The Sin of Father Mouret (1875) is a novel by French author Émile
Zola. The fifth of twenty volumes of Zola's monumental Les
Rougon-Macquart series is an epic story of family, politics, class, and
history that traces the disparate paths of several French citizens
raised by the same mother. Spanning the entirety of the French Second
Empire, Zola provides a sweeping portrait of change that refuses to shy
away from controversy and truth as it gets to the heart of heredity and
human nature. Serge Mouret is a pious, if not overzealous young man. For
his first assignment after taking his religious orders, he is appointed
parish priest of the impoverished village of Artauds. Unable to attract
villagers to his sermons, he pontificates to an empty, dilapidated
church, determined to explore and expose the innermost spaces of his
soul. Unconcerned with worldly affairs, he grows increasingly neurotic,
eventually suffering a debilitating breakdown. Unable to care for
himself, Father Mouret is taken into the care of Doctor Pascal Rougon, a
distant relative. At his suggestion, Mouret is sent to Le Paradou, a
rundown estate, where he is to live out his life in peace and
near-solitude. There, he befriends Albine, a young girl who seems to
have grown up alone at Le Paradou, and who dotes on her ailing
housemate. As time goes by, he begins to fall in love with her, and
their friendship develops into an innocent, blissful romance. The Sin
of Father Mouret is a story of family and fate, a thrilling and
detailed novel that continues a series rich enough for its author to
explore in twenty total volumes. With a beautifully designed cover and
professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Émile Zola's The Sin
of Father Mouret is a classic work of French literature reimagined for
modern readers.
