An outstanding French critical realist writer in the second half of the 19th century, he once studied with the famous French writer Flaubert. Throughout his life, he wrote 6 novels, more than 350 short and medium-sized novels, and three travelogues. His literary achievements are most prominent in short stories. He is one of the three greatest short story masters in the world along with Chekhov and O. Henry. They have had a great influence on later generations and are known as the "King of Short Stories".
Chinese name: Guy de Maupassant
Foreign name: Guy de Maupassant
Nationality: France
Birthplace: Normandy Dieb, Province
Date of birth: August 5, 1850
Date of death: July 6, 1893
Occupation: Critical realist writer
Graduation school: Paris University School of Law
Main achievements: Movies adapted from novels are popular all over the world
Known as the "King of Short Stories"
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Representative works: "Beautiful Friend", "My Uncle Jules", "Ball of Suet", "Necklace"
Table of Contents[Hide]
Biography
Creative Characteristics
Personal Works
"Maupassant's Apprentice"
[Edit this paragraph] Biography
Full name Guy de Maupassant (Guy de Maupassant) August 5, 1850 - July 6, 1893. The French writer is known as the master of short stories. He wrote nearly 300 short stories in his life. His representative works include "The Necklace", "Ball de Suif", "My Uncle Jules", "Beautiful Friend", etc. These are all A popular masterpiece. . He is good at cutting out typical fragments from ordinary and trivial things, and summarizing the reality of life with small insights. His short stories are unique in their conception, with varied plots, vivid and detailed descriptions, and vivid depictions of human emotions and the world, which make people have endless aftertaste after reading them. Maupassant was born in August 1850 in a declining aristocratic family near the city of Dieppe in the Normandy province of northwestern France. His ancestors were all nobles, but they declined by his father's generation, and his father became a broker on the exchange. His mother came from a scholarly family and loved literature. She often commented on literary works and had unique insights. Not long after Maupassant was born, his parents separated due to frequent conflicts. He lived with his mother in a villa by the sea. When he was young, Maupassant liked to play in apple orchards, watch hunting on the grassland, chat and work with farmers, fishermen, boatmen, and hunters. These experiences made Maupassant familiar with rural life from an early age. From his childhood, his mother trained him to write poetry. When her son became a famous writer, she was still Maupassant's literary consultant, critic and assistant, so his mother was the first teacher for him to embark on the path of literary creation. Another person who laid the foundation for Maupassant to embark on the literary path was Louis Bouyer, his literature teacher when he was studying at the Rouen High School at the age of 13. Louis Bouye was a famous Parnat poet who often guided Maupassant in literary creations of various genres. In 1870, after graduating from high school, Maupassant went to Paris to study literature at university. This year the Franco-Prussian War broke out and he enlisted in the army. In the army, he witnessed the motherland in danger and the soldiers moaning in a pool of blood. He felt very sad. He wanted to write down what he saw and heard to inspire people's patriotic enthusiasm. In 1871, after the war, Maupassant retired and returned to Paris. In 1878, he began writing while working in the Ministry of Education. At that time, his uncle's classmate and friend, the great writer Flaubert, became Maupassant's literary mentor, and the two of them formed a master-student relationship as close as father and son. Maupassant met many social celebrities through his mentor, and Flaubert was determined to pass on his creative experience to Maupassant. Maupassant respected his master's teachings very much, and sent every essay to Flaubert for review. Flaubert revised his studies meticulously and expressed his appreciation for many of Maupassant's works, but advised him not to rush to publish them. Therefore, in the 1970s, Maupassant wrote a lot but published very few. This was the preparatory stage for his literary creation. With "Ball de Suif" (1880), he was selected into the collection of short stories "Meetang Party" and jumped onto the French literary scene. His creative heyday was in the 1980s.
In 10 years, he wrote 6 novels: "Life" (1883), "A Friend" (1885), "Hot Springs" (1886), "Pierre and John", and "Strong as Death" (1889). , "Our Hearts" (1890). These works revealed the dark inside story of the Third Republic of China, in which key cabinet officials acted in the interests of financial giants, deceived parliament and the people, and launched an imperialist war to plunder the African colony of Morocco; they criticized the corruption, greed, and intrigues of the ruling group. Shameless and dissolute. Maupassant also wrote more than 350 short and medium-sized novels. While exposing the upper-class rulers and the social atmosphere they poisoned, he also expressed deep sympathy for the little people who were insulted and damaged. The theme of the short story can be roughly summarized into three aspects. The first is to satirize vanity and money worship, such as "The Necklace" and "My Uncle Jules"; the second is to describe the tragic experience of the working people and praise their integrity, simplicity and generosity. The third is the description of the Franco-Prussian War, which reflects the patriotic sentiments of the French people, such as "Ball of Suet". The exquisite layout and structure of Maupassant's short stories, the selection of typical details, the narrative and lyrical techniques, and the flowing and natural writing style all provide models for later writers. In addition, his keen observation is also commendable. Since he became a disciple of Flaubert, he would travel long distances from Paris to Flaubert's residence on the outskirts of Rouen with new exercises every Sunday to listen to Flaubert's poems. Comments on the assignment he turned in the week before. Flaubert had very strict requirements on him, first requiring him to observe things keenly and thoroughly. Maupassant followed his teacher's teachings and gradually became good at discovering characteristics that others had not discovered or written about." Later, when he talked about how writers should observe things carefully and keenly, he said that he must observe everything you want to express in detail. It takes time and concentration to discover aspects of it that no one has seen or said yet. In order to describe a burning fire or a tree on the ground, we need to stand on the fire or. In front of this tree, until we feel that they are no longer the same as other flames and other trees." Once, Flaubert also suggested that Maupassant do this kind of exercise and go out for a run on horseback and come back after an hour or two. Write down everything you see. Maupassant followed this method to practice his observation skills for a year. In addition, Flaubert also asked him to listen to the sound of carriages on the street to train his observation skills. In 1880, Maupassant's famous work "Ball of Suet" was published, which made Maupassant a blockbuster. Readers called him a new star in the literary world. From then on, he jumped onto the French literary scene. Most of Maupassant's works were created in the 10 years from this time to 1890. During this time, he wrote about 300 short stories, 6 novels, 3 travel notes, a collection of poems and other essays. Maupassant's works had a great influence on later generations. In addition to "Ball de Suif" (1880), a treasure in this collection of short stories, Maupassant also wrote "Family" (1881), "My Uncle Jules" (1883), "Papa Milon" (1883), "Two Friends" (1883), "The Necklace" (1884) and a large number of popular, ideological and An excellent short story with a perfect combination of artistry. Maupassant's novels have also reached relatively high achievements. He wrote 6 novels: "Life" (1883), "Beautiful Friends" (also translated as "Beautiful Friends", 1885), "Hot Springs" (1886), "Pierre and John" (1887) , "Strong as Death" (1889) and "Our Hearts" (1890), the first two of which have been included in the world's masterpieces of novels. Turgenev believed that he was the "most outstanding genius" in the French literary world at the end of the 19th century. Tolstoy believed that his novels have "formal beauty" and "clear love and hate". The reason why he is a genius is that he "sees things not as he wants to see them but as they are." ", thus "can expose things, and make people love what is worth loving and hate what is worth hating." Zola: His works are "infinitely rich and colorful, all wonderful and breathtaking." Engels: "We should take off our hat to Maupassant." Because his short stories are famous both at home and abroad, his achievements in the creation of novels have been forgotten. 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 realist tradition of Balzac, Stendhal and Flaubert, and opened up a new path in psychological description. "Beautiful Friend" 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 society, broadened his horizons, and thought of reflecting social reality from a broader background. Long novels provided him with a handy tool. From the first novel "Life" to the second novel "Beautiful Friend", his writing has moved from personal life to the world of journalism and politics, with much richer content. It can be called a social novel with profound revelations and sharp satire. . He worked diligently throughout his life, but suffered from insanity due to overwork and was later sent to a lunatic asylum in Paris. Maupassant died on July 6, 1893, at the age of 43. Although he only lived to be 43 years old, he left behind more than 300 short stories and 6 novels, and he wrote even though he was ill for a long period of time, which is amazing. What's more, his novel creation has maintained immortal artistic charm for a century or two. His great achievements in short stories have earned him the reputation of "the master of short stories in the world". His novels also have hundreds of millions of readers and are constantly adapted into movies, which are popular all over the world.
[Edit this paragraph] Creative features
Mopassant Maupassant’s more than 350 short stories and short stories can be roughly divided into the following aspects in terms of subject matter and content: 1. Reflecting the Franco-Prussian War : In works of this type, Maupassant exposed the cruelty and barbarity of the Prussian invaders; the incompetence of the French army, and praised the French people's patriotic spirit of resisting the invaders without fear of violence, such as "Ball of Suif" (1880), "Miscellaneous" "Daddy Long" (1883) (must read), "Two Friends" (1883), etc. "Ball of Suif" is a story about a dozen residents of Lyon who were occupied by enemy troops and fled in a carriage. A carriage is a microcosm of a society. The author uses the different reasons for the passengers' escape and their performances along the way, especially the changes in their attitudes towards Ball of Suet before and after, to show their different social identities and personality traits. 2. Those that describe the worldly life of the bourgeoisie and expose the moral depravity of the bourgeoisie, such as "The Necklace" (1884) and "Dai Jia Lou" (1881), and "My Uncle Jules" (1883) which shows that the world is greedy for money and does not pay attention to family affection. ), "The Umbrella" (1884), which describes the stinginess of the small bourgeoisie, etc. 3. Those that reflect the poverty, suffering and excellent qualities of working people's lives, such as "Simon's Dad" (1881), "The Story of a Female Long-term Worker" (1881), etc. Characteristics of Maupassant's short stories: Realism and naturalness are the primary goals that Maupassant pursues in his short story creation. The highest state of art is no art, which is also an important symbol of his realistic novel art. Compared with Balzac, Stendhal and Mérimée in the early 19th century, Maupassant's short stories have gotten rid of any degree of romanticism, and have abandoned all techniques of legendary novels. His short stories are unique in conception, with varied plots, vivid and detailed descriptions, and vivid depictions of human emotions and the world, making people have endless aftertaste after reading them. 1. In terms of material selection, Maupassant was not interested in special or peculiar events. His short stories all used stories or scenes of daily life as content to describe the human condition in daily life. It is as plain and accurate as real life. There is no artificial arrangement or fabricated drama. It does not win with a thrilling beginning or a stunning ending, but with a real and natural narrative art and descriptive art that attracts people. Because the author is meticulously observant and good at digging, he profoundly reflects the reality of life and the nature of society. Although the article is short, it contains profound meanings, and ordinary and trivial things are of extraordinary significance. Give people the artistic enjoyment of seeing the big from the small. 2. The plot is not complicated, but the concept and layout are very subtle and unique. A. In some works, Maupassant does not even use the plot as the scaffolding and route of the short story. He always uses very thin, very hidden, and almost invisible clues to cleverly connect some credible little things, and uses them intelligently and without leaving any trace. The most appropriate structural combination highlights the main points and leads to the ending. For example, in "Family", the daily life of a civil servant family from one night to the next is not a story, but a certain reality. The downplaying of plot and the naturalization of life scenes are a characteristic of modern novels.
B. Some adopt the "layered method" of contradictions, with ups and downs throughout the novel, or create great suspense at the beginning, and then make an unexpected and sharp turn. Colorful, lively and interesting. 3. In terms of expression, Maupassant is a master of superb skills. He does not stick to established rules or abide by certain established rules, but uses various methods and techniques freely. In terms of the description object, sometimes it is a complete story, sometimes it is a fragment of an event, sometimes it is a certain picture, sometimes it is a psychological activity and mental state. There are some that have a strong storyline, and some that have a weak plot or even have no plot at all. There are some with many characters, some with a single character, and some with no characters at all. In terms of the timing of description, there are narrations, flashbacks, and interludes, as well as the intersection of the present and the past. From the perspective of description, there are objective descriptions and subjective descriptions. Sometimes the describer has a clear identity, and sometimes the identity is unknown. The diversity and change of description methods have improved the level of narrative art and greatly enriched the description methods of short stories. 4. Use the natural and simple line drawing technique to capture the essence of the scene, be meticulous and accurately express it. 5. Naturalization of characters and trivialization of heroes. Through the characters' natural state in daily life and the most reasonable actions, behaviors, reactions, and expressions that they must have under certain circumstances, their inner psychology and character reality are revealed. Don't shy away from the ridiculousness and shortcomings of heroes. The characters' personalities are revealed naturally through the development of the plot, with very few traces of incision. 6. The language is standardized, beautiful, clear, concise, accurate and vivid. The ideas reflected in Maupassant's novels Maupassant accepted the pessimistic view from Schopenhauer that things will never end and time will continue to fall apart. The anguish over "things that have passed away, things that have escaped, things that have disappeared without reaching us, things that we can never reach" is imprinted like a watermark on all of his works. He denied that human beings have genius because human beings are just beasts, only higher than other beasts: "We know nothing, we can't guess anything, and we can't imagine anything." He believed that philosophy has a profound impact on various issues. Ridiculous explanations are given, and we cannot get the answers to our questions; science cannot understand the world; the universe is dominated by blind, unknowable forces; progress is just an illusion; religion is nothing but a deception, he denies God exists.
[Edit this paragraph] Personal works
Most of Maupassant's works were written between 1880 and 1890. He published 27 central short stories and 6 A full-length novel. The main representative works are "Life" (Une vie) and "Beautiful Friend" (also translated as "Beautiful Friend"). "Life" (1883) depicts the miserable life of an aristocratic girl with disillusionment, and reflects the tragic life of Yona through the tragic incident of Yona. Under the impact of the capitalist economy and bourgeois moral trends, the lifestyle of the landed aristocracy will inevitably collapse and disintegrate. "Beautiful Friend" (1885) reflects the darkness and corruption of political life during the Third French Republic and the lasciviousness of the bourgeoisie through the description of the adventurer Duroa's use of women as a way to get ahead and the process of his fortune. Especially the filth of the press.
"Happiness"
"Sunday at the Flaubert House"
1880 "Ball de Suif"
1881 "Family"
1883 "My Uncle Jules"
1883 "Father Milon"
1883 "Two Friends"
Orphan"
1884 "The Necklace"
"Simon's Father"
"Jewels"
"Minuet"
"Miss Pearl"
1883 "Life"
1885 "Junyou" (also translated as "Beautiful Friend")
1886 "Hot Springs"
1887 "Pierre and John"
1889 "Strong as Death"
1890 "Our Hearts"
"Princess Feifei"
"A Day in the Country"
Famous Quotes by Maupassant There are countless people in the world who have ruined their lives out of laziness. Work hard, be active. Doing things, talking and thinking about problems, etc. are very difficult for certain people.
As long as there is a kind of infinite self-confidence that fills the heart, and then relies on a strong will and independent and uninhibited intelligence, one day you will succeed. I really don’t know how many people in the world who have been able to successfully establish their careers have become unknown because they lightly let go of their rare time. You understand that human life is neither as good nor as bad as people think. Religion is to fill the treasury of heaven and make people loosen their purse strings or make them empty. Charm, eyes, smile, words are the torrent that women use to drown and conquer men. People live in hope. Old hopes are realized or extinguished, and new ones are ignited.
[Edit this paragraph] "Maupassant's Apprenticeship"
Maupassant was a famous French writer in the 19th century. He has been passionate about writing since he was a child, and has written many works tirelessly, but these works are all ordinary and have no characteristics. Maupassant was extremely anxious, so he went to learn from the French literary master Flaubert. One day, Maupassant took the article he had written to ask Flaubert for guidance. He said frankly: "Teacher, I have read a lot of books, why do the articles I write always feel lackluster?" "The problem is very simple, it is that your skills are not good enough." Flaubert said bluntly. "Then - how can I master Kung Fu?" Maupassant asked eagerly. "This requires hard work and diligent practice. Isn't there a carriage passing by your door every day? You stand at the door and record everything you see every day in detail, and you must remember it for a long time." The next day, Maupassant really stood in front of his house and watched the carriages passing by on the street all day long, but found nothing. Then, he looked for two days in a row, but still found nothing. In desperation, Maupassant had no choice but to come to the teacher's house again. As soon as he entered the door, he said: "I followed your instructions and watched the carriage for a few days, but I didn't see anything special. It was so monotonous and there was nothing to write about." "No, no no! How can you say there is nothing good? How about writing? Does the magnificent carriage move in the same way as the poorly decorated carriage? How does the carriage move in the scorching sun? How does the horse use force when driving uphill? How did the driver shout when the car was going downhill? What was his expression? Can you describe this clearly? "How come there is nothing to write about?" Flaubert kept talking. Question after question left a deep imprint on Maupassant's mind. From then on, Maupassant was at the gate every day, concentrating on observing the passing carriages, from which he obtained a wealth of material and wrote some works. So, he once again asked Flaubert for guidance. Flaubert read a few articles carefully, with a smile on his face, and said: "These works show that you have made progress. But young people need to persevere, and talent is the result of perseverance in writing." Flaubert continued: "Yes For what you want to write, it is not enough to observe carefully, but also to discover features that others have not discovered or written about. For example, if you want to describe a bonfire or a green tree, you must work hard to discover them and other bonfires and trees. Other trees are different." Maupassant listened attentively, and the teacher's words gave him great inspiration. Flaubert took a sip of coffee and continued: "When you discover these characteristics, you must be good at writing them down. From now on, when you walk into a factory, describe the gatekeeper of the factory with the artist's style. This technique shows the gatekeeper's figure, posture, appearance, clothing and all his spirit and essence, so that after seeing it, I will not confuse him with a farmer, a coachman or any other gatekeeper." Maupassant kept the teacher's words firmly in mind. Keep it in mind and work harder. He observed carefully, pondered carefully, accumulated a lot of material, and finally wrote many famous works with world influence.