Paris in the Era of the Second Empire: Émile Zola’s Les Rougon-Macquart as a Reflection of Change
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34680/urbis-2022-1(2)-119-141
Maria Mnatsakanova
Russian-Armenian University, Armenia
ORCID: 0000-0002-2478-5995
Abstract
This article is devoted to the urban planning policy of the Second Empire in France, as well as the reflection of this era in literature. The purpose of the study is to tell about the urban policy of the Second Empire, relying on the novels of Emile Zola as a historical source. To achieve the goal, the following tasks were set: to trace the evolution of the author’s views on the internal politics of the regime and analyze such works as "The Belly of Paris", "The Kill", " The Ladies' Paradise". The novels of the Rougon-Macquart cycle by Emile Zola show Paris undergoing large-scale changes in the middle of the 19th century, since, at the initiative of Emperor Napoleon III, Paris was to turn into a modern capital, the center of a civilized world with wide streets, parks and gas lighting. The article is based on comparative and descriptive methods, which make it possible to trace how the attitude of the writer to the transformation of the city changed from work to work. The source for writing the article was the novels “The Kill”, “The Belly of Paris” and “The Ladies’ Paradise”. If at the beginning Zola is rather sharply critical of both the regime and the transformations that the capital is undergoing, then later his views become less radical. Initially, he associates the Second Empire with unprincipled people, ready to do anything for their own benefit. It is they who receive the most profit from the ongoing urban construction, which, in fact, only spoils the historical appearance of the city. However, little by little, he begins to recognize that the innovations that have arisen thanks to the prefect of the Seine, Baron Haussmann, can be useful. Both the rebuilt central market and large shops ultimately serve the Parisians and positively influence their way of life. The death and ruin of small traders already look historically determined, inevitable from the point of view of progress, which is pointless to resist. They disappear, but Paris, changeable and at the same time eternal, remains. In addition, the city can rightfully be called the protagonist of Zola’s works; he experiences transformations, but retains his soul, his essence.
Keywords: urbanism, modernization, osmanization, Second Empire, Napoleon III, Rougon-Macquart, Emile Zola, urban policy.
REFERENCES
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About author
Maria A. Mnatsakanova
Russian-Armenian University, Armenia
E-mail: [email protected]
For citation:
Mnatsakanova M.A. Paris in the Era of the Second Empire: Émile Zola’s Les Rougon-Macquart as a Reflection of Change. Urbis et Orbis. Microhistory and Semiotics of the City. 2022. 1 (2). P. 119-141. DOI: https://doi.org/10.34680/urbis-2022-1(2)-119-141
