The Ladies' Paradise: "Au Bonheur des Dames"

The Ladies' Paradise is the eleventh novel in the Rougon-Macquart series by Émile Zola. It was first published as a novel in 1883. Set in the world of the department store, an innovative development in mid-nineteenth century retail sales. Zola models his store after Le Bon Marché, which consolidated under one roof many of the goods hitherto sold in separate shops. The narrative details many of Le Bon Marché's innovations, including its mail-order business, its system of commissions, its in-house staff commissary, and its methods of receiving and retailing goods. The Ladies' Paradise is a sequel to Pot-Bouille. Now a widower, Octave has expanded the business into an international retail powerhouse occupying, at the beginning of the book, the greater part of an entire city block.