Zola’s Money (L’Argent, 1891) shows the corrupting effect of untrammelled stock-market speculation. While some seek redemption through philanthropic and evangelical ventures, others – such as the main protagonist, Saccard – embrace their own avarice. Speculators illegally push up share prices so that ordinary citizens are feverishly swept up in an epidemic of small-scale investment. After unsustainable growth, there follows the inevitable crash, unleashing widespread misery and playing out against a backdrop of looming European conflict, colonialism, economic instability and political revolution. As Saccard tries to keep ahead of the financial authorities, he finds himself increasingly haunted by a serious crime from his past.
