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A review by msand3
Pot-Bouille by Émile Zola
3.0
The seventh novel of the Rougon-Marquart cycle (in Zola's recommended reading order) picks up the story of Octave after he was sent away from home in the early chapters of [book:The Conquest of Plassans|21492091]. In fact, this novel might be described as the conquest of Paris -- not in any political sense, but for Octave, a provincial who arrives practically orphaned from Plassans and exits the novel firmly embedded as a bourgeois Parisian.
Zola's target here is the petty bourgeoisie, and he eviscerates them. Octave moves into an apartment populated by several families obsessed with social standing. They starve themselves and pinch pennies only to throw elaborate parties to make it appear they are well off financially. Young people wait cynically for older family members to die so they might attain their wealth through inheritance, and then battle each other for the scraps. Zola portrays mothers as essentially prostituting their daughters for the chance to snag a well-connected man, while scheming to trick potential male suitors out of dowries that they claim exist, but actually do not. Servants laugh and joke at these events in an alleyway stinking of rotting garbage tossed down from the various tenants (the symbolism here is not subtle!).
Into this arena Octave arrives with all the baggage of his Rougon and Marquart blood: a desire for wealth, a penchant for scheming, and a ravenous obsession with women. He begins working at a small shop called Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies' Paradise), where he courts Madame Hédouin, the married proprietress, in a cynical attempt to gain her favor. When her husband dies, Octave eventually gains both her and the business, establishing himself in this "pigsty" (Zola's word!) and eventually moving up in the social order. His story is continued in the sequel, [book:The Ladies' Paradise|28413], which I will be reading next.
I can imagine this being one of the more controversial Zola novels, with frank references to venereal disease, sex, and vulgar language. While the novel was fun to read at times, I found myself struggling to care about these banal characters, despite Zola's humor at their expense. Octave's story was the one unifying element that kept me turning pages. The rest of the novel seemed like scattershot glimpses into the lives of various detestable families. It is one of my least favorite Rougon-Marquart novels so far (I've only read about a third of them), but it still had its moments.
Zola's target here is the petty bourgeoisie, and he eviscerates them. Octave moves into an apartment populated by several families obsessed with social standing. They starve themselves and pinch pennies only to throw elaborate parties to make it appear they are well off financially. Young people wait cynically for older family members to die so they might attain their wealth through inheritance, and then battle each other for the scraps. Zola portrays mothers as essentially prostituting their daughters for the chance to snag a well-connected man, while scheming to trick potential male suitors out of dowries that they claim exist, but actually do not. Servants laugh and joke at these events in an alleyway stinking of rotting garbage tossed down from the various tenants (the symbolism here is not subtle!).
Into this arena Octave arrives with all the baggage of his Rougon and Marquart blood: a desire for wealth, a penchant for scheming, and a ravenous obsession with women. He begins working at a small shop called Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies' Paradise), where he courts Madame Hédouin, the married proprietress, in a cynical attempt to gain her favor. When her husband dies, Octave eventually gains both her and the business, establishing himself in this "pigsty" (Zola's word!) and eventually moving up in the social order. His story is continued in the sequel, [book:The Ladies' Paradise|28413], which I will be reading next.
I can imagine this being one of the more controversial Zola novels, with frank references to venereal disease, sex, and vulgar language. While the novel was fun to read at times, I found myself struggling to care about these banal characters, despite Zola's humor at their expense. Octave's story was the one unifying element that kept me turning pages. The rest of the novel seemed like scattershot glimpses into the lives of various detestable families. It is one of my least favorite Rougon-Marquart novels so far (I've only read about a third of them), but it still had its moments.