Eugene Sue (1804-1857) was one of the inventors of the feuilleton novel and was one of the most read and influential novelists in France during his time. In the early 1840s, Sue's life was marked by a significant transformation from an apolitical dandy to an engaged socialist. He now found the root of all human suffering in the selfishness of political organization and held society, especially the aristocracy, responsible for the vices of the proletariat. The novel The Eternal Jew was written between 1844 and 1845 and was filled with the pressing political issues of the time. It quickly became a success and a major event in the social life of France.