Au Bonheur des Dames
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| + | "The [[cultural shift]] represented by the [[department store]] is also explored in [[Emile Zola]]'s 1883 novel ''[[Au Bonheur des Dames]]'', which describes the workings and the appeal of a fictionalized version of [[Le Bon Marché]]."--Sholem Stein | ||
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| + | '''''Au Bonheur des Dames''''' (''The Ladies' Delight'' or ''The Ladies' Paradise'') is the eleventh novel in the [[Les Rougon-Macquart|Rougon-Macquart]] series by [[Émile Zola]]. It was first serialized in the periodical ''[[Gil Blas (periodical)|Gil Blas]]'' and published in novel form by Charpentier in 1883. | ||
| - | ==Relation to the other Rougon-Macquart novels== | + | The novel is set in the world of the [[department store]], an innovative development in mid-nineteenth century retail sales. Zola models his store after [[Le Bon Marché]], which consolidated under one roof many of the goods hitherto sold in separate shops. The narrative details many of Le Bon Marché's innovations, including its mail-order business, its system of commissions, its in-house staff commissary, and its methods of receiving and retailing goods. |
| - | As the last novel in the series, ''Le docteur Pascal'' ties up the loose ends of the remaining family members' lives. It is the only Rougon-Macquart novel that has all five generations of the family represented. Furthermore, it is the only novel in which a representative from each of the five generations dies: Tante Dide, Antoine Macquart, Pascal Rougon, Maxime Rougon/Saccard, and his son Charles. | + | ''Au Bonheur des Dames'' is a direct sequel to the previous book in the Rougon-Macquart series, ''[[Pot-Bouille]]''. Like its predecessor, ''Au Bonheur des Dames'' focuses on Octave Mouret (b. 1840), who, at the end of the previous novel, married Caroline Hédouin, the owner of a small silk shop. Now a widower, Octave has expanded the business into an international retail powerhouse occupying (at the beginning of the book) most of an entire city block. |
| - | Adelaïde Fouque (Tante Dide), the family ancestress, has lived in an asylum for 21 years. She dies at the age of 105 after witnessing the death of her great-great-grandson Charles. Her eldest son Pierre Rougon, Félicité's husband, died two years before the novel opens. Her younger son Antoine Macquart is a drunk. He dies during the course of the novel when his body, soaked with alcohol from a lifetime of drinking, catches fire - a fictional instance of [[spontaneous human combustion]] that may be compared to the death of Krook in [[Bleak House]]. Here again Zola touches, in a horrific manner, on the consequences of the excessive consumption of alcohol, a theme common to the entire Rougon-Macquart cycle. | + | ''Au Bonheur des Dames'' was first translated into [[English language|English]] by F. Belmont in 1883. Several other translations have appeared over the years, [[John Calder]] published a translation by [[April FitzLyon]] in 1957. The most readily available are those by [[Brian Nelson (critic)|Brian Nelson]] (''The Ladies' Paradise'') in 1995 for [[Oxford World's Classics]], and by [[Robin Buss]] (''The Ladies' Delight'') in 2002 for [[Penguin Classics]]. |
| - | Clotilde's brother Maxime lives in a Parisian mansion; he is suffering from [[ataxia]] and is being preyed upon by his father Aristide Saccard (see ''[[L'Argent|L'argent]]''), who wants to get his hands on Maxime's money. Maxime has an illegitimate son named Charles, a [[haemophilia|hemophiliac]], who bleeds to death on an afternoon visit to Tante Dide. Maxime too dies in the last pages of the novel. | + | ==Plot summary== |
| - | In addition, we learn about the following: | + | The events of ''Au Bonheur des Dames'' cover approximately 1864-1869. |
| - | * Eugène Rougon, Pascal's elder brother, is a deputy in the legislature where he continues to defend the fallen Emperor. | + | The novel is a straightforward narrative telling the story of Denise Baudu, a 20-year-old woman from [[Valognes]] who comes to [[Paris]] with her brothers and begins working at the department store Au Bonheur des Dames as a saleswoman. Zola describes the inner workings of the store from the employees' perspective, including the 13-hour workdays, the substandard food, and the bare lodgings (for the female staff). Many of the conflicts in the novel spring from the struggles for advancement and the malicious infighting and gossip among the staff. |
| - | * Aristide Saccard, Pascal's younger brother, exiled to [[Belgium]] after the fall of the Banque Universelle (see ''[[L'Argent|L'argent]]''), has returned to France. He is editor of a newspaper and is again building new and great businesses. After Maxime dies, he pockets his fortune for his own ends. | + | |
| - | * Victor, Aristide's illegitimate son, has disappeared into the streets of Paris and left no trace (see ''L'argent''). | + | |
| - | * Sidonie Rougon, Pascal's sister, after a life of impropriety, now lives in "nunlike austerity" as the financial mistress of a home for unwed mothers. | + | |
| - | * Octave Mouret and his wife Denise (''[[Au Bonheur des Dames|Au bonheur des dames]]'') have two children, a sickly daughter and a robust and healthy son. | + | |
| - | * Serge Mouret (''[[La Faute de l'Abbé Mouret|La faute de l'Abbé Mouret]]''), a parish priest, lives in religious seclusion with his sister Desirée. At the end of ''Le docteur Pascal'', his death is imminent. | + | |
| - | * Hélène Mouret and her husband Rambaud (''[[Une Page d'amour|Une page d'amour]]'') continue to live in [[Marseilles]], childless. | + | |
| - | * Pauline Quenu (''[[La Joie de vivre|La joie de vivre]]'') still lives at Bonneville, raising Lazare's son Paul (her uncle Chanteau having died) while Lazare, now a widower, has gone to America. | + | |
| - | * Étienne Lantier (''[[Germinal (novel)|Germinal]]'') was arrested for taking part in the violence of the [[Paris Commune]] and sent to [[New Caledonia]], where he is married and has a child. | + | |
| - | * Jean Macquart (''[[La Terre|La terre]]'', ''[[La Débâcle|La débâcle]]'') has married and lives a town near Plassans. He and his wife have two vital and healthy children, and they are expecting a third at the close of the series. The hope for any enduring strength of the family lies here, as with Clotilde and Pascal's son. | + | |
| + | Denise's story is played against the career of Octave Mouret, the owner of Au Bonheur des Dames, whose retail innovations and store expansions threaten the existence of all the neighborhood shops. Under one roof, Octave has gathered [[textile]]s ([[silk]]s, [[woolen]]s) as well as all manner of ready-made garments ([[dress]]es, [[coat (clothing)|coats]], [[lingerie]], [[glove]]s), accessories necessary for making clothes, and ancillary items like [[carpet]]ing and [[furniture]]. His aim is to overwhelm the senses of his female customers, forcing them to spend by bombarding them with an array of buying choices and by juxtaposing goods in enticing and intoxicating ways. Massive advertising, huge sales, home delivery, a system of refunds, and innovations such as an in-store reading room and a snack bar further induce his female clientele to patronize his store in growing numbers. In the process, he drives smaller, specialty shops out of business. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In ''Pot-Bouille'', Octave is depicted as a (sometimes inept) ladies' man who seduces or attempts to seduce women who can give him some type of material (social or financial) advantage. This characteristic is carried over in ''Au Bonheur des Dames''. Here, he uses a young widow to influence a political figure (modeled after [[Baron Haussmann]]) in order to have frontage access to a huge thoroughfare (the present day rue de [[Quatre-Septembre (Paris Métro)|Quatre-Septembre]]) for the store. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Despite his contempt for women, Octave finds himself slowly falling in love with Denise, whose inability to be seduced by his charms further inflames him. The book ends with Denise admitting her love for Octave. Her marriage with Octave is seen as a victory of women over a man who refuses to be conquered and whose aim is to subjugate and exploit women using their own senses. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Relation to the Other Rougon-Macquart Novels== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Zola's plan for the Rougon-Macquart novels was to show how [[heredity]] and environment worked on members of one family over the course of the [[Second French Empire]]. In this case, the environment is the department store. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Octave Mouret is first introduced briefly in ''[[La Fortune des Rougon|La fortune des Rougon]]''. He plays a larger but background role in ''[[La Conquête de Plassans|La conquête de Plassans]]'', which focuses on his parents, the first [[cousin]]s Marthe Rougon and François Mouret. As an innovator and a risk-taker, Octave combines his mother's imagination with his father's business sense, making the department store the perfect milieu for his natural gifts. | ||
| + | |||
| + | He also inherits from his great-grandmother (Adelaïde Fouque or Tante Dide) a touch of what today might be called [[obsessive-compulsive disorder]], manifested in his intense commercial drive and his obsession with dominating female consumers. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Octave's brother is the priest Serge (''[[La Faute de l'Abbé Mouret|La faute de l'Abbé Mouret]]''), who serves as guardian to their mentally challenged sister Desirée. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In ''[[Le Docteur Pascal|Le docteur Pascal]]'', the final novel in the series set in 1872-1873, we learn that Octave and Denise are married and have two children. (Octave also appears briefly or is mentioned in ''[[La Joie de vivre|La joie de vivre]]'' and ''[[L'Œuvre|L'œuvre]]''.) | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Additional background== | ||
| + | |||
| + | In ''Au Bonheur des Dames'', the store is a symbol of [[capitalism]], the modern [[city]], and the [[bourgeois]] family. It is emblematic of changes in [[consumerism|consumer culture]], [[sexual norm|sexual attitudes]], and [[social class|class]] relations taking place at the end of the century. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Typical of Zola's novels, the physical location of the fictional store in the novel is worth noting. Located along the rue du Dix-Decembre equidistant from the [[Opera Garnier]] (under construction in the storyline of the novel) and the [[Paris Bourse|Palais Brongniart]] (the Parisian [[stock market]]), Zola's department store is meant to highlight the confluence of 'feminine' shopping and 'masculine' finance. Both the stock market and the theatre are central elements in other novels in the Rougon-Macquart series (''[[L'Argent|L'argent]]'' and ''[[Nana (novel)|Nana]]''). | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | *[[Aristide Boucicaut]] | ||
| + | *[[Grands Magasins du Louvre]] | ||
| + | *[[Kleptomania]] | ||
| + | *[[La Samaritaine]] | ||
| + | *[[Ready-to-wear]] | ||
| + | *[[Retailing]] | ||
| + | *[[Shopping]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | ==Sources== | ||
| + | *Brown, F. (1995). ''Zola: A life''. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. | ||
| + | *Zola, E. ''Au Bonheur des Dames'', translated as ''The Ladies' Paradise'' by Brian Nelson (1995). | ||
| + | *Zola, E. ''Au Bonheur des Dames'', translated as ''The Ladies' Delight'' by Robin Buss (2002). | ||
| + | *Zola, E. ''Le doctor Pascal'', translated as ''Doctor Pascal'' by [[E. A. Vizetelly]] (1893). | ||
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"The cultural shift represented by the department store is also explored in Emile Zola's 1883 novel Au Bonheur des Dames, which describes the workings and the appeal of a fictionalized version of Le Bon Marché."--Sholem Stein |
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Related e |
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Featured: |
Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies' Delight or The Ladies' Paradise) is the eleventh novel in the Rougon-Macquart series by Émile Zola. It was first serialized in the periodical Gil Blas and published in novel form by Charpentier in 1883.
The novel is set in the world of the department store, an innovative development in mid-nineteenth century retail sales. Zola models his store after Le Bon Marché, which consolidated under one roof many of the goods hitherto sold in separate shops. The narrative details many of Le Bon Marché's innovations, including its mail-order business, its system of commissions, its in-house staff commissary, and its methods of receiving and retailing goods.
Au Bonheur des Dames is a direct sequel to the previous book in the Rougon-Macquart series, Pot-Bouille. Like its predecessor, Au Bonheur des Dames focuses on Octave Mouret (b. 1840), who, at the end of the previous novel, married Caroline Hédouin, the owner of a small silk shop. Now a widower, Octave has expanded the business into an international retail powerhouse occupying (at the beginning of the book) most of an entire city block.
Au Bonheur des Dames was first translated into English by F. Belmont in 1883. Several other translations have appeared over the years, John Calder published a translation by April FitzLyon in 1957. The most readily available are those by Brian Nelson (The Ladies' Paradise) in 1995 for Oxford World's Classics, and by Robin Buss (The Ladies' Delight) in 2002 for Penguin Classics.
Contents |
Plot summary
The events of Au Bonheur des Dames cover approximately 1864-1869.
The novel is a straightforward narrative telling the story of Denise Baudu, a 20-year-old woman from Valognes who comes to Paris with her brothers and begins working at the department store Au Bonheur des Dames as a saleswoman. Zola describes the inner workings of the store from the employees' perspective, including the 13-hour workdays, the substandard food, and the bare lodgings (for the female staff). Many of the conflicts in the novel spring from the struggles for advancement and the malicious infighting and gossip among the staff.
Denise's story is played against the career of Octave Mouret, the owner of Au Bonheur des Dames, whose retail innovations and store expansions threaten the existence of all the neighborhood shops. Under one roof, Octave has gathered textiles (silks, woolens) as well as all manner of ready-made garments (dresses, coats, lingerie, gloves), accessories necessary for making clothes, and ancillary items like carpeting and furniture. His aim is to overwhelm the senses of his female customers, forcing them to spend by bombarding them with an array of buying choices and by juxtaposing goods in enticing and intoxicating ways. Massive advertising, huge sales, home delivery, a system of refunds, and innovations such as an in-store reading room and a snack bar further induce his female clientele to patronize his store in growing numbers. In the process, he drives smaller, specialty shops out of business.
In Pot-Bouille, Octave is depicted as a (sometimes inept) ladies' man who seduces or attempts to seduce women who can give him some type of material (social or financial) advantage. This characteristic is carried over in Au Bonheur des Dames. Here, he uses a young widow to influence a political figure (modeled after Baron Haussmann) in order to have frontage access to a huge thoroughfare (the present day rue de Quatre-Septembre) for the store.
Despite his contempt for women, Octave finds himself slowly falling in love with Denise, whose inability to be seduced by his charms further inflames him. The book ends with Denise admitting her love for Octave. Her marriage with Octave is seen as a victory of women over a man who refuses to be conquered and whose aim is to subjugate and exploit women using their own senses.
Relation to the Other Rougon-Macquart Novels
Zola's plan for the Rougon-Macquart novels was to show how heredity and environment worked on members of one family over the course of the Second French Empire. In this case, the environment is the department store.
Octave Mouret is first introduced briefly in La fortune des Rougon. He plays a larger but background role in La conquête de Plassans, which focuses on his parents, the first cousins Marthe Rougon and François Mouret. As an innovator and a risk-taker, Octave combines his mother's imagination with his father's business sense, making the department store the perfect milieu for his natural gifts.
He also inherits from his great-grandmother (Adelaïde Fouque or Tante Dide) a touch of what today might be called obsessive-compulsive disorder, manifested in his intense commercial drive and his obsession with dominating female consumers.
Octave's brother is the priest Serge (La faute de l'Abbé Mouret), who serves as guardian to their mentally challenged sister Desirée.
In Le docteur Pascal, the final novel in the series set in 1872-1873, we learn that Octave and Denise are married and have two children. (Octave also appears briefly or is mentioned in La joie de vivre and L'œuvre.)
Additional background
In Au Bonheur des Dames, the store is a symbol of capitalism, the modern city, and the bourgeois family. It is emblematic of changes in consumer culture, sexual attitudes, and class relations taking place at the end of the century.
Typical of Zola's novels, the physical location of the fictional store in the novel is worth noting. Located along the rue du Dix-Decembre equidistant from the Opera Garnier (under construction in the storyline of the novel) and the Palais Brongniart (the Parisian stock market), Zola's department store is meant to highlight the confluence of 'feminine' shopping and 'masculine' finance. Both the stock market and the theatre are central elements in other novels in the Rougon-Macquart series (L'argent and Nana).
See also
- Aristide Boucicaut
- Grands Magasins du Louvre
- Kleptomania
- La Samaritaine
- Ready-to-wear
- Retailing
- Shopping
Sources
- Brown, F. (1995). Zola: A life. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
- Zola, E. Au Bonheur des Dames, translated as The Ladies' Paradise by Brian Nelson (1995).
- Zola, E. Au Bonheur des Dames, translated as The Ladies' Delight by Robin Buss (2002).
- Zola, E. Le doctor Pascal, translated as Doctor Pascal by E. A. Vizetelly (1893).
