September 2025 Pot-Bouille (Pot Luck) Chapters 9-13
Talk Emile Zola Group Read
Join LibraryThing to post.
2Tess_W
Finally finished this section. The chapters seem as if they are blending together: bourgeoise moral hypocrisy, marriage as a social contract, and the oppression of women.
Even as Berthe marries, Octave still eyes her as a potential conquest. Berthe becomes quickly disillusioned with marriage and feels trapped.
I hope we get something different with the remainder of the book. This one is slow going for me!
Even as Berthe marries, Octave still eyes her as a potential conquest. Berthe becomes quickly disillusioned with marriage and feels trapped.
I hope we get something different with the remainder of the book. This one is slow going for me!
3booksaplenty1949
>2 Tess_W: Last week was a busy one and Zola didn’t quite seem like the relaxing break I needed. But have now finished chs 9-13. Book has turned into a rather dark Upstairs/Downstairs, except that of course in the apartment building the maids are the ones who live upstairs.
The frequent references to Au Bonheur des Dames, the store, finally led me to consult Wikipedia about the relationship between Pot-Bouille and Au Bonheur des Dames the novel, which I read in 2021. Surprised to discover that Octave, who got off to a pretty sketchy start in Pot-Bouille, is the main protagonist in the next novel and, as I recall, portrayed in a positive light. I presume that his mistreatment at the hands of Berthe, with whom he seems to be genuinely in love, is meant to prepare us to see him as not a completely lost cause. I was rather touched by his awkward attempt to make up the maid’s bed with clean sheets for his eagerly anticipated rendezvous with Berthe.
The frequent references to Au Bonheur des Dames, the store, finally led me to consult Wikipedia about the relationship between Pot-Bouille and Au Bonheur des Dames the novel, which I read in 2021. Surprised to discover that Octave, who got off to a pretty sketchy start in Pot-Bouille, is the main protagonist in the next novel and, as I recall, portrayed in a positive light. I presume that his mistreatment at the hands of Berthe, with whom he seems to be genuinely in love, is meant to prepare us to see him as not a completely lost cause. I was rather touched by his awkward attempt to make up the maid’s bed with clean sheets for his eagerly anticipated rendezvous with Berthe.
