(8) A roundup of sites associated with Zola's "Lugon MacCarl Series" in Paris - set in Paris under the Second Empire of France.

(8) A Brief Introduction to the Places Associated with Zola's Lugon MacCarl Series - Paris under the Second French Empire

In this article, I will introduce the places associated with "The Lugon Makkar Series," a masterpiece by Emile Zola, a writer I respect and admire.

But before I begin, I would first like to briefly tell you why I came across the writer Emile Zola.

Dostoevsky was also the reason I started reading Emile Zola in the first place. As I have written on this blog, Dostoevsky was strongly influenced by French literature, especially the works of Balzac. Through French literature, Dostoevsky had a great deal of imagination about Paris in the middle of the 19th century.

And it was in 1862 that Dostoevsky first came to Paris. The time Balzac described had long passed, and it was the height of France's Second Empire. At that time, the aggressive economic policies of Napoleon III led to the spread of consumer capitalist lifestyles, and Paris was in the midst of a major upheaval.

In other words, it was during this period that the commercial style of stimulating people's desires and intentionally creating feelings of "want" was established.

And Dostoevsky had a lot to say about such France. HisImpressions of Summer as Chronicled in Winter."is precisely this kind of strong criticism of a world in which "as long as you have money, you can have anything.

I thought it would be very important to know more about Dostoevsky to understand the social situation, thought, and culture of France during this period.

What can I read to learn more about France during the Second Empire?

It was precisely at this juncture in my thinking that I came across Emile Zola.

And the followingThe Impact of "The Izakaya! On the French author Emile Zola being too funny."I will not write about it here because I talked about it in detail in the article "The Izakaya," but when I read his masterpiece "Izakaya," I was astonished to see such an amazing writer! I was astonished by his masterpiece "Izakaya".

I also read the sequel to this work, "Nana". I found this work to be amazing as well!

This is a done deal. I have no choice but to read all of Zola's major works, the Lugon Makkar series!

This is how I came to be completely absorbed in Emile Zola.

Now, speaking of Zola's work, I mentioned it hereIzakaya."andNana.", ,Geluminaire."and other works are well known in Japan.

However, although these works are published as stand-alone works, they are actually stories in a series of 20 volumes called "The Lugon Makkar Series," a series of 20 books. The genius of Zola lies in the fact that while each of these works can be read as a stand-alone novel, they all intertwine to form a larger body of work. In these 20 volumes, Zola attempts to portray all the people of France's Second Empire. I discuss this in more detail in the following article.

Now, I would like to introduce some of the places in Paris associated with "Lugon McCall's Book Series".

The central market in "The Stomach of Paris," Reale

During the Second Empire of France, there was a huge food market here, which was called the stomach of Paris.

However, the building has now been demolished and the area is now home to a large shopping center and many restaurants.

The Stomach of Paris" was one of my favorite works in the "Lugon McCall Series," so I was very disappointed not to be able to see it in its entirety.

The "Variete Theatre," the theater where Nana performed.

This is the Variete Theatre, where Nana, the main character of Zola's masterpiece "Nana," performed.

It is located on a main street and is quite busy. It is still in business today. Unfortunately, you need a theater ticket to get inside, so only the exterior is available.

Here Nana captivated and ruined one man after another.

As for "Nana", I wanted to visit the Longchamp racecourse, but due to time constraints, I was unable to do so. It was a pity.

Bon Marché, the model for the Bonheur des Dames department store

Bon Marché is the department store that served as the model for the Bonheur des Dames department store and is a long-established store known as the origin of department stores.

Zola is a writer who places great importance on on-the-spot interviews, and in writing this novel, he actually went to the Bon Marché, the Louvre, and other department stores for interviews and visits for five to six hours every day for almost a month.

Being a long-established department store that took shape as a department store in 1852, I was surprised when I entered the store, as I had imagined it to be something that felt of its time. It was much more modern than I had imagined, with a luxurious but not stuffy atmosphere.

About this Bon Marché, French literature scholar Shigeru KashimaThe Couple Who Invented the Department Store.The book is called.

This book is just so interesting that I highly recommend it. Of course, Zola's "Bonheur des Dames Department Store" is also one of the most interesting books in the series.

The Musée d'Orsay with "Portrait of Zola. The painters depicted in "Creation

The Musée d'Orsay is located on the banks of the Seine. Many Impressionist works are exhibited here.

Of all the paintings I wanted to see, I was most eager to see Manet's "Portrait of Zola.

Although this painting is not directly connected to the Lugon MacCarte series, Zola and the Impressionist painters have a very strong connection. And among them, he had an extraordinary relationship with Cézanne.

Cézanne is the master of Impressionism. Zola and Cézanne were classmates at a junior high school in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, and they kept in close contact with each other even after they left for Paris. Zola wrote many art criticisms for the development of Impressionism, and Zola himself had learned a great deal from the genius of Cézanne. In a sense, the two were allies in opening up the art world.

It was this connection that led to the creation of Zola's "Creation," a work of art.

The museum exhibits many such impressionist paintings, making it a must-see for Zola fans.

Saint-Lazare Station, the setting of "The Beastmaster

Jacques, the protagonist of "The Beastie," is a railroad worker. And it is this Saint-Lazare station that appears in this work.

The platform of Saint-Lazare station is also famous for a painting by Monet.

As noted in the following article, "The Beastmaster" is Dostoevsky'sCrime and Punishment."It is also known as a work influenced by As a student of Dostoevsky, this was also a very interesting work for me.

Old Stock Exchange, the setting of "Gold

Thakkar, the protagonist of "Gold," is the first to appear inThe Birth of the House of Lugon.He was portrayed as a cunning and greedy man from the time of his first film, but his keen sense of smell, obsession, and talent for money were the same as those of his next film, the"A Share of the Prey."The flowers were to bloom in

In "The Prey's Share," Thakkar made a huge amount of money mainly through land speculation, but in "Gold," we see him throw himself into a new battle by establishing a huge bank. Saccard's rival Jews were modeled on the Rothschilds, and a financial war between the new bank and the Rothschilds actually broke out during the Second Empire in France. Zola has painstakingly covered these facts and incorporated them into this work. The very battle was taking place on the stock exchange.

At the end.

These are some of the places in Paris that are associated with the "Lugon McCall Series".

The Lugon Makkar Series is just fascinating. And I doubt that there is anything that exposes the workings of the modern society we live in as much as this group of works.

I urge you to pick up a copy of Emile Zola's masterpiece, even if it is just one book. I hope you will be shocked by the powerful blow. These works have such extraordinary power.

I hope you will also take a look at the related articles below for my personal recommendations.

be unbroken

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