The Belly of Paris'Respectable people... What bastards!' Unjustly deported to Devil's Island following Louis-Napoleon's coup-d'état in December 1851, Florent Quenu escapes and returns to Paris. He finds the city changed beyond recognition. The old Marché des Innocents has been knocked down as part of Haussmann's grand programme of urban reconstruction to make way for Les Halles, the spectacular new food markets. Disgusted by a bourgeois society whose devotion to food is inseparable from its devotion to the Government, Florent attempts an insurrection. Les Halles, apocalyptic and destructive, play an active role in Zola's picture of a world in which food and the injustice of society are inextricably linked. The Belly of Paris (Le Ventre de Paris) is the third volume in Zola's famous cycle of twenty novels, Les Rougon-Macquart. It introduces the painter Claude Lantier and in its satirical representation of the bourgeoisie and capitalism complements Zola's other great novels of social conflict and urban poverty. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more. |
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apron arms asked baskets began Belle Lisa Belle Normande Belly of Paris black pudding butter Cadine carts cellars charcuterie Charvet Claude Clémence corner counter coup d'état covered avenue dark door Émile Zola eyes face feel felt fish market fishwives flâneur Florent footpath francs front Gavard gave Gradelle hair Halles hands head huge L'Assommoir La Belle Normande La Sarriette laugh Lebigre's Les Halles Logre looked Madame François Madame Lecœur Mademoiselle Saget Marjolin meat Mère Chantemesse Mère Méhudin Monsieur Lebigre Monsieur Verlaque morning murmured neighbourhood never night old woman pale Pauline piles police Préfecture Quenu round Rue Pirouette Rue Rambuteau Saint-Eustache Sarriette sausages Second Empire seemed sleep smell smile sous stall stood story street talk tell thin things thought told took Turbigo turned vegetables Ventre de Paris voice walked window women yellow Zola Zola's