A re-reading of Money [1891] by Emile Zola: the comparison between stock markets and playgrounds

Une relecture de L'argent [1891] d'Émile Zola: la comparaison entre les Bourses de valeurs et les aires de jeux

Thierry Suchère ()
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Thierry Suchère: EDEHN - Equipe d'Economie Le Havre Normandie - ULH - Université Le Havre Normandie - NU - Normandie Université

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Abstract: during the second half of the 19th century, a new literary genre appeared: the "stock market novel". In a context marked by major financial scandals, the public, the politicians and the media of developed countries asked themselves whether or not stock markets should operate freely. In Emile Zola's novel Money [1891], the stock exchange is described as a gambling den, the speculators as highway robbers and the small investors as naive people. To compare the stock market with a game means to make the trial of the market. The same charges are held against speculation and gambling (eg. poker): to make the enrichment of some individuals possible, to resort to mere chance to create opportunities for an upward social mobility and to deny all the speeches about merit, effort and work.

Date: 2016
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Published in Cahiers de sociologie économique et culturelle, 2016

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