With the Happiness of the Ladies

See also: With the Happiness of the Ladies (homonymy)

With the Happiness of the Ladies is a Romance of Emile Zola published in 1883, the eleventh volume of the series Rougon-Macquart . Through a sentimental history at the conclusion unusually happy, the novel involves the reader in the world of the department stores, one of the innovations of the Second Empire. The model of the character of Mouret Octave is Auguste Hériot, cofounder of the Department stores of Louvre.

Summary

Beginnings with the department store

Denise Baudu is young a 20 year old Norman originating in Valognes, arrives at Paris with her Jean brothers and Pépé, respectively old of 16 and 5 years. Their father, who held a dyeing, has just died of the continuations of a disease whose died their mother one year earlier. Their uncle Baudu had written in Denise at that time that there could be a place in his shop in Paris. But for one year, the businesses have had turned out badly and it cannot engage Denise.

With the Happiness of the Ladies is directed at this time by Octave Mouret, wire of François Mouret and Marthe Rougon. This department store thrives so much although it ruins the small shops of the district. Baudu, holding the Old Tweed which is opposite the Bonheur , are exasperated by the successive enlargings operated by Mouret. They indeed knew the shop, rested by the Deleuze brothers, at the time where it had a modest size. Mouret became owner of the shop by marrying widowed Mrs. Hédouin (born Deleuze) in Pot-Face, which will die shortly after.

Baudu are particularly exasperated because of their attachment with the traditional business practices, and wish that their shop remain such as it is. Later in the text, certain members of their family themselves will succumb to this eagerness and this despair, seeing the department store causing then their total bankruptcy gradually.

Denise, not finding of place in the small shops, decides to go to seek work with the Bonheur of the Ladies malgrès the unfavorable opinion of her uncle. Thanks to Mouret, which noticed it in spite of its paces of country-woman, it is committed with the ray of the clothes industries. But it must undergo the mocking remarks of the saleswomen who, making fun of her shoes and her hair difficult to cap, do not leave him any important sale. Thus, tired to arrange the unfolded coats, it worries, the evening in its room, of the pension which it must pay to make keep Pépé by an old woman. Jean, not including/understanding his despair, asks him for important money sums which it gains with difficulty for dépêtrer its adventures in love, handling his/her sister while describing itself like constantly in the center of rocambolesques and desperate intrigues. Denise is then obliged to sew nodes of tie the night, given nicely by Robineau, the first clerk with the ray of silk.

Denise also begins her sentimental education: with her friend Pauline Cugnot of the linen rooms, it is interested a little in the stories of heart of its counter. The latter advises to him to take a lover to provide for her financial needs. But Denise cannot even support the idea: she prefers to tire herself to make nodes of tie the night. But, at the same time, touched by the hypocritical galantery of Hutin which makes fun of it in its back, it “reluque”. Gradually, is born between it and Mouret a kind of complicity of which none of both understands that it is acted in fact of a true love at first sight: indeed, neither one nor the other knows what is the love, which it is about the naive Denise or of already too tried out Mouret, accustomed with relations without a future.

But, she often discusses with her Pauline friend and often will see Robineau: the Jouve inspector noticed it but will not see the direction. Indeed, the direction is very strict: no chatterings, not of lovers, it is necessary to sleep the night… In July, Denise is afraid: it is dead season, the time of the references. Bourdoncle, the tyrannical assistant of Mouret, returns for one anything, moreover it does not appreciate too Denise, who thinks that if somebody must jump in his counter, it will be it. Actually, Bourdoncle does nothing but carry out the orders of Mouret: this one wants to preserve its image of paternal owner, but wants nevertheless to transfer to save.

One day of July, Jouve which did not say anything to Bourdoncle on Denise and Pauline, hopes “to be made thank” for Denise (it makes him advances, as with other saleswomen). This one refuses categorically, and Jouve wants to be avenged. A little later, per hour of the lunch (not very delicious), it meets Jean who wants once again to ask him for money. The problem, it is that the rumor runs that Jean would be the lover of Denise and Pépé his child (it is not known that they are brothers). It is then made surprise by Jouve which makes this time his report/ratio with Bourdoncle. Denise is then returned. It is at this time that the other characters start to feel the tenderness of Mouret for Denise: Jouve prefers to see Bourdoncle rather than Mouret which accommodates it in its office “by an instinct”, and Bourdoncle immediately prefers to pass to the reference without consulting Mouret, of fear of a “weakness”. Mouret is then victim of its system of references: learning the reference from Denise, he is irritated against Bourdoncle because he sees an attempt there to escape his capacity (whereas it is as that traditionally that occurs). He gets information and even speaks to take again Denise: a quite strange attitude with the eyes of Bourdoncle. Denise, returned, tests the strange need to go to be explained with Mouret, to at least say to him that it was his/her brother, even if it does not return. But finally it does not decide.

The passage by the small shops

Denise rents a room at Bourras then, a craftsman who manufactures umbrellas. He engages it even by charity. Denise is then saleswoman at Robineau which took again one of the shops of the district. This one, helped by Gaujean, small Tisserand, decides to battle against the Paris-Happiness of Mouret, silk miracle. He also decides to create its fault (black silk). But Mouret lowers the price of Paris-Happiness in front of the frightened eyes of its employees and sells it at a loss. Then Robineau lowers the price of its fault. Finally, it is Mouret which gains the part. But Robineau is ruined.

Denise, one year after her reference, walks as usual Pépé to the gardens of Tileries. It is there that it meets Mouret, which goes to Mrs. Desforges, a mistress-bridge to the baron Hartmann. Mouret prefers to delay its visit and to walk with Denise, who wants to set out again. He proposes to him to return and causes with her department stores. It is there that it realizes that she “heats the heart to him”. Mouret goes even until saying anything to remain with it. The scene is described to us like one night last (“an abrupt alarm clock”): But finally, it from goes away, realizes by seeing the windows of Mrs. Desforges whom it cannot retain it more.

The triumphal return

A little later Denise returns to the Bonheur as a sharpened saleswoman, with the great joy of Mouret. That has disadvantages: as soon as Mouret speaks, everyone whispers by seeking it of the eyes. Pauline sharpens, without Denise knowing it, her jealousy, by making him the complete description of the whims of Mouret with Clara. Deloche, a salesman with laces who amourache of Denise, is always sad. Mrs. Desforges, arrival with the Happiness accompanied by Bouthemont, an obliging first with silk of Mouret, to see the “whim of Mouret”. Bouthemont said only to him that it was with the clothes industry. Blow, it believes that Denise is the whim of Mouret. Mrs. Marty says to him that not, that it is Clara Prunaire, but it does not have any more a doubt with the sight of the attitude of Mouret with Denise. She is avenged already while making turn Denise in round in the store, then invents a stratagem “to convince Mouret of her treason”. Mouret names the Denise evening second and seeks to allure it with the receipt of the day but that made cabbage: not only she refuses the advances of Mouret but in more the sight of the money wounds it. But it is nevertheless upset by the business (it likes it). Bourdoncle, which has a presentiment of a serious connection, arrives in the office under the pretext of the number of customers of the day, to the great displeasure of Mouret.

The day of the inventory, Denise receives a letter of Mouret which invites it to dine the evening with him. She is with the current of the legends of this dinner: after the dinner, there is the “dessert”, and then Clara and others already went there. Denise refuses it parallel but realizes that she likes it, grace in particular to her jealousy. Then, after, with a setting in scene of Mrs. Aurélie who is obliging towards Mouret, it is found with him. She always refuses her advances, in spite of her speeches apitoyants which use the lexical field of the family, her tears. It uses arguments of shock: money, the distorsion that Denise was done… She uses arguments which do not hold too upright. It becomes brutal, but Denise refuses to be an adventure of passage. That astonishes Mouret more and more. Denise from goes away and Mouret follows it, of a desperate glance.

Mrs. Desforges finds like stratagem to make come Denise at it to improve a coat and to insult it in the presence of Mouret. This last does not see it almost more and comes only with the soft food from the baron Hartmann. As it is bored at her, it comes with his friend Paul de Vallagnosc. Mouret, after having understood that Denise made a final improvement at Mrs. Desforges, worries more and more. She excites the jealousy of Denise and the insult. Mouret, afterwards many attempts, puts an end to it and the console. Mouret breaks finally with Mrs. Desforges.

Then Mouret ends up understanding afterwards many offers of gifts that what imports in Denise, it is not the money, but the love. For Mouret, it is well a race of unknown girl (see Pot-Face). Indeed, he was accustomed only to women whom the money dissolved. Mouret is then obsessed by Denise (he dreams the night of it) which follows it everywhere with him (council of the interested parties, inspection, discussion with bankers, paperworks…). Mouret has the tactics of the friendship then. It then starts long discussions in which Denise suggests to him creating an orchestra and to make measurements to improve the life of the employees.

Bourdoncle excites the jealousy of Mouret by saying that it has several lovers in the store. Mouret benefits from an error of Hutin, one of the “lovers”, to release his resentment. Hutin is sure that it is because of Denise. He is avenged by seeing Denise speaking with Deloche crying. He calls Bourdoncle which calls Mouret. This one has an explanation with Denise in the office. Actually this one was simply made approach in the workshop to speak about the Cotentin. The explanation of a director with his saleswoman very quickly becomes a scene of impassioned jealousy. Mouret reproaches Denise her lovers. She has any no and prefers to leave the house. Mouret, insane in love, barricades the door. Finally Denise is named first of a ray of costumes for children.

One day of great white sale, Mouret, by seeing Denise dealing with her brothers like babies, the proposal. Indeed, this one is disabled by the next departure of Denise. This one refuses then ends up accepting. One feels throughout the novel a fascination of Zola for this department store, even if it makes a monster absorbing of it saleswomen and customer. According to him, the success of the department stores, inevitable, is a good thing, even if it is accompanied by the ruin of the other trade and particularly hard work conditions. Zola applies in its novel the laws of the Darwinism, according to which strongest survive, while weakest have to disappear.

Adaptations

This novel was adapted several times to the cinema:

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