I hesitated over that one. Zola. I don't know. I should maybe see the film. There is something I hate about reading French prose, though, is the thing. It's not English. Okay, that makes no sense. I like French poetry. I like WRITING French. I'm okay with French newspapers and magazines. But reading French novels just makes me miserable because it's not as effortless and instant and automatic as reading English, though I TELL myself that it's because French doesn't have as many nuances in its vocabulary. English IS bigger than French...

I know, I could read it in translation... I mean, if I liked Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, why wouldn't I like Germinal?