Chapter 3, Hausmannism Summary and Analysis

After the Exposes the book begins proper. He introduces the arcades. There were the precursor to the shopping mall and emerged in Paris. He begins to delve into the life of some of the residents of the area. He recounts an anecdote about a woman poisoner who lived in apartments 4 -6 inclusive. She had two assistants. One morning, all three were found dead; they appear to have died from the vapors of the poison they worked with. Human nature, as reformulated by modern society appears: many women prioritize dressing attractively so highly that they suffer from being chilly or downright cold while out at the arcades - warm attire might detract from their beauty.

Benjamin takes the readers on another twist when he explains that at this point, manufacturing has supplanted the old soldier-laborer that the agrarian society depended...