The late 19th century was a monumental era for the city of Paris. As the city kept growing and increasing in popularity around the globe, the city itself was being modernized from its dated medieval layout. These modernizations had a direct impact on the culture of the city, the lifestyles of its inhabitants, and the prominence of the city across the world. Paris’ inhabitants were as social as ever, and often enjoyed themselves at cafés and bars. This modernization acted as a perfect catalyst to support the surging wave of capitalism across Western Europe. In the novel “The Ladies’ Paradise,” Emile Zola focuses on this rising capitalistic culture, specifically in the form of department stores. Like many features of Paris, the way the cities inhabitants shopped transformed completely. Big department stores opened across the city, and they contained a wide variety of products unlike the traditional stores that would specialize in one product. These new shops were marketed to be a focal point in society. As explained in “The ladies Paradise,” the new department stores changed the life of Parisians by introducing a new form of capitalism, and by engineering tactics to target a specific demographic to maximize success in this new wave.
As the 19th century was coming to a close, it was obvious that Paris was in need of a large-scale update. With the leadership of Napoleon III and Baron Haussmann, the city was renovated to be more open, and to stay on par with its reputation known