Chapter 24 King of Short Stories - Maupassant

A realist, if he can be called an artist, what he wants to explore is not to photograph life rigidly for us, but to present a more complete, exciting and convincing scene than reality Give us. — Maupassant French literary masters are often praised for their long novels. Balzac, Zola, etc. all tried to leave an encyclopedia for their times, and Maupassant is known as the "king of short stories". Maupassant was born in August 1850 in a declining aristocratic family near Dieb, Normandy, in northwestern France.His mother was born in a scholarly family, loved literature, often commented on literary works, and had unique insights, which made Maupassant influenced by literature at an early age.From childhood, his mother trained him to write poetry, and until he became famous, his mother was still Maupassant's literary consultant, critic and assistant.Another person who laid the foundation for Maupassant to embark on the literary path was Louis Bouille, his middle school literature teacher. This Barnacle poet often guided Maupassant in various genres of literary creation.Later, the great writer Flaubert became Maupassant's literary mentor, and the two of them formed a mentor-student relationship like father and son.Flaubert devoted himself to imparting writing experience to Maupassant; each of Maupassant's exercises was sent to Flaubert for review.Under Flaubert's guidance, Maupassant's writing ability continued to improve.

It is Maupassant's famous work, which makes Maupassant a blockbuster, and readers call him a new star in the literary world.Since then, he has jumped onto the French literary scene.This novel is about seven residents of the city of Lyon occupied by the enemy fleeing in a carriage during the Franco-Prussian War. There are nobles, capitalists, nouveau riche and their wives, two nuns, and a fake Patriot, a whore nicknamed "Ball of Suet".During the escape, they all looked down on Ball-of-Fat, and the wives of the property owners insulted her as a "social disgrace", but the carriage bumped for a day, and they couldn't buy food. They ate the food of Suifan, and their attitude towards Suif changed greatly, from contempt to intimacy.Being blocked at the Prussian checkpoint is the key to the development of the plot.In order to escape for their own lives, these people came up with various ways to make Ball of Fat meet the shameless demands of the Prussian army. Finally, Ball of Fat was persuaded by the old nun to sacrifice their dignity.The carriage continued on the road, and the atmosphere in the car changed again. Those people didn't seem to know Ball-of-Fat, and they didn't mention the shame she suffered for them. Can endure hunger.The novel ends with the whimper of Ball-of-Fat.The novel expresses the hypocrisy of the aristocratic bourgeoisie, and expresses sympathy and respect for the people at the bottom.The novel's plot structure, psychological depiction, and scene arrangement are all quite ingenious.

Some of Maupassant's novels expose the coldness of life in the world and the hypocrisy and depravity of the bourgeoisie.For example, "The Necklace", which satirizes the vanity of ordinary citizens; "My Uncle Yule", which describes the coldness of the world, exposes the greed of officials.The author also has some works expressing deep sympathy for the suffering of the working people, such as "The Story of a Female Long-term Laborer" and "The Beggar".Maupassant's novels are good at describing the human conditions and sophistication of daily life. The author is good at digging out the ordinary and trivial things, and finds meaning in the inadvertent trivial things in daily life.The author does not use heavy ink and color, but makes good use of line drawing to outline a picture of life with concise lines and calm colors.

Because his short stories are so famous, his achievements in novel creation have been obliterated.In fact, he is not only a master of short stories, but also has made great achievements in the creation of novels.He inherited the realistic tradition of Balzac, Stendhal, and Flaubert, and opened up a new path in psychological description.It is one of his representative works.Maupassant was not satisfied with the achievements of short stories. After his reputation rose, he often set foot in the upper class, broadened his horizons, and thought of reflecting social reality from a broader background, and novels provided him with a handy tool.From the first novel "Life" to the second novel, his brushstrokes have shifted from personal life to the press and political circles, with much richer content, which can be called a social novel that reveals profoundly and satirizes sharply.He shows society at that time through the struggles of a modern-day adventurer, Georges Duroy, who made his way through unscrupulous means.First of all, it exposed the shady scene of the press at that time.The novel vividly describes how the Walter gang used the newspaper to manipulate the political situation. He used the newspaper to create public opinion and realize the conspiracy to overthrow the cabinet.The newspapers are manipulated by the plutocrats to show their talents in politics and speculative careers. This is the shady news of the newspaper industry in the Third Republic revealed.The novel also exposed the colonial policy of the French government at that time.He pointed out that the colonial expansion policy carried out by the authorities under the banner of patriotism is extremely deceptive.The third part of the novel's disclosure lies in the creation of a typical modern adventurer.In Maupassant's words, it is "the life of an adventurer, such as we meet every day in Paris, in the various professions we meet today."Duroa had spent time in the colonial army in North Africa and had trained a cruel hard heart.At the same time, he is a quick-witted ghost and a person who can adapt to changes.Combining cruel and evil experience with his cunning personality, Paris, the adventurer's paradise, breeds such an ambitious man.He used newspapers to directly participate in the conspiracy to overthrow the cabinet, show off his prowess, and become an important pen of Walter's gang.His success in the newspaper office also benefited from his relationship with women.Using women to make a fortune is Duroy's second and most characteristic method.His capital is that he has a beautiful appearance. In the eyes of women, he is a "beautiful friend".He is cunning and cunning, using his specialty to step up his career.Finally, he approached Walter's youngest daughter Susan step by step, forcing the old and cunning Walter to marry her daughter to him.At the grand wedding banquet in Duroy, the priest blessed him with almost flattering words: "You are the happiest people in the world, you are the wealthiest, and you are the most respected. Especially you, sir, you are outstanding, and through Your moral articles give guidance and enlightenment to all beings, and become a guide for the people. You have a great mission on your shoulders, and you have to set an example for them..." The novel ends with Du Luoa's success.