I should be writing my essay on the ascension of the middle class in Victorian Britain; but instead I am going to talk about another Victorian invention: the department store.
I am reading Emile Zola's 'Au Bonheur des Dames' otherwise known as 'The Ladies' Delight'. It is widely agreed the the first ever department store was created in Paris and was Au Bon Marche and Zola's fictional Au Bonheur des Dames is based on this department store.
des Dames is the glittering department store run by Octave Mouret. Using his charm and drive he builds up his department store and seduces his lady customers with luxurious displays of shimmering silks, satins, velvet and lace. Then Denise Badau a naive provincial girl becomes an assistant at the store - and Mouret discovers he can also be enchanted.
With its greedy customers, gossipping staff and a vibrant sense of theatre 'Au Bonheur des Dames' is such an enchanting and interesting novel to read. Zola's vibrant descriptions of the magnificent shop displays are awesomley impressive (it's easy to see why Victorians considered looking at these new and amazing shop displays a family event!) Much more interesting though is the commentary on modern consumer society; these department stores really were, and are, 'cathedrals of consumption'. The effect this consumerism has on the shops customers, the struggling small shops that surround it (because of the success of des Dames.. you can buy all your stuff in one place! and it is ready made for you!..and they had toilets!) is the most interesting aspect for me as this is where modern consumer society really begins and where shopping is now seen as the women's arena (previously men were the peacocks of fashion) and also the staff relationships and politics which apply and are created in department stores is fascinating.
So I recommend this book if you like a good old fashioned romance (Mouret and Denise), whether you like classic, period books, or if you are interested in the history of fashion and consumerism then this book is definitley for you.
Also the BBC have made an adaptation of this novel called 'The Paradise' it is ok and it is definitely a feast for the eyes but it doesn't really follow the book at all in my opinion, especially conerning location and even the characters (for example Denise turns from a shy, fairly ugly girl in the books to a extremley confident and beautiful woman - and also she apparently has no siblings in the series, which add another dimension to her poverty in the novels)
But anyway.... READ THE BOOK <3
