ABSTRACT
Inheritance is key to Emile Zola's 1887 novel La Terre both at the level of narrative and that of characterization. As a theme it acquires increased significance when one considers the ancestry of Zola's novel itself since the work interacts with the textual property and riches of Shakespeare's King Lear. Prominent critics have characterized textual relations precisely in terms of inheritance. Whilst the terminology of inheritance cannot be applied wholesale to the process of adaptation, it is highly useful in assessing Antoine's cinematic adaptation of La Terre, an adaptation released in 1921 and widely hailed to be one of the most important early adaptations of Zola. This chapter examines inheritance on three interlinked levels: the constructive role of fiscal and territorial inheritance at the level of characters, Zola's use of aspects of the riches of Shakespeare's King Lear and, finally, Andre Antoine's role as heir to Zola's text.
