Zola's train in "Bête Humaine" is 3D printed

Creative ideas for 3D printing can come from anywhere, even fromÉmile Zola ! The classic literary work "La Bête humaine" thus inspired teacher Morgane Cadieu, who decided to design a 3D-printed Zola train based on the novel. In 2014, as part of her undergraduate course on " Trains of French Literature ", this teacher set up a collaboration between the French department and Yale's Center for Engineering and Design Innovation. The project was to model the "La Lison" locomotive in 3D according to the descriptions evoked in the work. In the 19th century, writers liked to evoke theindustrialization of the country by describing in their texts the appearance of machines and various manufactured objects. Considered the leader of naturalismÉmile Zola enjoyed writing long descriptions of railway stations and locomotives in his 1890 novel "La Bête humaine". Literary critics described certain ages as "scientific" and "technical".

"The result was very exciting," confides Morgane Cadieu, "as the train we were able to 3D print looked very much like the trains that had inspired Zola, although we did take a few liberties with the technical aspects of the machine: some wheels are missing because they weren't described by the author; and the whistle is disproportionately large because it plays a vital role in the novel."

For the 3D file of this 3D-printed train, visit the Cults platform. The 3D model is free and exclusive.