility of Nature This new translation includes a wide ranging and helpful introduction and explanatory notes