Business and magic: Émile Zola, Au Bonheur des Dames and modern consumption

Abstract

This work examines the emergence of grand magazines and how this new commerce was crucial in establishing the phenomenon of consumption in modernity. In particular, it has been investigated through Émile Zola’s novel, Au Bonheur des Dames, how the social values and sales models of grand magazines appear as “cathedrals of modern consumption”, creating, at once, a world of business and magic.

Keywords

• grandes magazines
• sociabilidade feminina
• consumo e magia
• história cultural do consumo