| Abstract [eng] |
The French writer Émile Zola while depicting the biggest market place of the capital of France in his novel The Belly of Paris (Le Ventre de Paris) asserts that the origins of the market place are related to a carnival. However, the markets of Les Halles, built in the centre of Paris, are depicted in the novel as a new type market – they reflect the spirit of the 19th century with the signs of the approaching 20th century. The markets of Les Halles are described as an enormous city transforming into a specific micro-cosmos of the structure typical to the city. Aiming to highlight the autonomy and naturalism of the market place, the writer compares it with the sea. Purposely the metaphor of the sea is supplemented with the image of a ship. The writer visualises the element of a forest in the market place, through which he seeks to express the mystery of Les Halles. By presenting the images of the city and the steam engine on the one hand and the sea and the forest on the other hand, the author of the novel as if opposes civilisation to nature. Civilisation is illustrated by a strict outline, nature – by some wild element, orgiastic force. In this way the author striving to persuade the reader that two forces are intertwined in the market halls: civilisation and nature. With the aim to highlight the sensuality of the market halls, the writer employs the metaphor of a beast, while bustling is expressed through the image of Babylon. All these metaphors create a multi-meaningful image of the market place as the belly of Paris. |
