| dc.description.abstract | Au bonheur des dames, the eleventh volume of the Rougon-Macquart series, is a novel about a Parisian department store named “Au Bonheur des Dames”, created and imagined by Emile Zola. The purpose of the study is to investigate the relation between the department store and the happiness.In chapter one, the rise of the bourgeois class during the nineteenth century changed the concept of happiness. For the middle-class, the life of ease and comfort is an important value, which accelerates the development of department stores during the Second Empire.
The second chapter focuses on the reality and the imaginary of this novel. The author studied two contemporary department stores — the real world. After the accomplishment of this work of investigation, the focalization of the heroine, Denise, is a key which relates the scenes and plots in Au bonheur des dames — the imaginary world.In the third chapter, we apply the theory of description to find out how the words and the phrases in this novel bring the illusion of happiness. The mirrors of the department store create two different worlds: the enlightened, gorgeous store and the dark, miserable small neighbor retailing houses. Because of the operations of the boss, Mouret, the clients think that they are the queens and are experiencing a wonderful voyage in “Au Bonheur des Dames”.The fourth chapter deals with the analysis of the five female clients in the novel. They seem to enjoy shopping in the department store; however, compared with the heroine, the material comforts won’t bring the spiritual peace and the real happiness.Through Au bonheur des dames, Zola demonstrates the life-and-death struggle on the society. Besides, he also illustrates the importance of the rationality on the modern life. Our every day life is manipulated by the logic of economic and mass-production. Even though it’s normal that people have desires, the modern logic is to create the false needs, so, the happiness shall be renewed constantly.
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