Consumerism, love and morality in nineteenth-century French literature (or sex and shopping)

Abstract

This thesis deals with the emergence of consumerist culture in nineteenth-century France and seeks to demonstrate how contemporary literature reflects consumerist mentalities in the personal relationships of the characters. It explores the moral concern surrounding consumerism and, in particular, its effect on human relations. Finally, it looks at the role of literature as a reflection of society, considering whether the authors' depictions amount to condemnations born of a sense of moral responsibility in the face of the consumerism of which they were evidently very conscious. Huysmans' Les Soeurs Vatard and Zola's L'Assommoir demonstrate the infiltration of consumerism into the working class mentality. Nana and Maupassant's Bel-Ami illustrate a similar trend in the sensual and materialist manipulations of their protagonists, while Mont-Oriol suggests a more insidious consumerism in the marriage market of the upper classes. Au Bonheur des Dames and Rachilde's little-studied Monsieur de la Nouveauté depict the powerful influence of the shop on the human psyche, overtly linking shopping with their characters' personal relations. This study will provide a coherent view of historical evidence of consumerism in nineteenth-century France and close reading of the literature. Such a view allows analysis of the relationship between consumerism's presence in the novels and the character's sentimental psychologies, highlighting the writers' demonstration of the permeation of consumerism's corruption into the inner psyche.