Late nineteenth century France was at the forefront of modernization with the old older being torn down and new social classes rising by adapting new ideas to these developments. The novel “Au Bonheur des Dames” or “The Ladies Paradise” authored by Émile Zola prominently displays many of the modern changes that occurred in Paris’s physical and social landscape in a department store setting. The Ladies Paradise showcases the progressive changes to the business model and infrastructure within Paris which enables the store to overcome its competitors and become a spectacle of Paris,
The success of Mouret’s newly developed business model and practices enabled The Ladies Paradise to transcend the old order of specialization and usher in the rise …show more content…
Georges-Eugène Haussmann was the mastermind behind the renovation of Paris in the late nineteenth century which paved the way for the Paris of today. Haussmann heavily expanded the boulevards of Paris and created lights to illuminate Paris which are prominently seen in The Ladies Paradise. Within the novel, these advancements facilitated and encouraged window shopping. As a result, The Ladies Paradise takes full advantage by showcasing elaborate and eye catching displays in the windows to attract customers passing by on the street. In the opening chapter, the main character, Denise is entranced by the beautiful and seductive nature of the window display (Ch. 1, Zola). The new boulevards also permitted carriages to move more freely on the Paris streets (Ch. 4, Zola). The book depicts this in two ways, the first is in the ability of carriages to line up and drop off high class people in front of The Ladies Paradise and the second is the use of these roads to deliver goods to and from The Ladies Paradise in mass quantities. Other technological advances within the store include the creation of an elevator and further expansions of the store(Ch. 9, Zola). The Ladies Paradise itself seems to mirror these expansions by making use of bright open spaces inside the store and utilizing iron in its expansion. These trends continue on throughout the book enabling the store to flourish and grow tremendously which wouldn’t have been possible without Haussmann’s public works
The success of Mouret’s newly developed business model and practices enabled The Ladies Paradise to transcend the old order of specialization and usher in the rise …show more content…
Georges-Eugène Haussmann was the mastermind behind the renovation of Paris in the late nineteenth century which paved the way for the Paris of today. Haussmann heavily expanded the boulevards of Paris and created lights to illuminate Paris which are prominently seen in The Ladies Paradise. Within the novel, these advancements facilitated and encouraged window shopping. As a result, The Ladies Paradise takes full advantage by showcasing elaborate and eye catching displays in the windows to attract customers passing by on the street. In the opening chapter, the main character, Denise is entranced by the beautiful and seductive nature of the window display (Ch. 1, Zola). The new boulevards also permitted carriages to move more freely on the Paris streets (Ch. 4, Zola). The book depicts this in two ways, the first is in the ability of carriages to line up and drop off high class people in front of The Ladies Paradise and the second is the use of these roads to deliver goods to and from The Ladies Paradise in mass quantities. Other technological advances within the store include the creation of an elevator and further expansions of the store(Ch. 9, Zola). The Ladies Paradise itself seems to mirror these expansions by making use of bright open spaces inside the store and utilizing iron in its expansion. These trends continue on throughout the book enabling the store to flourish and grow tremendously which wouldn’t have been possible without Haussmann’s public works