Author: Emile Zola

Publisher: Oxford World Classics

Known in French as Au Bonheur des Dames, this book is the eleventh novel in Zola’s Rougon-Macquart series. It was serialized and published in 1883.

This is the story of Denise Baudu, and her rise from shopgirl to buyer at The Ladies’ Paradise, the biggest and most successful department store in Paris.

Denise first arrives in the city hoping to find work at her uncle’s shop. Her parents are dead, and she has assumed the role of mother to her younger brothers Jean and Pepe.

Much to her disappointment, her Uncle Baudu has no work for her. He and the other small businesses in the neighborhood are dying out because the Paradise has taken all of their customers away.

Denise goes to work at the department store, but she endures a great deal of poverty and misery thanks to the dirty politics of the other women in her department.

She endures it all with grace and fortitude, and eventually she wins everyone over with her gentle nature, including her employer Octave Mouret. His only business is the seduction of Woman–and yes, that seduction is literal and figurative–but Denise changes him. He learns what it means to really and selflessly love another person, and that all of his wealth hasn’t made him truly happy.

Of course, he is still practical enough to enjoy his wealth, because we all know financial stability can certainly be its own kind of happiness.

The other star of the show is the Paradise itself. It’s almost alive, a great machine powered by the women of Paris and the staff who live, eat, work, and sleep there.

This is the story of the rise of the department store. There’s a wonderful juxtaposition between the exciting innovations in shopping and labor happening at the Paradise and the utter heartbreak experienced by the small businesses it has literally demolished.

I found myself torn between wanting to shop at Mouret’s industrial palace (c’mon, you know you’d be curious too) and utter disgust at the treatment of the small business people, because of course now we have the gift of perspective and can clearly see the rise of The Corporation and the devastating effect it can have on local economies.

So well done, Monsieur Zola.

Sidenote for those who have seen the television adaptation, “The Paradise,” on Masterpiece Classic:

The book takes place over several years, but it basically covers the events of Season One. So Season Two will be one complete, and hopefully delightful, surprise!

Next time: Oliver and Company

Another confession:

I haven’t seen this one in years.

However, I did find a new love for Robin Hood stories in my last year of college. I took a seminar on Medieval Law, and naturally we spent some time with outlaws. Some quick things:

1) Robin Hood? Not a fox. However, he is a lot like a medieval Batman. And I absolutely wrote my final paper on that subject, and it got an A, thank you very much.

2) King John, while no Alfred the Great, really wasn’t the complete villain the stories have made him out to be. It was actually Richard, the so called “Lionheart,” who was a pretty lousy king. He didn’t even really speak English! (Of course, it was a different sort of English back then.)

3) There might have been more than one Robin Hood! Think of it like James Bond, or the Doctor. There will always be a 007, or a Time Lord bopping about in a police box, but it’s not always necessarily the same guy. “Robin Hood” was more a way for the repressed people of that time to fight back against a ruling class that they felt had no business taking over their land.

Still, this movie is a lot of fun. And everyone’s adorable. Little John is and always will be my favorite.

I’m sure if I went back I’d find lots of medieval jokes to enjoy now, but for the time being here are just a few fun quotes to take away from this one.

— “Faint heart never won fair lady.”

— “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”   “Or forgetful.”

— “Oh, he’s so handsome… just like his reward posters.”

Next time: The Ladies’ Paradise, by Emile Zola. Or: I finally read a French novel!

This is another one of those films that I loved as a child but have some qualms with as an adult.

However, even though it’s not one of my current favorites, there are some good moments to enjoy in this one.

And my favorite bit is still the end of “Everybody Wants to be a Cat” where the piano goes crashing down through several stories and they just keep playing.

The thing I still take away from this movie?

“Ladies don’t start fights, but they can finish them!”

Next time: That Robin Hood is a foxy fellow.

This seems like an odd one to start with, but I loved this movie when I was small. I thought Baloo, Bagheera, and Colonel Hathi were just smashing.

It’s not one of my favorites today, but I’ve still got a soft spot for those characters, and of course the songs are still great!

Here are some quotes from the songs and the film. Like most other movies I’ll talk about, I like them because they’re a nice mix of serious and light-hearted. A little slice of life.

–Just listen to all of “Colonel Hathi’s March.” It’s delightful.

–From “The Bare Necessities”:

“Look for the bare necessities / The simple bare necessities / Forget about your worries and your strife.”

“So just try and relax, yeah cool it.”

“And don’t spend your time lookin’ around / For something you want that can’t be found.”

–“C’mon Baggy, get with the beat!”

–“An elephant never forgets.”

–“Discipline! Discipline was the thing! Builds character, and all that sort of thing, you know.”

–“Greater love hath no one than he who lays down his life for his friend.”

Next time: “The AristoCats”