Short Story By Guy De Maupassant example essay topic

Henri Rene Albert (Guy de Maupassant) by Angel Calcorzi ENC. 1102, Rm. 103 Professor Palmer 22 October 2001 Guy de Maupassant (Henri Rene Albert) was born in Chateau de Miromesnil of Normandy, France on August 5, 1850. De Maupassant's father descended from nobility. His parents were wealthy, cultured, middle class people who divorced when de Maupassant was 11 years old. De Maupassant and his brother (Herve) lived with their mother.

In 1863 de Maupassant was sent to boarding school at the Institution Ecclesiatique in Yue tut ( web n. page). De Maupassant was passionate about life, loved strenuous physical activities and long journeys. He enjoyed swimming, fishing, and sailing. De Maupassant enlisted in the French Army and fought in the Franco-Prussian war from 1870-1871. From 1872-1882, he worked at the Ministry of the Navy and the Ministry of Public Education ( web / concise. asp?

+/ = 052 F 3000 n. page). De Maupassant was a French short story writer, journalist, poet, dramatist, travel writer, and the literary protege of Gustave Flaubert. His first story published in 1875 was La Main d'ecorche "The Dead Hand". Maupassant attended Lychee Napoleon in Paris and obtained his bachelors degree. In 1877 Maupassant contracted syphilis. in the same year he also wrote his first play, "A la feuille de rose: Maison torque". In 1880, De Maupassant made his debut in 1880 with a novel inserted in a small collection, published by Emile Zola under the title: "The soirees o Medan".

In 1881 Maupassant published his first collection of short stories called "La Maison Tellier". Maupassants short story "La Par ure" (The Necklace) was published in 1884, and three years later "Le Horla" was published (http: // . arches. uga. edu/~lsi mas / Guy. html n. page). De Maupassant published nearly 300 short stories, six novels, 200 newspaper articles, and 3 travel books from 1880-1890. He published stories and romances every year until 1891.

In 1886 complications resulting from syphilis caused de Maupassant's health to deteriorate and he began to develop mental health problems. Maupassant unsuccessfully attempted suicide in 1892, and was committed to Dr. Blanche's mental hospital in Paris, for an extended stay. Henri Rene Albert (Guy de Maupassant), father of three children died on July 6, 1893 at the age of 42 ( web edu. sc owens / biography. html n. page). "The Necklace" a short story by Guy de Maupassant published in the year 1884 is about a beautiful woman who aspires to be more than what she is. Madame Loisel (Mathilde) is a middle class woman who has extravagant tastes and is unhappy because her heart's desires are financially impossible.

Mathilde and her husband (Mangier Loisel) are invited to a Ministry Ball. Mathilde, upset because she believes she has nothing to wear, asks for 400 francs from her husband to buy a dress. Still unsatisfied, she borrows a diamond necklace from her friend Madame Forestier. Monsieur Loisel and Mathilde attend the ministry ball and have an elegant time. Mathilde's dreams are coming true.

Realizing the morning is near, Mathilde and her husband leave the ball. When they arrive at their home they realize that the diamond necklace that Mathilde has borrowed from Madame Forestier is missing. They search unsuccessfully for the necklace and decide to replace the necklace at a cost of 36 thousand francs. For ten years Mathilde and her husband live a poverty stricken life in order to repay the depts accumulated to replace the necklace. After the debt is paid, Mathilde happens to meet Madame Forestier on the street, and tells her what really happened to the original necklace. Madame Forestier then revealed to Mathilde that the necklace was a fake.

The theme of De Maupassants story, "The Necklace" is not aspire for more than what you have. The narrator says "she suffered endlessly, feeling herself born for every delicacy and luxury" ( web n. page). This conveys to the reader that she is unhappy with her social status. After Mathilde and her husband are invited to the Ministry Ball, Mathilde gets upset with the gesture because she believes she has nothing to wear. This is false and is what gets her in trouble. "And what do you suppose I am to wear at such an affair" she says (web /~dco x / o henry / samav. html n page).

She feels that she has to be somebody else. Mathilde wants everyone to believe that she is more than just a middle class wife. "There's nothing so humiliating as looking poor in the middle of a lot of rich woman" explains Mathilde ( web n. page). The narrator does an excellent job of expressing Mathilde's needs and aspirations for things that are under normal circumstances not needed or not easily obtained. The theme of not aspiring for more than what you have is one lesson for all the readers... "Le Horla" a short story of horror published January 1887 by Guy de Maupassant is about a young man and his madness.

The main character becomes ill and low spirited, and immediately talks about a mysterious presence: "the invisible air". He is having feverish attacks, symptoms of anxiety and signs of paranoia. The man has bad dreams of a creature trying to kill him or suck the life out of him. He also experiences unexplained phenomena that adds to his madness. The man packs up and leaves the town hoping that some time away will cure these troubles. The man goes to a gothic Cathedral and speaks to a monk, asking him if he had an explanation for what is happening to him.

The monk is no help to him so the man returns to his home where the bad dreams and unexplained phenomena return. He is going crazy because he believes something is after him. He tries to kill the being by trapping the invisible creature inside the house. Since this is unsuccessful, he realizes the only solution is to kill himself.

"La Horla" shows evidence of De Maupassants mental instability. The character of the mad man in the story was uniquely described. The narrator does an excellent job of conveying the mans mental and physical state of mind. The narrator also expresses the fear of the character in such a way that the reader experiences his fear. "A nightmare lays hold on me. Somebody is close to me, is looking at me, touching me, is getting on to my bed, is kneeling on my chest, is taking my neck between his hand and squeezing it... squeezing it with all his might in order to strangle me".

(Short Stories of Tragedy and Comedy of Life 44). The man is paranoid because of the unexplained phenomena and hallucinations he is having. "I double lock and bolt it: I am frightened... of what? - I open my cupboards, and look under my bed; I listen... I listen... to what?" (Short Stories of Tragedy and Comedy of Life 43).

His mind is playing tricks on him. "I am going mad. Again all the contents of my water-bottle have been drunk during the night or rather, I have drunk it! But is it I?

Is it I? Who could it be? Who?" (Short Stories of Tragedy and Comedy of Life 50). Maupassant's story "The Horla" has great detail that explains the characters fear, anxiety, and the character's state of mind.

"The Horla" is written in such detail that the reader can picture what the mad man is going through as if the reader was the man in the story. Guy de Maupassant has been called a literary rebel, who exemplifies traditional French psychological realism. His dismal characters in his stories possess characteristics of greed, desire, vanity, and portray unfortunate detail of their lives. De Maupassant had a gift for seeing things and picking things up that other people did not, and he possessed a unique and beautiful form of writing which he is able to express clearly, simply, and beautifully what he wants to say. Emile Zola over his grave once said, "We congratulate him; upon that health which seemed unbreakable, and justly credited him with the soundest constitution of our band, as well as with clearest mind and the sanest reason. It was then that this frightful thunderbolt destroyed him" (Short Stories of Tragedy and Comedy of Life xvi).

The genius of Guy de Maupassant was of a sane man. But today, after reading his works, traces of his final malady are found. Maupassant has his place in the ranks of pure French genius. "Just as it is impossible to comprehend the Rome of the Caesars without the work of Petronius, so is it impossible to fully comprehend the France of 1850-90 without the stories of Maupassant (Short Stories of Tragedy and Comedy of Life xx ). Dunne, Walter M. Short Stories of Tragedy and Comedy of Life. Guy de Maupassant The Review of Reviews Co.

1903. "Guy de Maupassant 1850-1893 -in full Henry Rene Albert-Guy de Maupassant". Books and Writers. Home Page. 16 September 2001...

"Guy de Maupassant". Cathar ton Authors. com. Home Page. 17 September 2001... "Guy de Maupassant". Dictionary of Literary Biography. volume 123: Nineteenth Century French Fiction Writers: Naturalism and Beyond, 1860-1900.

A Broccoli Clark Layman Book. Edited by Catherine Stage Bros man, Tulane University. The Gale Group, 1992 pp. 188-214. "Henri Rene Albert Guy de Maupassant". Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 vols.

Gale Research, 1998. "Maupassant, Guy de". edisto. c ofc. edu. Home Page. 28 September 2001... "Maupassant, Guy de". Encyclopedia. com.

Home Page. 17 September 2001. Maupassant, Guy de. "The Horla".

Short Stories of Tragedy and Comedy of Life. Dunne M. Walter, , The Review of Reviews Co. 1903 45-75. "Maupassant, Guy de". web Home Page. 28 September 2001... "Maupassant, (Henri Rene Albert) Guy de".

Encarta. msn. com. Home Page. 17 September 2001. "The Necklace". Guy de Maupassant. Home Page.

15 September 2001..