The novel
gives an excellent account of the political and social life of the
Second Empire, and of the cynical corruption which characterized the
period.
In a preface to the English translation (_His Excellency_. London:
Chatto & Windus), Mr. E. A. Vizetelly states that in his opinion,
"with all due allowance for its somewhat limited range of subject, _Son
Excellence Eugene Rougon_ is the one existing French novel which gives
the reader a fair general idea of what occurred in political spheres at
an important period of the Empire. But His Excellency Eugene Rougon
is not, as many critics and others have supposed, a mere portrait or
caricature of His Excellency Eugene Rouher, the famous Vice-Emperor of
history. Symbolism is to be found in every one of Zola's novels, and
Rougon, in his main lines, is but the symbol of a principle, or, to be
accurate, the symbol of a certain form of the principle of authority.
His face is Rouher's, like his build and his favorite gesture; but with
Rouher's words, actions, opinions, and experiences are blended those of
half a dozen other personages. He is the incarnation of that craving,
that lust for power which impelled so many men of ability to throw
all principle to the winds and become the instruments of an abominable
system of government.
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