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Au Bonheur des Dames

November 12, 2023

For the French band, see Au Bonheur des Dames (band).

Au Bonheur des Dames (French pronunciation: [obɔnœʁ deˈdam]; 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 from December 17, 1882 to March 1, 1883; and published in novel form by Charpentier in 1883.

The ladies' paradise
Au Bonheur des Dames manuscript
AuthorÉmile Zola
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
SeriesLes Rougon-Macquart
GenreNovel
PublisherCharpentier (book form)
Publication date
1882–1883 (serial); 1883 (book)
Media typePrint (serial, hardback, and paperback)
Preceded byPot-Bouille 
Followed byLa Faute de l'Abbé Mouret 

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 sequel to Pot-Bouille. Like its predecessor, Au Bonheur des Dames focuses on Octave Mouret, 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, the greater part of an entire city block.

Plot summary edit

The events of Au Bonheur des Dames cover approximately 1864-1869.

The novel tells the story of Denise Baudu, a 20-year-old woman from Valognes who comes to Paris with her younger brothers and begins working as a saleswoman at the department store "Au Bonheur des Dames". 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 each employee's struggle 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, and a system of refunds and novelties such as a reading room and a snack bar further induce his female clientele to patronize his store in growing numbers. In the process, he drives the traditional retailers who operate smaller speciality shops out of business.

In Pot-Bouille, an earlier novel, Octave is depicted as a ladies' man, sometimes inept, who seduces or attempts to seduce women who can give him some social or financial advantage. In Au Bonheur des Dames, he uses a young widow to influence a political figure–modeled after Baron Haussmann–in order to gain 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 refusal to be seduced by his charms further inflames him. The book ends with Denise admitting her love for Octave and agreeing to marry him.

The depiction of women is modern. The department store is described as a place where female customers can live out their fantasies and impulses; for the female employees, it offers the possibility of financial independence.[1]

Relationship to the other Rougon-Macquart novels edit

Zola designed the Rougon-Macquart novels to demonstrate how heredity and environment operate on the members of one family over the course of the Second French Empire. In this case, the environment is the department store.

Octave Mouret is 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 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.

Octave's brother is the priest Serge (La faute de l'Abbé Mouret), who served as a guardian to their mentally challenged sister Desirée.

In Le docteur Pascal, the final novel in the series set in 1872-1873, Octave and Denise are married and have three children. Octave also appears briefly or is mentioned in La joie de vivre and L'œuvre.

Adaptations edit

The novel has been adapted for film several times.

The BBC used the novel as the basis for a 2012 eight-part television series set in northern England titled The Paradise.[2] It starred Joanna Vanderham and Emun Elliott. The BBC launched a second series in October 2013.

The novel was also adapted as an Italian language television series in 2015, Il Paradiso delle Signore, which has run for several seasons and stars Giuseppe Zeno and Giusy Buscemi.

The novel was adapted for the stage, with the title The Department Store, by Justin Fleming, and was premiered at The Old Fitzroy Theatre Sydney in 2005, directed by Christopher Hurrell.

The novel was adapted into a play for BBC Radio 4 that premiered in September 2010.[3]

Translations edit

  • Shop Girls of Paris (1883, tr. Mary Neal Sherwood, T.B. Peterson & Bros.)
  • The Ladies' Paradise (1883, tr. Frank Belmont, Tinsley Bros.)
  • The Ladies' Paradise (1886, tr. Frank Belmont, edited for H. Vizetelly, Vizetelly & Co.)
  • The Ladies' Paradise (1895, tr. Frank Belmont, edited by Ernest Alfred Vizetelly, Hutchinson & Co.)
  • Ladies' Delight (1957, tr. April Fitzlyon, John Calder)
  • The Ladies Paradise (1995, tr. Brian Nelson, Oxford University Press)[4]
  • Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies' Delight) (2001, tr. Robin Buss, Penguin Books)[5]

See also edit

Sources edit

  • 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).

References edit

  1. ^ Lubrich, Naomi (2015). "Der Vampir im Warenhaus. Eine Metapher wird lebendig in Émile Zolas Au Bonheur des Dames" in: Orbis Litterarum: International Review of Literary Studies. 70:6 (in German). pp. 474–502.
  2. ^ Walker, Tim (September 15, 2012). "'The Paradise' star says BBC show 'brought forward' to prevent new ratings battle with ITV". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved September 24, 2012. The Paradise, which stars Joanna Vanderham is an adaptation of The Ladies' Paradise, the classic novel by Émile Zola, with the action relocated from France to northern England, where the country's first department store is opened in 1875.
  3. ^ "Classic Serial - Emile Zola - The Ladies' Delight". bbc.co.uk.
  4. ^ The Ladies Paradise (Au Bonheur des Dames); first trans. by Brian Nelson in 1995. Oxford World's Classics. ISBN 978-0-19-953690-0 (re-issued 2008)
  5. ^ Au Bonheur des Dames; first trans. by Robin Buss in 2001. Penguin Classics. ISBN 978-0-14-044783-5 (re-issued 2004)

External links edit

  • Au Bonheur des Dames at Project Gutenberg (French)
  • Au bonheur des dames at IMDb (1943) (French)
  • Au bonheur des dames at IMDb (1930) (French) directed by Julien Duvivier
  • Zum Paradies der Damen at IMDb (German) (1922)
  •   The Ladies' Paradise public domain audiobook at LibriVox
  • (in French) Au Bonheur des Dames, audio version  

November 12, 2023
bonheur, dames, french, band, band, french, pronunciation, obɔnœʁ, deˈdam, ladies, delight, ladies, paradise, eleventh, novel, rougon, macquart, series, Émile, zola, first, serialized, periodical, blas, from, december, 1882, march, 1883, published, novel, form. For the French band see Au Bonheur des Dames band Au Bonheur des Dames French pronunciation obɔnœʁ deˈdam The Ladies Delight or The Ladies Paradise is the eleventh novel in the Rougon Macquart series by Emile Zola It was first serialized in the periodical Gil Blas from December 17 1882 to March 1 1883 and published in novel form by Charpentier in 1883 The ladies paradiseAu Bonheur des Dames manuscriptAuthorEmile ZolaCountryFranceLanguageFrenchSeriesLes Rougon MacquartGenreNovelPublisherCharpentier book form Publication date1882 1883 serial 1883 book Media typePrint serial hardback and paperback Preceded byPot Bouille Followed byLa Faute de l Abbe Mouret 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 Marche which consolidated under one roof many of the goods hitherto sold in separate shops The narrative details many of Le Bon Marche 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 sequel to Pot Bouille Like its predecessor Au Bonheur des Dames focuses on Octave Mouret who at the end of the previous novel married Caroline Hedouin 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 the greater part of an entire city block Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Relationship to the other Rougon Macquart novels 3 Adaptations 4 Translations 5 See also 6 Sources 7 References 8 External linksPlot summary editThe events of Au Bonheur des Dames cover approximately 1864 1869 The novel tells the story of Denise Baudu a 20 year old woman from Valognes who comes to Paris with her younger brothers and begins working as a saleswoman at the department store Au Bonheur des Dames 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 each employee s struggle 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 and a system of refunds and novelties such as a reading room and a snack bar further induce his female clientele to patronize his store in growing numbers In the process he drives the traditional retailers who operate smaller speciality shops out of business In Pot Bouille an earlier novel Octave is depicted as a ladies man sometimes inept who seduces or attempts to seduce women who can give him some social or financial advantage In Au Bonheur des Dames he uses a young widow to influence a political figure modeled after Baron Haussmann in order to gain 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 refusal to be seduced by his charms further inflames him The book ends with Denise admitting her love for Octave and agreeing to marry him The depiction of women is modern The department store is described as a place where female customers can live out their fantasies and impulses for the female employees it offers the possibility of financial independence 1 Relationship to the other Rougon Macquart novels editZola designed the Rougon Macquart novels to demonstrate how heredity and environment operate on the members of one family over the course of the Second French Empire In this case the environment is the department store Octave Mouret is introduced briefly in La fortune des Rougon He plays a larger but background role in La conquete de Plassans which focuses on his parents the first cousins Marthe Rougon and Francois Mouret As an innovator and 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 Octave s brother is the priest Serge La faute de l Abbe Mouret who served as a guardian to their mentally challenged sister Desiree In Le docteur Pascal the final novel in the series set in 1872 1873 Octave and Denise are married and have three children Octave also appears briefly or is mentioned in La joie de vivre and L œuvre Adaptations editThe novel has been adapted for film several times Zum Paradies der Damen 1922 directed by Lupu Pick Au bonheur des dames 1930 directed by Julien Duvivier starring Dita Parlo Au Bonheur des Dames English Shop Girls of Paris 1943 directed by Andre Cayatte starring Blanchette BrunoyThe BBC used the novel as the basis for a 2012 eight part television series set in northern England titled The Paradise 2 It starred Joanna Vanderham and Emun Elliott The BBC launched a second series in October 2013 The novel was also adapted as an Italian language television series in 2015 Il Paradiso delle Signore which has run for several seasons and stars Giuseppe Zeno and Giusy Buscemi The novel was adapted for the stage with the title The Department Store by Justin Fleming and was premiered at The Old Fitzroy Theatre Sydney in 2005 directed by Christopher Hurrell The novel was adapted into a play for BBC Radio 4 that premiered in September 2010 3 Translations editShop Girls of Paris 1883 tr Mary Neal Sherwood T B Peterson amp Bros The Ladies Paradise 1883 tr Frank Belmont Tinsley Bros The Ladies Paradise 1886 tr Frank Belmont edited for H Vizetelly Vizetelly amp Co The Ladies Paradise 1895 tr Frank Belmont edited by Ernest Alfred Vizetelly Hutchinson amp Co Ladies Delight 1957 tr April Fitzlyon John Calder The Ladies Paradise 1995 tr Brian Nelson Oxford University Press 4 Au Bonheur des Dames The Ladies Delight 2001 tr Robin Buss Penguin Books 5 See also edit nbsp Novels portalAristide Boucicaut Grands Magasins du Louvre Kleptomania La Samaritaine Ready to wear Retailing ShoppingSources editBrown F 1995 Zola A life New York Farrar Straus amp 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 References edit Lubrich Naomi 2015 Der Vampir im Warenhaus Eine Metapher wird lebendig in Emile Zolas Au Bonheur des Dames in Orbis Litterarum International Review of Literary Studies 70 6 in German pp 474 502 Walker Tim September 15 2012 The Paradise star says BBC show brought forward to prevent new ratings battle with ITV The Daily Telegraph Retrieved September 24 2012 The Paradise which stars Joanna Vanderham is an adaptation of The Ladies Paradise the classic novel by Emile Zola with the action relocated from France to northern England where the country s first department store is opened in 1875 Classic Serial Emile Zola The Ladies Delight bbc co uk The Ladies Paradise Au Bonheur des Dames first trans by Brian Nelson in 1995 Oxford World s Classics ISBN 978 0 19 953690 0 re issued 2008 Au Bonheur des Dames first trans by Robin Buss in 2001 Penguin Classics ISBN 978 0 14 044783 5 re issued 2004 External links editAu Bonheur des Dames at Project Gutenberg French Au bonheur des dames at IMDb 1943 French Au bonheur des dames at IMDb 1930 French directed by Julien Duvivier Zum Paradies der Damen at IMDb German 1922 nbsp The Ladies Paradise public domain audiobook at LibriVox in French Au Bonheur des Dames audio version nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Au Bonheur des Dames amp oldid 1172904765, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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