This is not a Source Study. Zola, Genesis, and La Faute de l'abbé Mouret

Critics of Zola's La Faute de l'abbé Mouret have traditionally offered source studies, primarily discussing the novel as a reprise of the Garden of Eden episode of Genesis. But the actual source of La Faute is less important than the fact that critical response to the novel has consistently focused on its imitation of and deviation from sources: on problems of resemblance and difference. My reading decenters the manifest emphasis on the Eden episode, focusing instead on another episode of Genesis introduced obliquely in the novel: that primary scene linking God's Law, separation, and naming. As I examine patterns of difference and identity in the novel, I argue that it is structured by the attempt to impose distinction and differentiation on an otherwise unmarked-and meaningless-whole. (JLB)