L'Inondation (The Flood) is an 1880 novella by Émile Zola. Set in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse, it is the story of a family tragedy, told by its patriarch, seventy-year-old Louis Roubieu.

The Flood
AuthorÉmile Zola
Original titleL'Inondation
LanguageFrench
GenreShort story
Publication date
1880
Publication placeFrance
Media typePrint

Plot summary

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On a beautiful May day, the Garonne floods, washing away all the bridges; ruining nearly two thousand houses; drowning hundreds; and leaving twenty thousand starving to death. The novella describes the immediate impact this flood has on one household.

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