Guy de Maupassant
- 1. Biography of Guy de Maupassant Prepared by Miss Rose June Vargas Locsin
- 2. Name: Henri-Rene-Albert Guy de Maupassant Date of Birth: August 5, 1850 Birthplace: Dieppe, Normandy, France Date of Death: July 6, 1893 Place of Death: Paris, France Father: Gustave de Maupassant Mother: Laure Le Poittevin
- 4. • started schooling when he was 13 years old • finished at a Rouen boarding school • studied law at the University of Paris • became a soldier in Normandy during the Franco-Prussian War • worked as a clerk in the Education Ministry • resigned in 1880 and began a literary career • imitated the style of his godfather Gustave Flaubert
- 6. • published his first story “Boule de Suif” (“Ball of Fat”) in 1880 • established himself as a prominent writer of short stories and novels • wrote all of his great literature, including 6 novels and over 300 short stories within a decade (1880-1890) • published “La Parure” (“The Necklace”) in 1884
- 7. Alongside his flourishing literary career, de Maupassant’s health declined as a result of syphilis, which he contracted in the 1870s. He attempted suicide on January 2, 1892 but was unsuccessful; consequently, he was placed in a sanitarium. He died there a year and a half later.
- 9. De Maupassant as Literary Genius A. Theories of Realism and Naturalism •influenced by Flaubert’s leaning toward realism in his writings •influenced by his friend Emile Zola and his naturalistic perspective
- 10. B. Characters Many of his characters are unhappy victims of their greed, desire, or vanity. C. Writing Style He presents the characters’ lives without sermonizing. He would usually “show” us, not “tell” us.