The Mysteries of Paris
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Les Mystères de Paris is a French language novel by Eugène Sue (1804-1857) which was published serially in Journal des débats from June 19 1842 until October 15 1843. Les Mystères de Paris, single-handedly increased the circulation of Journal des Débats.
There has been lots of talk on the origins of the French novel of the 19th century: Stendhal, Balzac, Dumas, Gautier, Sand or Hugo. One often forgets Eugène Sue. Still, The Mysteries of Paris occupies a unique space in the birth of this literary genre: not only is it a stream of consciousness novel which entranced thousands of readers for more than a year (even illiterates who had episodes read to them), it is also a major work in the formation of a certain form of social consciousness. One often hears that the 1848 revolution was partly born in the pages of the Mysteries of Paris or, more appropriately, that the Mysteries of Paris helped create a climate which allowed the 1848 revolution to occur.
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Film adaptations
The novel was made into a feature film several times, most notably in 1962 as Les Mystères de Paris, a French film by André Hunebelle, starring Jean Marais.
On the Road
The book is mentioned in Jack Kerouac's On the Road (pp.188,192).
Legacy
Numerous novels inspired by Les Mystères de Paris were published all over the Western world: les Mystères de Marseille by Émile Zola, The Mysteries of London by George W. M. Reynolds, Les Mystères de Londres by Paul Féval, Les Mystères de Lyon (featuring the Nyctalope) by Jean de La Hire, I misteri di Napoli by Francesco Mastriani, the Mystères de Munich, Les Nouveaux Mystères de Paris (featuring Nestor Burma) by Léo Malet.
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