Zola's prophetic celebration of unbridled commerce and consumerism, "The Ladies' Paradise" ("Au bonheur des dames", 1883) recounts the frenzied transformations that made late nineteenth-century Paris the fashion capital of the world. The novel's capitalist hero, Octave Mouret, creates a giant department store that devours the dusty, outmoded boutiques surrounding it. Paralleling the story of commercial triumph is the love story between Mouret and the innocent Denise Baudu, who comes to work in "The Ladies' Paradise". She ...
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Zola's prophetic celebration of unbridled commerce and consumerism, "The Ladies' Paradise" ("Au bonheur des dames", 1883) recounts the frenzied transformations that made late nineteenth-century Paris the fashion capital of the world. The novel's capitalist hero, Octave Mouret, creates a giant department store that devours the dusty, outmoded boutiques surrounding it. Paralleling the story of commercial triumph is the love story between Mouret and the innocent Denise Baudu, who comes to work in "The Ladies' Paradise". She provides the crucial link between Mouret and the three essential social groups in the novel: the female clientele, the shopgirls, and the petit bourgeois shopkeepers of the neighborhood. But the store itself plays the leading role. Zola celebrates capitalism, commerce, and consumerism with a kind of prophetic optimism, calling this novel 'a poem of modern activity.' The work's interest for readers in feminist, cultural, and social history and theory is made abundantly clear in the introduction by Kristin Ross, and the fiction is reproduced in its colorful, 1886 English translation.
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Add this copy of The Ladies' Paradise to cart. $28.14, new condition, Sold by Books2anywhere rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fairford, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1991 by University of California Press.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Add this copy of The Ladies' Paradise to cart. $25.40, good condition, Sold by GreatBookPricesUK5 rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Castle Donington, DERBYSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1991 by University of California Press.
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Good. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 383 p. May show signs of wear, highlighting, writing, and previous use. This item may be a former library book with typical markings. No guarantee on products that contain supplements Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Twenty-five year bookseller with shipments to over fifty million happy customers.
Add this copy of The Ladies' Paradise to cart. $29.89, new condition, Sold by Paperbackshop International rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fairford, GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1991 by University of California Press.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Add this copy of The Ladies' Paradise to cart. $30.96, new condition, Sold by Kennys.ie rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Galway, IRELAND, published 1991 by University of California Press.
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New. Recounts the frenzied transformations that made late nineteenth-century Paris the fashion capital of the world. This novel includes a capitalist hero, Octave Mouret, who creates a giant department store that devours the dusty, outmoded boutiques surrounding it. Num Pages: 383 pages, Ill. BIC Classification: FC; FYT. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly. Dimension: 207 x 141 x 26. Weight in Grams: 486. 1991. Paperback.....We ship daily from our Bookshop.
Add this copy of The Ladies' Paradise to cart. $34.27, new condition, Sold by Booksplease rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Southport, MERSEYSIDE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1991 by University of California Press.
Add this copy of The Ladies' Paradise to cart. $9.85, good condition, Sold by Seattle Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by University of California Press.
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May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. Your purchase funds free job training and education in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for supporting Goodwill's nonprofit mission!
Add this copy of The Ladies' Paradise to cart. $11.00, fair condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by University of California Press.
Add this copy of The Ladies' Paradise to cart. $12.49, good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by University of California Press.
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Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
Add this copy of The Ladies' Paradise to cart. $12.99, very good condition, Sold by The Book Shoppe, Inc. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Boone, IA, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by University of California Press.
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Very good. Clean, tight, square. Has very light shelf wear to corners and edges. Spine is un-creased. No marks. Text is clean. Trade paperback with glued binding. 383 p. Contains black and white drawings. 5-1/2" x 8-1/4" x 1".
Add this copy of The Ladies' Paradise to cart. $12.99, good condition, Sold by One Planet Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MO, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by University of California Press.
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Good. Ships in a BOX from Central Missouri! May not include working access code. Will not include dust jacket. Has used sticker(s) and some writing and/or highlighting. UPS shipping for most packages, (Priority Mail for AK/HI/APO/PO Boxes).
I wanted to read the original book in order to see how it differed from the PBS program. It does in a couple of instances but for the most part the tv version is pretty good. I loved the book and very happy I could read Zola. Looking into more books by Emile Zola.
estrella21
Jan 10, 2008
be drawn into a love story
I remember this book as being one of the first books i read in college. It had an ok cover, was a little worn and was introduced to me as being a tool for looking at the history of the Parisian department store. I soon discovered that it was more deeply a look at the changing human psyche at the time. the small business owner is crushed, people's wallets are swallowed whole, but what of the powerful male despot at the top of the ladder. An unsuspecting young woman now has the freedom and capability to unseat him, but will she, or will she be destroyed. I felt with every page the fragility of both the characters, teetering precariously in new societal roles, and the sad unraveling of the precious intimacy of the small shops. Yet intimacy is to be found when within the crumbling of society and the shops surrounding the grand department store we still find the glimmer of humanity in a surprising twist of fate and love.
