This eBook edition of «Parisian Sketches» has been formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Table of Contents : The Boot-Polishing Virgin, The Old Women With Blue Eyes, The Contrasts, Love Under The Roof. These short stories are deeply involving, because they contain nearly a complete picture of Parisian society in the middle of the nineteenth century. Emile Zola (1840 – 1902) was a French writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism. He was a major figure in the political liberalization of France and in the exoneration of the falsely accused and convicted army officer Alfred Dreyfus, which is encapsulated in the renowned newspaper headline J'accuse. Zola was nominated for the first and second Nobel Prize in Literature in 1901 and 1902.