"His Excellency [Son Exc. Eugène Rougon]" by Émile Zola is set in the highest echelons of Second Empire government. It follows the career of Eugène Rougon and a dozen or so of his cronies as they jockey for political favor and personal gain, and embraces the public and personal life of Emperor Napoleon III. Zola fans might also recognize the main character from other examples of his work taking place in the years when Napoleon came into power.