The Ladies' Paradise (Au Bonheur des Dames) recounts the spectacular development
of the modern department store in late nineteenth century Paris. The store is a
symbol of capitalism, of the modern city, and of the bourgeois family; it is em
blematic of consumer culture and the changes in sexual attitudes and class relat
ions taking place at the end of the century. Octave Mouret, the store's owner-ma
nager, masterfully exploits the desires of his female customers.
In his priva
te life as much as in business he is the great seducer. But when he falls in lov
e with the innocent Denise Baudu, he discovers she is the only one of the salesg
irls who refuses to be commodified.
