![Book Cover of Therese Raquin](/image/book/therese-raquin.webp)
Therese Raquin
by Emile Zola
'Therese Raquin' Summary
Thérèse Raquin is the daughter of a French sea-captain and an Algerian mother. After her mother's death, her father takes her to live with her aunt, Madame Raquin, and Camille, her valetudinarian son. Because her son is "so ill", Madame Raquin dotes on him to the point of spoiling him, and he is very selfish. Camille and Thérèse grow up side-by-side and Madame Raquin marries them to each other when Thérèse turns 21. Shortly thereafter, Camille decides that the family should move to Paris so he can pursue a career.
Thérèse and Madame Raquin set up shop in the Passage du Pont Neuf to support Camille while he searches for a job. He eventually starts working for the Orléans Railway Company, where he runs into a childhood friend, Laurent. Laurent visits the Raquins and, while painting a portrait of Camille, contemplates an affair with the lonely Thérèse, mostly because he cannot afford prostitutes anymore.
It soon becomes a torrid love affair. They meet regularly and secretly in Thérèse's room. After some time, Laurent's boss no longer allows him to leave early, so the lovers must think of something new. Thérèse comes up with the idea of killing Camille, and they become infatuated with the idea of being able to be together permanently while being married. It seems Camille is the only obstacle in this. They eventually drown him during a boat trip, though in defending himself Camille succeeds in biting Laurent on the neck. Madame Raquin is in shock after hearing of her son's disappearance. Everybody believes that the drowning was an accident and that the couple actually tried to save Camille. Laurent is still uncertain about whether Camille is truly dead and frequently visits the mortuary, which he persists in although it disturbs him, until he finally finds the dead body there. Thérèse becomes far more nervous and has nightmares; the previously calm and centered Laurent also becomes nervous. Their feelings toward each other are greatly changing, but they still plot to marry without raising suspicion and therefore reap the rewards of their actions. Thérèse acts very subdued around family and acquaintances and Laurent publicly shows great concern and care for her, so Michaud, one of the family's regular visitors, decides that Thérèse should remarry and her ideal husband should be Laurent. They finally marry but they're haunted by the memory of the murder; Laurent's bite scar serves as a constant reminder for them both. They have hallucinations of the dead Camille in their bed every night, preventing them from touching each other and quickly driving them even more insane. They vacillate between trying desperately to rekindle their passion to get rid of the corpse hallucinations (and trying to 'heal' the bite scar), and despising each other. Laurent, previously an untalented artist, is suddenly struck with surprising talent and skill, but he can no longer paint a picture (even a landscape) which does not in some way resemble the dead man. Sickened by this, he gives up art. They must also tend Madame Raquin, who suffered a stroke after Camille's death. She suffers a second stroke and becomes completely paralyzed (except for her eyes), after which Thérèse and Laurent accidentally reveal the murder in her presence during one of their many arguments.
Madame Raquin, previously blissfully happy, is now filled with rage, disgust and horror. During an evening game of dominoes with friends, Madame Raquin manages to move her finger with an extreme effort of will to trace words on the table: "Thérèse et Laurent ont ...". The complete sentence was intended to be "Thérèse et Laurent ont tué Camille" (Thérèse and Laurent killed Camille). At this point her strength gives out and the words are interpreted as "Thérèse and Laurent look after me very well".
Thérèse and Laurent find life together intolerable. Laurent has started beating Thérèse, something she deliberately provokes in order to distract her from her life. Thérèse has convinced herself that Madame Raquin has forgiven her and spends hours kissing her and praying at the disabled woman's feet. The couple argue almost constantly about Camille and who was responsible for his death, so they exist in an endless waking nightmare. They are being driven to rashly plot to murder each other. At the novel's climax, they're about to kill each other when each realizes the other's plan. They break down sobbing in silent agreement of what they should do next, and reflect on their miserable lives. After a final embrace, they commit suicide by taking poison supplied by Laurent, all in front of the hate-filled, watchful gaze of Madame Raquin.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
FrenchPublished In
1867Author
![Emile Zola image](/thumbs/image/author/emile-zola.webp)
Emile Zola
France
Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the de...
More on Emile ZolaDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
![The Spider Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-spider.webp)
The Spider by Fergus Hume
The Spider: A mysterious figure known only as "Nemo" is terrorizing Melbourne society, blackmailing the city's most powerful and wealthy citizens. Whe...
![The Benson Murder Case - A Philo Vance Story Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-benson-murder-case-a-philo-vance-story.webp)
The Benson Murder Case - A Philo Vance Story by S. S. Van Dine
The story follows Philo Vance as he investigates a series of murder cases that occurred in the Benson household. With his sharp intellect and keen obs...
![The Mysteries of Marseilles Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-mysteries-of-marseilles.webp)
The Mysteries of Marseilles by Emile Zola
In the bustling port city of Marseille, love and betrayal, crime and corruption, poverty and wealth collide in a deadly web of intrigue. The Mysterie...
![The Murder of Delicia Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-murder-of-delicia.webp)
The Murder of Delicia by Marie Corelli
Delicia was murdered, but no court would ever get the case. She was murdered by the indiscretions of her husband, from the wounds they caused her, and...
![What The Left Hand Was Doing Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/what-the-left-hand-was-doing.webp)
What The Left Hand Was Doing by Randall Garrett
This takes readers on a thrilling journey through an alternate history universe where magic and technology coexist. In this enchanting blend of scienc...
![The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Raven Edition, Volume 4 Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-works-of-edgar-allan-poe-raven-edition-volume-4.webp)
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Raven Edition, Volume 4 by Edgar Allan Poe
This, the fourth of 5 volumes containing Poe's works, contains 22 of his short stories. Warning: Section 7, "A Predicament," contains some racial ste...
![Celebrated Crimes, Vol. 8 Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/celebrated-crimes-vol-8.webp)
Celebrated Crimes, Vol. 8 by Alexandre Dumas
The crimes of the Marquise of Brinvilliers, a French aristocrat during the reign of Louis XIV, included some of the most famous murders, scandals (Aff...
![The Deluge Volume 2 Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-deluge-volume-2.webp)
The Deluge Volume 2 by Henryk Sienkiewicz
The Deluge is a historical novel by the Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz, published in 1886. It is the second volume of a three-volume series known to...
![The Mystery of a Hansom Cab Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-mystery-of-a-hansom-cab.webp)
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume
In the bustling streets of 19th-century Melbourne, a dark secret hides within the confines of a seemingly innocent hansom cab. Welcome to "The Mystery...
![The Yellow Claw Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-yellow-claw.webp)
The Yellow Claw by Sax Rohmer
The Yellow Claw is a 1915 crime novel by Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward, known better under his pseudonym of Sax Rohmer. The story features Gaston Max,...
Reviews for Therese Raquin
No reviews posted or approved, yet...