Le Ventre de Paris

The Belly of Paris (franz: Le Ventre de Paris ) is an 1873 published novel by Émile Zola and the third part of the twenty -volume Rougon - Macquart cycle. The action takes place mostly on the central market of Paris. The built during the Second Empire covered market with its glass and steel structure are represented as milestones of progress. Zola describes the environment of the retail industry and is first dealt with the reality of the working class.

Action

The main character is Florent, who was arrested during the coup d'état of 1851, was sent innocent in a penal colony and eventually managed to escape.

The action continues with his return to Paris one. He finds lodging with his brother and his wife Lisa Quenu that operate jointly a butcher's shop. They give him a position as an inspector in the fish halls. Florent caught in a circle of people who amateurish planning a rebellion, which should lead to the restoration of the Republic. A fishwife, the beautiful Nomande, seeks an affair with him, but Florent 's not on one, but just brings her son to read and write. Between the beautiful Nomande and Lisa Quenu creates a hostility. Florent gets caught in the crossfire. Finally, he and his co-conspirators arrested Gavard.

At the end, the reader learns that many people have denounced from his environment Florent independently, including his brother Quenu and his wife, Nomande and the head of the conspiracy. The painter Claude Lantier, the hero of the later novel The work assumes the role of a passive observer. The novel is rich in impressionistic descriptions, of which a cheese shop is the most famous. This passage is referred to as " Cheese Symphony".