Guy de Maupassant is known for depicting human life, emotions and social forces and creating drama out of it. His birth anniversary was observed on August 5. Mathilde was born into a family of clerks. She largely despised her social setting, unable to enjoy all the luxuries of life. She dreamt of dainty dinners, shining silverware, gowns and jewels. Then one night, Mathilde gets an invitation to go to a party with her husband. She borrows a diamond necklace from her friend. But Mathilde loses it at the party. Instead of telling the truth, the duo replaces the necklace by buying a diamond necklace and end up working the rest of the years to pay for it, living a miserable life. You can always see a Mathilde if you look around, one who aspires to live above their station and later pays the price for it. Mathilde is a character in the short story “The Necklace” by Guy De Maupassant. But the story doesn’t end there.
The greatest reveal comes towards the end when Maupassant unveils with a flourish that the necklace is a fake. The friend tells Mathilde that it was paste jewellery and not real diamonds that she lost.
The short story is known for its twist ending and the irony of life. “The Necklace” is just one among the 300 short stories written by Maupassant. A master storyteller, Maupassant is considered the father of short story writing.
Maupassant is known for weaving narratives around human life, emotions and social forces and creating drama out of it. The life of the lower and middle classes figure as one of the central themes of his stories.
Maupassant studied law in Paris. The Franco-Prussian War broke out in 1870 while he was studying law and he enlisted himself in the army. This military experience would later on become fodder for many of his literary works. Some of his stories are set during the Franco-Prussian War and the narratives delve into the futility of war.
Maupassant underwent an informal apprenticeship under French novelist Gustave Flaubert which left a great influence on his literary career.
His stories were crafted in the naturalist style, meaning they are more realistic. With prose that is devoid of any frills, his writings are simple. His stories always delve into the many emotions of the human mind such as greed, ambition and desire. Apart from short stories, he wrote novels and travel books.
It was his short story ‘Boule de Suif (Ball of Fat) that first gained him attention.
Some of his famous short stories are the The Necklace’, The Horla’, The False Gems’, and ‘Useless Beauty’. He also worked in newspapers where his short stories were published. His works are said to have influenced writers such as O Henry, William Somerset Maugham, Anton Chekhov and so on.
Maupassant is regarded as one of the greatest storytellers the literary world has ever seen. Sadly, he died at the young age of 42.
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