The Mysteries of Paris - Volume 1

Eugène Sue (1804 - 1857)

The Mysteries of Paris (French: Les Mystères de Paris) is a novel by Eugène Sue which was published serially in Journal des débats from June 19, 1842 until October 15, 1843. Les Mystères de Paris singlehandedly 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: it entranced thousands of readers for more than a year (even illiterates who had episodes read to them) and was 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.

The hero of the novel is the mysterious and distinguished Rodolphe, who is really the Grand Duke of Gérolstein (a fictional country) but is disguised as a Parisian worker. Rodolphe can speak in argot, is extremely strong and a good fighter. Yet he also shows great compassion for the lower classes, good judgment, and a brilliant mind. He can navigate all layers of society in order to understand their problems, and to understand how the different social classes are linked.

Rodolphe is accompanied by his friends Sir Walter Murph, an Englishman, and David, a gifted black doctor, formerly a slave.

The first figures they meet are Le Chourineur and La Goualeuse. Rodolphe saves La Goualeuse from Le Chourineur's brutality, and saves Le Chourineur from himself, knowing that the man still has some good in him. La Goualeuse is a prostitute, and Le Chourineur is a former butcher who has served 15 years in prison for murder. Both characters are grateful for Rodolphe's assistance, as are many other characters in the novel

Genre(s): Action & Adventure Fiction, Fantastic Fiction, Detective Fiction

Language: English

Group: Mysteries of Paris

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 Chapter 01 - The Tapis-Franc Cori Samuel
00:16:22
Play 02 Chapter 02 - The Ogress Nadine Eckert-Boulet
00:25:07
Play 03 Chapter 03 - History of La Goualeuse Andy Minter (1934-2017)
00:31:06
Play 04 Chapter 04 - The Chourineur's History Andy Minter (1934-2017)
00:23:21
Play 05 Chapter 05 - The Arrest Elizabeth Klett
00:15:02
Play 06 Chapter 06 - Thomas Seyton and the Countess Sarah Elizabeth Klett
00:12:14
Play 07 Chapter 07 - "Your Money or your Life" Saab
00:10:58
Play 08 Chapter 08 - The Walk JimOCR
00:19:18
Play 09 Chapter 09 - The Surprise JimOCR
00:15:56
Play 10 Chapter 10 - Castles in the Air JimOCR
00:39:28
Play 11 Chapter 11 - Murphy and Rodolphe Andy Minter (1934-2017)
00:34:00
Play 12 Chapter 12 - The Rendez-vous Andy Minter (1934-2017)
00:22:40
Play 13 Chapter 13 - Preparations Elizabeth Klett
00:11:29
Play 14 Chapter 14 - The Bleeding Part Elizabeth Klett
00:14:45
Play 15 Chapter 15 - The Vault Ernst Pattynama
00:12:03
Play 16 Chapter 16 - The Sick-Nurse JimOCR
00:35:28
Play 17 Chapter 17 - The Punishment JimOCR
00:36:15
Play 18 Chapter 18 - The Isle Adam JimOCR
00:12:57
Play 19 Chapter 19 - Recompense JimOCR
00:18:20
Play 20 Chapter 20 - The Departure Hokuspokus
00:07:37
Play 21 Chapter 21 - Researches Gilles G. Le Blanc
00:42:32
Play 22 Chapter 22 - History of David and Cecily manofwealth
00:24:22
Play 23 Chapter 23 - A House in the Rue du Temple - part 1 Andy Minter (1934-2017)
00:24:05
Play 24 Chapter 23 - A House in the Rue du Temple - part 2 Andy Minter (1934-2017)
00:45:12
Play 25 Chapter 24 - The Four Stories Chris Caron
00:23:22
Play 26 Chapter 25 - Tom and Sarah - part 1 Cori Samuel
00:31:36
Play 27 Chapter 25 - Tom and Sarah - part 2 Lyn Silva
00:15:21
Play 28 Chapter 26 - The Ball JimOCR
00:54:12