Zola's novel "Germinal" evidently still exerts a significant, albeit ambivalent, fascination on contemporary readers. The issue of inhumane working conditions during an earlier phase of capitalism, which is central to a certain interpretation of the novel, seems to be no longer relevant in the economically advanced countries of the West and is more of historical interest. So what explains the continued interest in this work? Author Volker Welter explores this question in his essay and points to the cultural conservatism of the left and elements of popular literature in the work as possible explanatory patterns.