The Fat Girl: Selected Short Stories by Maupassant: Selected Short Stories by Maupassant

Author: Guy de Maupassant
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: In the history of French and world literature, apart from his fame as a novelist, Maupassant was also renowned for his short stories, which numbered over three hundred, earning him a place alongside Chekhov and O. Henry as one of the three great masters of the short story. This book selects fifty-plus outstanding works from The Complete Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant, including Boule de Suif, The Necklace, The Prisoner, The Umbrella, Horseback, and The Rope. It reflects the broad range of Maupassant's short story subjects, covering all aspects of French social life at the time, allowing readers to appreciate the master's exceptional artistic skills. Maupassant's literary achievements were particularly prominent in the short story genre, earning him the title of a world-renowned giant of the short story. He excelled at capturing richly symbolic fragments from ordinary and trivial matters, using small details to generalize the truth of life. His short stories focus on depicting human relationships and social customs, fully showcasing his talent as a painter of social scenes. The brilliance of his short story technique is especially evident in his ingenious plot construction, vivid detailed descriptions, brilliant and lifelike character dialogues, and thought-provoking endings. His concise, simple, and elegant style is particularly pronounced in his short stories. Boule de Suif tells the story of a carriage allowed to pass by the Prussian army but then stopped by a Prussian officer midway. The condition for passage was that the prostitute Boule de Suif accompany him to sleep. Out of national sentiment, Boule de Suif loudly cursed the shameless man. However, the wealthy merchants, industrialists, and nobles, along with their wives in the carriage, used smooth words to persuade her to make a sacrifice, and Boule de Suif was forced to comply. After the carriage was allowed to pass, she was despised by those inside. In the end, the carriage moved forward accompanied by the sound of La Marseillaise and the cries of Boule de Suif.