In dealing with this it was unfortunately
his method to leave nothing to the imagination, and herein lies the most
serious blemish on his work. There is undoubtedly much coarseness in
some of his books, and the regrettable feature is that it is not only
unnecessary, but in some cases actually lessens the effect at which he
aimed. It is doubtful whether he was possessed of any sense of humour.
Mr. Andrew Lang says that his lack of it was absolute, a darkness that
can be felt; Mr. R. H. Sherrard, on the other hand, indicates that his
work "teems with quiet fun." On the whole, truth seems to lie with Mr.
Lang. M. and Madame Charles Badeuil, in _La Terre_ may seem Dickensian
to an English reader, but there is always the Gallic point of view to be
reckoned with, and it is doubtful if Zola did not regard these persons
merely as types of a virtuous bourgeoisie.
It was in the treatment of crowds in motion that Zola chiefly excelled;
there is nothing finer in literature than the march of the strikers in
_Germinal_ or the charges of the troops in _La Debacle_. Contrast him
with such a master of prose as George Meredith, and we see how immensely
strong the battle scenes in _La Debacle_ are when compared with those
in _Vittoria_; it is here that his method of piling detail on detail and
horror on horror is most effectual.
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