Beautiful friend

Author: (French) Guy de Maupassant
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Since the beginning of literary creation, literary works have seemed to be divided into highbrow and popular categories, even sparking debates: whether highbrow is better or popular is better. The argument has raged for thousands of years without reaching a consensus. In China, since ancient times, there has been a distinction between "Yan Chun Bai Xue" (highbrow) and "Xia Li Ba Ren" (popular), with each following its own path. Although there is a perceived hierarchy in name, in reality, they are equally outstanding, making it difficult to declare one superior to the other. Over time, some emerged to mediate, proposing the concept of "enjoyed by both the refined and the popular" from an aesthetic perspective. Thus, to describe a work as "enjoyed by both the refined and the popular" has, to a certain extent, become a high form of praise. The Beautiful Friend is a French novel that embodies this concept. The book was long regarded as a masterpiece of high culture and included in the canon of world literature, occupying a prominent place in the treasure trove of global literature. Over a century, countless articles and monographs have been published on Maupassant and his works, praising his dual perspective, his meticulous and profound observation of the world, his ability to discern life's philosophies and the laws of things from everyday and human behavior. They also commend him as a master storyteller, skilled in vivid and witty storytelling, adept at creating atmosphere and dramatic effects, and forming a refined and distinctive artistic style. Now, almost everyone knows that The Beautiful Friend is a classic. However, many have forgotten or are unaware of how the original novel truly was. This book is a long novel by the French writer Guy de Maupassant, depicting the story of a bourgeois adventurer. George Duroy paid with a hundred franc coin and took the change from the female cashier, then left the restaurant. He was strikingly handsome and retained the dignity of a former officer, standing straight with a habitual military gesture as he twirled his mustache.