{"id":1382,"date":"2015-10-08T20:02:08","date_gmt":"2015-10-08T18:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/?p=1382"},"modified":"2020-05-31T00:10:31","modified_gmt":"2020-05-30T22:10:31","slug":"novellen-band-1-guy-de-maupassant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/2015\/10\/novellas-volume-1-guy-de-maupassant\/","title":{"rendered":"Novellas Volume 1 \u2022 Guy de Maupassant"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

A Life<\/a> and At Sea<\/a> by Maupassant I have already reviewed with great enthusiasm, and after these excellent books, it was clear that I absolutely wanted to read some of his short stories. That makes Maupassant the author I\u2019ve read the most of this year. His way of writing and the subtle manner in which he conveys his message first have a delicate and then a strikingly powerful effect on me. For me, he counts among my absolute favorite authors.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Maupassant wrote a total of 300 short stories and was able to live quite well from his success. The setting of A Life<\/a> was Normandy, and of At Sea<\/a> the C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur, and both places reappear in his short stories. Some characters as well\u2014such as Aunt Lison (with a scene that appears exactly like in A Life<\/a>)\u2014show up again. The book begins with the story Boule de Suif<\/em> (Ball of Fat<\/em>), highly praised by Flaubert, with which Maupassant achieved his breakthrough in 1880. At 80 pages, it\u2019s also the most extensive story in the collection. In total, there are fifty stories, many of which span only a few pages.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The stories are always about people, about society, and how they interact with one another, often reacting in typical ways in very different situations. They are brief episodes that describe a particular situation or event and observe the reactions of the people involved. Starting from the relationships between social classes, encounters between occupiers and the occupied, dealing with a disabled family member, to the emotional life of an eternal spinster. The topics are completely varied, yet in every case they expose the inadequacies of human behavior within society so openly that one is often startled. What he describes, though his stories are fictional, reflects reality; and even though much of it has contemporary references, he has captured the essence of humanity remarkably well.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Many of his stories also deal with marriage, the relationship between men and women, and love. I particularly enjoyed these, because they often carry a fine sense of humor\u2014a tone that is sometimes cynical, sometimes benevolent. The entertainment value here is definitely high. Others genuinely surprised me with their endings, and sometimes one just wants to throw up one\u2019s hands in disbelief. Maupassant\u2019s characters truly have to endure a lot; I\u2019m quite glad I\u2019m not a product of his imagination.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

At times, the short stories reminded me of Gerhard Polt\u2019s Almost Like in Real Life<\/em> (Fast wia im richtigen Leben<\/em>), a German TV series from the 1980s that poked fun at the petty bourgeoisie through sketch-like scenes. There too, short, exaggerated episodes depict bizarre everyday situations. Polt revealed himself as a sharp observer of social behavior, much like Maupassant did in his own time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

From Maupassant\u2019s tales in At Sea<\/a>, it becomes clear that he despised the false, hypocritical, and highly flexible morality of society. Authors like Alexandre Dumas or Victor Hugo wrote extensive and emotionally gripping books on the same theme\u2014filling thousands of pages and taking readers on a journey that made human failure tangible. Maupassant, by contrast, is far more minimalist, elegant, and subtle. With an incredible sense of finesse, he manages to capture the many nuances of human communication and relationships\u2014often only through hints or the description of brief actions. With a disillusioned gaze, he observes the doings of his contemporaries and the society of his time, finding little good to say about them. Yet some humorous scenes bring a sense of reconciliation, and from what I\u2019ve read about him, that likely fits his personality quite well\u2014torn between something that repelled him from people and yet unable to exist without society.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Conclusion:<\/strong> Guy de Maupassant\u2019s short stories are pure reading pleasure. After reading just two or three of them, one cannot stop and eagerly devours the diverse and imaginative tales. From husbands and lovers, from poor and rich people, from blameworthy and virtuous beings, from respectable and utterly depraved individuals\u2014the range is vast and offers even more beyond that. With a certain simplicity but a substantial amount of depth, Maupassant sheds light on various, sometimes fateful, sometimes amusing episodes in the lives of very different people. In doing so, he proves that he understood how to observe the people of his time and to paint a picture of society that is sometimes exaggerated but always profoundly realistic.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Book Information:<\/strong> Short Stories Volume 1<\/em> \u2022 Guy de Maupassant \u2022 Manesse Verlag \u2022 688 pages \u2022 ISBN 9783717521204<\/p>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Life and At Sea by Maupassant I have already reviewed with great enthusiasm, and after these excellent books, it was clear that I absolutely wanted to read some of his short stories. That makes Maupassant the author I\u2019ve read the most of this year. His way of writing and the subtle manner in which … <\/p>\n

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