Émile Zola, La Débâcle (1892)

Émile Zola did painstaking research into the subjects he included in his novels. While he brought a very strong perspective to the vision of recent history reflected in his works, they do give some insights into the ways that events were actually experienced by individuals at the time. Thus, since The Debacle was written 20 years after the Franco-Prussian war, when memories of the conflict were still fresh, it still has some use as a historical source.

 

Emile Zola describes the feelings of a French soldier at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War

Zola Describes the Increasingly precarious position of the French

Zola Describes a desperate French cavalry charge at Sedan.

Zola Describes the surrender of Napoleon III.

A French Cavalry Officer Guarding Captured Bavarian Soldiers