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Literary Devices
Definition of Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals... read full definition
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly allude to... read full definition
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Aristede Bouciceaut:
Zola's male protagonist Octave Mouret closely resembles the real-life figure Aristide Boucicaut, the founder of Paris’s original department store, Le Bon Marché. Zola intensifies the realism of the novel and brings it into useful context for the reader through the many similarities and allusions he makes to this real historical figure. When Mouret is describing his business philosophy, he says:
You see, it’s a question of willing something and acting, it’s a question of creating … You have an idea, you fight for it, you hammer it into people’s heads, you watch it grow and carry all before it… Ah! yes, old chap, I enjoy myself!’
Although this isn’t a direct quote from Boucicaut himself, this little speech is a clear allusion to his real philosophy and achievements. Beginning in 1838, Boucicaut transformed a failing drapery shop into Le Bon Marché, the first department store. He did this through employing innovative retail strategies such as fixed "sale" pricing, providing a comfortable reading room for husbands to wait in, and by launching the first mail-order catalog. These revolutionary concepts fundamentally changed the retail experience worldwide. Mouret’s work mirrors these achievements, and this inventiveness. As with Boucicaut, his enthusiastic and almost obsessive attitude is also the engine that drives the store's development forward. Zola, keen to depict the store as faithfully as possible, was actually able to tour Le Bon Marché, guided by Boucicaut's wife. This significantly informed his portrayal of the department store in the novel, and contributes to his almost journalistic depictions of its space and place.
Mouret's approach to business, as described in the quotation, mirrors Boucicaut's methods. The dialogue in this passage points to the ethos of the emerging department store era, characterized by aggressive marketing and customer-focused business strategies. Mouret's deep “enjoyment” in his endeavors echoes the real-world success and satisfaction Boucicaut reportedly experienced in changing the landscape of retail.
Related Themes:
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—A Real Harem:
As Mesdames Desforges and Guibal enter The Ladies’ Paradise, Zola uses an allusion to highlight the opulence and exotic appeal of the store's "oriental hall."
They were leaving, but not without a final noisy burst of admiration. Even Madame Guibal became enthusiastic.
‘Oh! It’s delightful! It makes you feel you’re actually there!’
‘Yes, a real harem, isn’t it? And quite cheap!’
‘And the Smyrnas! Oh! the Smyrnas! What tones, what delicacy!’
‘And that Kurdistan! Just look, a Delacroix!’
The allusion Zola makes here is to Delacroix, a renowned French Romantic painter known for his vivid and colorful depictions of scenes from the global East. When Madame Guibal exclaims, "And that Kurdistan! Just look, a Delacroix!," she is drawing a parallel between the luxurious carpets in “The Ladies' Paradise” and the rich, exotic imagery found in Delacroix's paintings. This comparison elevates the carpets from mere commercial items to works of art. Shopping, in The Ladies' Paradise is not mere commercialism: it has become a cultural experience.
The reference to a "harem" and the admiration of "Smyrnas" and "Kurdistan" carpets reflects the 19th-century fascination with Orientalism—broadly, the fantastical depiction in art and literature of aspects of Eastern cultures by Western creators. This fascination often manifested in idealized and romanticized visions of the East, as can be seen in Delacroix's works. By invoking these images, Zola illustrates how The Ladies' Paradise capitalizes on these exoticized fantasies to transform its commercial space into a realm of fantasy and luxury. It also shouldn't be lost on the reader that Madame Desforges is exclaiming about "harems" in an establishment that caters specifically and solely to women.
Related Themes:
