Une relecture de L'Argent [1891] d'Emile Zola

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 put the market on trial. The same charges are held against speculation and gambling (e. g. poker) : they make the enrichment of some individuals possible, they resort to mere chance to create opportunities for an upward social mobility and they deny all the speeches about merit, effort and work

Context (archaeology · Economics · Financial market · Speculation · Stock (firearms · Stock exchange · Stock market · History · Literature and Culture Studies · Philosophy · Finance