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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education

Omsk State University named after. F. M. Dostoevsky

Faculty of Culture and Arts

Department of Film, Photo and Video Creativity

in the discipline literature

on the topic: "Guy De Maupassant. Novels. Ideological and artistic analysis"

performed by: Zaitseva Yu.I.

checked by: Bykova N.I.

Omsk - 2012

Introduction

Creativity Review

Ideological and artistic analysis

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

The purpose of this essay is to prove the significance and relevance of the novelistic works of the French writer G. de Maupassant.

Although the author lived and worked in the 19th century in the French Republic, the problems of his novels and stories are readable today in Russia. And all because the morals of people, the advantages and disadvantages of the human soul, in essence, remain the same. At one time, the author loved to reflect in his works on the motives of self-interest, on human hypocrisy, on the follies of people. At the time, Maupassant's stories enjoyed considerable popularity due to such themes, especially in the post-war period. And I think that modern people, even if they have not experienced war, the problems of the human soul are very interesting, the nobility or rottenness of which is manifested in an acute social conflict or in a small everyday situation.

I dedicate this work to revealing the work of Guy de Maupassant (review). After completing this task, I will present several short stories by the author with various problems. This work will help me prove that the work of the prose writer is relevant for modern readers and every idea revealed by the author can be understood by our reader. After all, even for one and a half hundred years, the works, and in particular the short stories, of Maupassant are quite in demand among readers.

Creativity Review

A little about the writer's biography. Guy de Maupassant was born on August 5, 1850 at the Miromesnil castle near Dieppe. Having studied briefly at the seminary, Maupassant, after being expelled from it, moved to the Rouen Lyceum, where he completed his course of study. While studying at the Lyceum, he proved himself to be a capable student, passionate about poetry and theatrical art. During this period of time, Maupassant became close friends with Louis Bouyer, a poet and caretaker of the Rouen library, and, especially, with Flaubert, who became the young man’s mentor. After graduating from the Lyceum in 1869, and after consulting with his mother and Flaubert, he went to Paris to begin studying law. The outbreak of war disrupted all plans...

Having gone through the Franco-Prussian campaign as a simple private, Maupassant supplemented his education with reading and became especially fond of natural history and astronomy. To eliminate the danger of a hereditary illness that loomed over him, he worked hard on his physical development.

The ruin that befell his family forced Maupassant to become an official in the Naval Ministry, where he remained for about ten years. Maupassant gravitated toward literature. For more than six years, Maupassant, who became close friends with Flaubert, composed, rewrote and tore up what he had written; but he decided to appear in print only when Gustave Flaubert recognized his works as sufficiently mature and stylistically holistic.

Maupassant's first story was published in 1880, along with stories by Zola, Alexis, Cear, Ennick and Huysmans, in the collection Les soirees de Medan. The aspiring writer amazed literary circles with his “Boule de suif”, demonstrating subtle irony and great art of compressed and at the same time rich, vivid characterization.

Over the course of eleven years, Maupassant created a number of collections of short stories, indicated in the title by the name of the first story (up to 16 volumes); at the same time, he wrote major novels: “Life” (Une vie) (1883), “Dear Friend” (Bel Ami) (1885), and others.

As for the aesthetic principles of the prose writer, Romanticism was alien to Maupassant. On the contrary, the author strived for a realistic description storylines, although in those days it was quite difficult due to the fact that it could lead to punishment for frank reasoning. But the deep, one might even say thorough, description of the heroes was alien to the author himself. More attention in the author’s work, the monologues and dialogues of the characters, their behavior and actions, in general, any facts that can ultimately convey a complete picture of the character. A distinctive feature of the prose writer’s work was the purity of his narration, without unnecessary details and deepening into the psychology of the hero.

As for the writer’s favorite themes, we can highlight such as the theme of war, patriotism, the theme of morality and ethics, the theme of family, the theme of madness, the theme of the depravity of the human soul. In general, Maupassant was famous for his pessimism. In his works he showed all the dirt in the human soul: people are selfish, hypocritical, deceitful. Few people appreciate sincerity and nobility to the fullest. In such novels as "Life", "Dear Friend" novels and in many short stories, Maupassant showed that a person is doomed to loneliness for one of two reasons: either a person is so pure and innocent in his soul that he is not able to discern all the disgusting insides of those around him his people and in the end, after deceptions and betrayals, he is left alone, or the person is the embodiment of the devil, capable only of base and vicious acts. Therefore, it is rare to see a happy ending in any of the works of a prose writer. This applies to both the theme of love and the theme of friendship.

Many of his short stories are literally permeated through and through with sadness, in which lies the idea that people of noble morals or simply sinless people do not receive what they deserve in their lives. Although in many of Maupassant’s works he speaks in very clear language about the fair fate for selfish and hypocritical people “Miss Harriet”). It is very important to distinguish in his work the facets that the author places on similar topics. Many of his short stories are accepted by the reader as banal and predictable. But short stories are short stories for that reason; each quote should be treated without disdain. In his works, considerable importance should be given to subtext, so that it is the most important artistic component of the author’s stories. Maupassant is known as a master of words, capable of inducing the reader into long thoughts, in a fairly short story, both about the actions of the characters and about their own life situations (“The Necklace”). The author also showed his verbal skill in order to add some mysterious lyrics to his work (Bed), although the vast majority of his short stories are devoid of beauty and the main thing the author left for himself was to come to an unexpected outcome and competently present the idea, but at the same time he paid attention to quotes sufficient. One can draw a certain conclusion that the author did not waste words in the stories, but was able, thanks to the elegance of his language, to attract the reader, but also to give a very clear, competent plot. This makes his work easy to read, but also, of course, not devoid of meaning.

maupassant creativity artistic novella

Ideological and artistic analysis

Novella "Dumpling" The novella tells about the events of the Franco-Prussian War. The heroes of the story are several secular people, two nuns and a woman of easy virtue nicknamed Pyshka.

"The woman - one of the so-called persons of "easy virtue" - was famous for her premature corpulence, which earned her the nickname "Puffy". Small, all round, swollen with fat, with plump fingers, tied at the joints like a bunch of short sausages, with a shiny and with taut skin, with immense breasts protruding under her dress, she was still appetizing, and people fawned over her a lot, her freshness pleased the eye to such an extent.” It is quite clear that people, so to speak, noble ones do not want to get acquainted with people of the lower class, so it turned out that all these persons will have to travel together, for they all get out together from the city occupied by the Germans to the port. The situation was tense everywhere at that time. The Germans considered themselves masters on French soil and many residents accepted them into their homes as family, but not of their own free will. Not everyone was happy with this. And besides, secular people had business in other cities of France. But leaving that area was not so easy. Therefore, when the gentlemen learned that with them in the carriage there would be a person, to put it mildly, not of noble rank, they did not refuse the trip. But nevertheless, they found it humiliating to even enter into a conversation with a lady named Pyshka. They even looked at her reproachfully, and women, not afraid of being heard, whispered about her.

"As soon as she was recognized, whispering began between decent women; the words “girl”, “disgrace” were uttered in such a distinct whisper that Pyshka raised her head. She looked at her companions with such a defiant and impudent look that immediately there was complete silence and everyone looked down , except for Loiseau, who looked at her playfully."

But after a while people became much more lenient towards Pyshka. After all, Pyshka was a prudent woman and it was not difficult for her to predict difficulties with food supplies during the move. The same could not be said about her fellow travelers. Having learned that a person of easy virtue had hidden supplies, the secular inhabitants of heaven began to show Pyshka their good disposition. Pyshka, despite the contemptuous glances previously cast at her, was friendly to her fellow travelers and treated them to her food. There is already a conflict, a problem. Namely, the problem of human hypocrisy, the desire for self-interest and satisfaction of one’s own needs. Some of the fellow travelers turned out to be very vile individuals, for example, a man who indirectly but evilly joked about Pyshka. "Alcohol brought him to good mood, and he proposed to do as on the ship about which the song is sung: to eat the fattest of the travelers. Well-bred persons were shocked by this indirect allusion to Pyshka."

When people were almost dying of hunger, the prudent Pyshka took out her supplies. Then her fellow travelers treated her even more hatefully.

"All eyes turned to her. Soon a seductive smell spread in the carriage, from which the nostrils dilated, copious saliva appeared in the mouth and the jaws near the ears painfully tightened. The ladies' contempt for “this girl” turned into rage, into a wild desire to kill her or throw her out from the stagecoach into the snow with her glass, basket and provisions."

But after a while, Pyshka treats several people. Compliments come her way. But not everyone gets food: Pyshka, like a lady who knows her place, by nature does not dare to enter into conversation with highly respected gentlemen. But after one society lady becomes completely ill, Pyshka treats her and everyone else, having just dropped a phrase.

“Then Pyshka, blushing and embarrassed, began to babble, turning to her four companions who were still fasting:

Lord, I didn’t dare to offer you... Please, I beg you.”

The author very subtly describes the still disdainful attitude of secular people towards Pyshka, although they are barely alive and are unbearably hungry. Although they express their gratitude, they show by their behavior that she owes them for their attention. The author reveals the pitiful essence of people who put themselves first, but at the same time are capable of descending from heaven if they see benefit for themselves in this or that position. A true exploration of the theme of hypocrisy. Noble people change their attitude towards Pyshka for the sake of self-interest, while Pyshka is always sincere.

“Only the first step was difficult. But when the Rubicon had already been crossed, everyone stopped being shy. The basket was empty. It contained, among other things, liver pate, lark pate, a piece of smoked tongue, Crassan pears, Pontlevec cheese, cookies and a whole jar pickled gherkins and onions, because Pyshka, like most women, loved everything spicy... It was impossible to eat this girl’s supplies and not talk to her.”

“It was impossible to eat this girl’s provisions and not talk to her. Therefore, a conversation began, at first somewhat restrained, but then more and more relaxed, since Pyshka behaved excellently. Countess de Breville and Madame Carré-Lamadon, who possessed great social tact, showed refined courtesy. In particular, the Countess showed the friendly condescension of a high-ranking lady, who cannot be soiled by communication with anyone; she behaved charmingly. But the fat Madame Loiseau, endowed with the soul of a gendarme, remained unapproachable; she spoke little, but said a lot ate. The conversation was, of course, about the war. They talked about the cruelty of the Prussians, about the courage of the French; these people, fleeing from the enemy, paid tribute to the courage of the soldiers. Soon they started talking about personal circumstances, and Pyshka with genuine excitement, with the ardor that they show sometimes public women, when expressing their immediate impulses, told why she left Rouen"

Their journey lasted only 13 hours. Then the travelers stopped at a place called the Commercial Hotel. It was necessary to stop here for a while, but due to certain circumstances the stop dragged on for a long time. The gentlemen had a relaxed conversation on the topic of war and patriotism, about how important it is to remain a patriot to the last and how vile it is to betray your country. But true patriotism can't be described in words. For example, Pyshka did not say a word about the war, but at the same time her patriotism was felt quite clearly and it was deeply sincere. The same can be said about other characters. Thanks to them, the author reveals the problem of patriotism, that true patriotism is in the soul of a person, in his actions, and not just in words, as secular gentlemen see it.

"Puffy and Cornudet, although they were sitting near the door, came out last, taking on a stern and arrogant look in the face of the enemy. The fat woman tried to restrain herself and be calm; the democrat tragically pulled his long reddish beard with a slightly trembling hand. They tried to maintain their dignity, realizing that In such meetings, each is partly a representative of his native country, and both were equally indignant at the complaisance of their companions, and Pyshka tried to show herself prouder than her neighbors, decent women, and Cornude, realizing that he was obliged to set an example, continued to emphasize with all his appearance that mission of resistance that he began by digging up roads."

And now the travelers, having talked enough, wanted to leave the hotel. But it wasn't easy. One of the German officers blocked their way without explaining the reason. The secular gentlemen had only one thing on their minds possible reason- it's their money. They were willing to resort to extreme lies in order to pass themselves off as poor and remain financially sound. But the reason for the delay in their departure was different. As it turned out later, the German officer did not let the entire company leave the hotel, although he only needed one Pyshka. And it was clear to everyone for what purpose he was interested in getting to know her. Pyshka received an offer to spend one night with a German officer, in return he would release her and all her companions. Even though she was a woman of easy virtue and, as it seemed to everyone, for her this proposal was no different from any other, Pyshka was offended by this. As a true patriot, she could not imagine that for any reason she would become involved with a German military man.

"The Prussian officer ordered to ask Mademoiselle Elisabeth Rousset if she had changed her mind yet?"

Pumpkin froze in place, turning pale; then she immediately turned purple and was so overcome with anger that she could not speak. Finally it exploded:

Tell this reptile, this dirty trick, this Prussian bastard, that I will never agree; hear - no way, no way, no way! "

As can be seen from Pyshka’s answer, it is very important for her that the person who wished to retire with her for the night is of Prussian origin. Pyshka, yes, is selling her body, and maybe she doesn’t even see anything shameful in this for herself to some extent, but to sell her country... Her people, who are trying with all their might to win back their lands. No, Pyshka won't do that. And not for any money. This is the highest feeling of patriotism. This is not fake sincerity.

While Pyshka zealously refused and made it clear that under no circumstances would she agree to this deal, her fellow travelers discussed the issue of how to quickly force Pyshka to yield to the German officer. Surely, it never occurred to any of them that even on their part such thoughts were a real betrayal of their country. These people simply did not understand that their talk about war was empty, since they decided to do such an act. And the fact that these people are immoral is evidenced by the fact that they are ready to sacrifice another person for their own good.

Together they decided to convince Pyshka, telling her that such a decision would not be anti-patriotic, but on the contrary, in this way she would help her people, which can be represented by several people from a noble society, to get out of the so-called captivity. In the end, after much persuasion, under the pressure of absurd and somewhat menacing convictions, Pyshka agrees...

While the poor woman went to meet her companions and who in her heart considered herself a traitor, carried out what was due to which everyone had to be released, people from high society drank wine and joked, including, of course, about Pyshka and German occupier.

“Suddenly Loiseau made a frightened face and, raising his hands, yelled:

Everyone fell silent in surprise and even fear. Then he listened, called for silence with a gesture of both hands, raised his eyes to the ceiling, listened again and said in his usual voice:

Calm down, everything is fine.

No one dared to show that they understood what we're talking about, but a smile flashed across all faces."

After fulfilling the heavy burden that befell Pyshka, as one would expect, none of the companions spoke to her. No one even thought to thank her for, so to speak, the courtesy shown to them. But this girl went against her convictions, just to get out of the misfortunes of the gentlemen who almost called her a friend.

Now they openly looked at poor Pyshka with looks full of contempt and disgust. The ladies did not want to sit near her, so as not to touch the unclean woman. Pyshka herself was in tears.

“At first everyone was silent. Pumpkin did not dare to raise her eyes. She was at the same time indignant at all her neighbors and felt that she had humiliated herself by yielding to them, that she had been desecrated by the kisses of the Prussian, into whose arms these hypocrites had pushed her.”

As you can see, there are enough problems in this short story. Just look at the problem of war and patriotism. People easily allowed enemies into their home, as if they were not German soldiers, but ordinary Frenchmen.

But, of course, it cannot be said that all such people are not worthy to be called patriots, because it is likely that they may have been threatened for disobedience. But as for our heroes, there is no excuse for them. Their empty talk about the war, how few truly faithful, militant people remain. At that time, they easily went after the German officer. They enthusiastically tried to fulfill his base desires, persuading Pyshka to enter into a relationship with him. And most importantly, they seemed to sincerely not understand the reason for the girl’s refusal to the officer.

The problem of hypocrisy flows smoothly from this problem. How people easily change in order to get what they want. Although this problem follows directly from the very beginning of the story, when in a matter of minutes they change their attitude towards a person. And all because they understand their plight. Here, at the hotel, the same situation. They were at a dead end. And without thinking twice, they decide to help the German officer, as if they were not loyal Frenchmen.

Here we should consider the problems of human morality. It would seem that it is a woman of easy virtue who deserves to be called a fallen person. After all, she is selling her body, and at no time was this, of course, frowned upon. But the author seems to be telling us something else. That it is one thing to sell your body, but quite another to sell your country. A person controls his own body and soul. All this remains on his conscience. And only he can live with it. But there is no justification for betraying your country. Those secular gentlemen who so easily sacrificed the unfortunate girl are simply morally fallen people who have no true morality. After all, she didn’t want to have a relationship with him at all, and these people sold her body, and even to their enemies, just to get freedom. They sacrificed the principles of that girl, thinking that it was just a whim. But their immorality led to the fact that Pyshka forever lost faith in herself as a patriot.

Based on the ideological basis, we can say that the author is saying that there are a lot of injustices in this world. Influential people get everything in this world, while remaining clean on the outside, and sincere, principled people “remain fools” because it is not easy for them to live in a world of immorality and immorality. And also that everyone has their own views on what morality is, and everyone acts as much as his morality allows him. For some, dating different men is an incredible crime, but for others, the most unforgivable thing is to betray your homeland.

About the characters, we can say that the author draws Pyshka most favorably. He describes her as a woman of full build, but at the same time very pretty, with large, clear eyes. Maupassant seems to give a more in-depth description of this woman than the other characters. By this he wants to show that all secular gentlemen and those two nuns are superficial people, and they have nothing deep down in their souls, which cannot be said about a corrupt woman.

The novella is very easy to read. Maupassant very briefly describes the characters and their actions without unnecessary details. Every quote is in place here. The beginning and end of the conflict line is very interesting. After this novella, you begin to look at people’s sins differently. Or rather, the idea of ​​the true moral failures of man is changing.

Novella "Crazy?" This novella is interesting because it has no dialogue. The narration comes from the perspective of the main character. This is a short story-reflection in which the hero talks about his love for a certain girl. Although maybe this is not love? She charmed him, he was subservient to her. So what is this, love? Or a hobby? But the hero really begins to torture himself when he talks about how the girl lost interest in him.

"A sullen and indifferent look and there was no more desire in it"

And the hero says that jealousy arose here. But jealousy towards whom? He had no rivals. He was jealous of herself.

"Then I began to be jealous of her; jealous of her indifference, jealous of the loneliness of her nights; jealous of her gestures, of her thoughts, which always seemed dishonest to me, jealous of everything that I guessed. And when I sometimes noticed In the morning she has that moist look that she once had after our ardent nights, as if some kind of lust had again stirred her soul and aroused her desires, I was choking with anger, trembling with indignation, with an unquenchable thirst to strangle her, crush her with my knee and , squeezing her throat, forcing her to repent of all the shameful secrets of her soul."

The hero later learned that the girl fell in love with horse riding and fell in love with the horse. Only after horseback riding did her eyes glow. She was happy. The hero cannot forgive himself that his once beloved is happy without him. And then he decided to do something terrible: kill that stallion. The motive for this was the jealousy that the hero felt for the horse.

“I understand! I was now jealous of her strong, fast stallion; jealous of the wind that caressed her face as she rushed at a mad gallop; jealous of the leaves that kissed her ears as they flew; of the drops of the sun falling on her forehead through the tree branches ; was jealous of the saddle on which she sat, pressing her thigh tightly against it. "

"I decided to take revenge. I became meek and full of attention to her. I gave her my hand when she jumped to the ground, returning from her wild rides. The mad horse rushed at me; she patted his arched neck, kissed his fluttering nostrils, without wiping after that lips; and the aroma of her body, always in sweat, as after a hot bed, mixed in my sense of smell with the pungent animal smell of an animal."

Throughout the story, the hero constantly asks himself, am I crazy? And even the title of the story is written with question mark. Has the man who mistook a horse for his rival gone crazy?

Theme of human madness. This is the topic that is revealed by the title itself. Where the limits of permitted thoughts end. To what extent could one be jealous enough to commit murder? Killing a stallion.

The theme of human selfishness is smoothly intertwined with this theme. After all, the hero seemed not to want to give the girl even to himself. He couldn't see her happy when he didn't feel that way himself. Even if she was happy alone, he would not forgive her for this. Crazy?

Theme of love. Is there true love here or is it all just attraction. What is this. After some time, the girl cools off towards the young man. Does love pass so quickly? What about the hero? Was it possible to want to deprive a loved one of happiness and freedom? Yes, the hero said how passionately he loved her, but then he said how much he hated her. always hated it. Perhaps there was just simple passion here, without any subtle feelings. Did he love her? Is he crazy? This novella is full of questions. And I will try to give answers to them.

So, the problem is human egoism, the desire to get everything for yourself. Why did the hero not want to see the girl happy? She simply lost interest and passion in him. He's fed up with her. But life is not. For him, self-happiness was above all else. And the girl... Now he was thinking about killing the one to whom she gave all of herself, her soul. The human thirst to get everything for oneself reveals the madness of the human soul, capable of anything. Up to the murder of the object of adoration.

"Squeezing her in my arms, I peered into her eyes and trembled, languishing with the desire to kill this beast and the need to possess her continuously."

"The animal caught on my barrier with its front legs and fell to the ground, breaking its bones. I picked her up in my arms. I am so strong that I can lift an ox. Then, when I lowered her to the ground, I approached him - and he looked at us - and the minute he tried to bite me, I put a gun in his ear and shot him... like a man.

But then I also fell - and my face was cut by two blows of the whip, and when she rushed at me again, I fired a second charge into her stomach.

Am I crazy, tell me? "

Even after such an act, the hero seems to justify himself. He did not realize the full madness of his soul. Yes, you can share his jealousy for the object of the girl’s love, but commit murder. Isn't this the height of madness?

But since the hero always answers his question about madness in the negative, it makes sense to think about the reasons for his actions. After all, you can’t attribute murder to unbalanced character and so on. The hero would only justify himself in this way. But he says no, he's not crazy. Yes, if in true meaning understand this word, then the hero reasons quite sensibly. He realizes that he has missed his love and now in his place is another object of adoration. And only ordinary jealousy led him to such a crazy state. Human weakness, namely the desire to get as much as possible and not miss anything, is what caused all the tragedies. The immorality of the human soul.

Ideological basis. Maupassant says that a person often cannot forgive himself for the loss of “one of his own.” People are so immoral, immoral and pathetic for the most part that they first of all want to see themselves happy and do not want to calmly admire the happiness of others. The hero reasoned like this: either this girl will be his, or a draw’s. No, he did not plan to kill her, but it was on a subconscious level, because he did not shoot in self-defense. When he was planning to kill the horse, it seemed to be talking about killing the girl, because for her her stallion was such a little happiness. And when a person loses his happiness, he loses himself. the hero was ready to kill the most precious thing for his girlfriend, just to please his pride, his selfishness.

There is no description of the young man in the novella, but a certain part of the novella is devoted to the description of the girl. Yes, this description comes from the hero himself, and therefore one cannot say that the description of the characteristic features is reliable, but even through this description one can understand a lot.

“I belong to her smile, her lips, her gaze, the lines of her body, the oval of her face; I am suffocating under the yoke of her appearance, but she, the owner of this appearance, the soul of this body, is hateful to me, vile, and I have always hated her, despised her and abhorred her. Because she is treacherous, lustful, unclean, vicious; she is a woman of destruction, a sensual and deceitful animal who has no soul, who never has a thought like the free, life-giving air; she is a man-beast and worse than that: she only a womb, a miracle of tender and rounded flesh, in which Infamy lives.

The first time of our relationship was strange and delightful. In her ever-open arms, I emanated with the fury of insatiable desire. Her eyes, as if arousing thirst in me, forced me to open my mouth. At noon they were gray, at dusk they were greenish, and at sunrise they were blue. I'm not crazy: I swear they had those three lights.

In the hours of love they were blue, exhausted, with dilated pupils. From her convulsively trembling lips the pink, wet tip of her tongue would sometimes protrude, trembling like the sting of a snake, and her heavy eyelids slowly lifted, revealing a burning and frozen gaze that drove me crazy. "

The hero describes the appearance of his beloved with all passion. Special attention he gives her eyes. It seems that only a man who passionately loves her can describe a girl this way. You can notice that the hero does not have unambiguous feelings for the girl. He either considers her vile and deceitful, or exalts her to heaven. This description gives us a description of the hero himself. As said before, ever since she got this horse, the hero hated it. Although he loved her in his soul, it was only with a strange, crazy love. After such a description, we can assume that even without this murder, the heroes could not be together, because the possibly pure and devoted love for the young man was replaced by withering, suppressing pride, jealousy. That unbridled jealousy, in the impulses of which a person forgets whom he is jealous of. What actually happened to the hero.

I really liked the novella. Although it's incredibly short, there's a lot to think about here. After reading a couple of pages, a long aftertaste remains, which is always pleasant. And the title itself with a question mark suggests to me that it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to questions about human folly. After all, everyone is crazy in their own way, but not everyone is capable of killing their love. No, there is something here other than just madness.

Conclusion

Although I analyzed only a couple of the prose writer’s short stories, I think I was able to confirm that the author’s work is very diverse, but at the same time focused on themes regarding the human soul. The variability of a person’s character, behavior under the influence of any events - the author managed to describe this somewhere very subtly, but on the other hand it is quite clear and quite obvious.

Maupassant, as a true master of words, could combine several themes in one short story, each of which he revealed in his own way. Yes, there are works in which the reader thinks out all the peculiarities and importance of the idea exclusively himself, but as a real writer, Maupassant set a clear author’s position in each short story, and the reader could accept it or not. And those eternal themes (love, devotion, selfishness, hypocrisy, etc.) that run from one prose writer’s work to another make Maupassant a popular author even today. I think such topics will always be relevant.

Bibliography

Guy De Maupassant "Life. Selected"

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A study of the life path, characteristics of creativity and social behavior of Ivan Alekseevich Bunin. Analysis of his activities in Odessa during civil war. Emigration to France. Descriptions of films and performances based on the writer's works.

presentation, added 11/11/2012


Life course research and literary activity I.A. Kuratova. Analysis of the ideological and artistic development of his poetic talent. Characteristics of the features of the formation of Komi national literature and culture, the creation of a literary language.

abstract, added 10/16/2011


Identification in the prose of J.M.G. Leklesio of the originality and functions of space and time as philosophical and artistic categories. Artistic and aesthetic characteristics of the writer’s creative concept. A study of the evolution of the author’s ideological and aesthetic views.

Guy de Maupassant (1850 - 1893) occupies a special place in history French literature. His work completes the development of French realism XIX century, and at the same time it clearly reveals features that will become characteristic of the literature of the 20th century.

The English playwright B. Shaw once remarked: “Maupassant’s life is incomparably more tragic than the death of Juliet,” referring to the Shakespearean heroine. And the point is not only that Maupassant lived short life and died at 43. The artist’s tragedy was that the “era of madness and shame” did not allow the writer’s talent to fully reveal itself; his creative potential remained largely unrealized. Being “a great painter of human ugliness” (A. France), Maupassant at the same time treated a humiliated and suffering person with deep sympathy and sympathy, passionately defended his right to happiness, which fills the writer’s works with “the highest reflection of humanity,” and himself puts him on a par with the great humanist artists.

Guy de Maupassant was born in the north of France, in Normandy, into a family of poor nobles. He will forever retain in his memory the vivid impressions of his childhood: the gray sea, crashing heavy waves onto the coastal sand; brown fishing nets hung to dry at the doors of houses; longboats overturned on the shore; air saturated with the smell of algae and fish; a feeling of complete freedom... Normandy, with its nature, way of life and customs of the fishermen and peasants inhabiting it, will be constantly present on the pages of Maupassant’s works.

Having received his initial education at the seminary of Iveto and the College of Rouen, Maupassant entered the Faculty of Law in Paris in the fall of 1869. However, his studies were soon interrupted by the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, and he was drafted into the army. The events of this time were of great significance spiritually and creative development writer. The defeat of the French army at Sedan, the siege and capture of Paris by the Prussians, the crimes committed by the invaders, the heroic resistance of the French awakened patriotic feelings in Maupassant, helped to understand the heroism of the people and at the same time instilled in him an ineradicable hatred of any war that brings blood and suffering. The anti-war theme will become the leading one in Maupassant's work.

Financial difficulties did not allow Maupassant to continue his studies, and he was forced to enlist first in the Naval Ministry, and then in the Ministry of Public Education. And although the service seems to him like “hard labor,” it still leaves time for literary studies and provides invaluable material for future works. He met an endless line of officials - heroes of Maupassant's short stories - in the offices and corridors of ministries. During this period, he wrote a lot, trying himself in various genres: short stories ("The Hand of a Corpse", 1875), stories ("Doctor Irakli Glosse", 1875), poems ("On the Shore", 1876), dramas ("The Treason of the Countess de Ryun", 1877). These works are in artistically were weak and were openly imitative in nature, however, while working on them, Maupassant mastered the techniques of writing and acquired the habit of persistent, systematic work. Flaubert played an exceptional role in the human and creative fate of the writer. The main thing that Maupassant took away from the master’s school is the ability to see behind individual, specific facts and events of life the manifestation of the natural, typical; attraction to an “objective manner” of writing, excluding direct authorial intervention in the narrative; close attention to issues artistic form; the desire for precision and expressiveness of words. Flaubert read and corrected Maupassant's manuscripts, looked for publishers for his works, and introduced him to famous writers who visited his house.

Here Maupassant first met I.S. Turgenev, who had a significant influence on his work. The Russian writer helped him to some extent overcome the skepticism in his view of man, characteristic of French literature of the late 19th century, to see the spiritual, noble beginning in him, the bright poetic sides of life; introduced me to humanistic Russian literature. Highly appreciating the works of his young friend (“Maupassant is undoubtedly the most talented of all modern French writers...”), Turgenev widely promoted them in Russia. In turn, Maupassant expressed his admiration for Turgenev as a person and an artist in his articles “The Inventor of the Word “Nihilism,” “Ivan Turgenev,” as well as in the dedication to the first collection of short stories, “Tellier’s Establishment.”

By the end of the 70s. refers to the rapprochement between Maupassant and E. Zola and his circle. In their collective collection "Medan Evenings" (1880) the short story "Pyshka" was published. straightaway which made the name of its author widely known. He leaves the service and devotes himself entirely to literature. One after another, his novels “Life” (1883), “Dear Friend” (1885), “Mont-Ariol” (1886), collections of short stories “Tellier’s Establishment” (1881), “Mademoiselle Fifi” (1882), were published. "Woodcock Tales" (1883), "Moonlight" (1884), "Miss Harriet" (1884), "The Rondoli Sisters" (1884), "Yvette" (1884), "Tales of Day and Night" (1885), " Tuan" (1886), "Mr. Paran" (1886), "Little Rock" (1886), critical articles, books of travel essays.

A resounding success comes to Maupassant: publishers dispute the right to publish the writer’s new work and pay him huge fees, newspapers publish his reviews almost every day, the hostesses of aristocratic salons consider it an honor to receive him, his fellow writers are openly jealous of him. However, Maupassant is burdened by this “hard labor of success”, and, escaping from it, he travels a lot: to Corsica, Algeria, Italy, England, Tunisia. Fatigue gradually accumulates, a feeling of inner emptiness arises, and dissatisfaction with oneself grows.

In 1887, the last period of Maupassant’s work began, marked by an increase in crisis phenomena and a deepening of pessimistic sentiments. The artist’s pessimism was fueled both by the French reality of the 80s, which he called “a blessed time for scoundrels and nonentities,” and by deteriorating health. In novels (Pierre and Jean, 1888; Strong as Death, 1889; Our Heart, 1890) and short stories (collections of Orlya, 1887; From the Left Hand, 1889; Useless Beauty, 1890) motives of man's powerlessness and insignificance in the face of death, his tragic loneliness and being lost in cruel world. They are imbued with moods of hopeless despair, hysterical melancholy, and inexplicable horror. Maupassant's illness progresses, it becomes more and more difficult for him to work (the novel "Angelus" will remain unfinished), and the idea of ​​suicide becomes more and more frequent. After an unsuccessful attempt to commit suicide in January 1892, the writer was placed in a psychiatric hospital in Paris, where he died in July 1893.

In a large and multifaceted creative heritage Maupassant's novella has a special place. “It was I who again instilled in France a taste for short stories and novellas,” the writer asserted with good reason. Through his efforts, the traditional genre of French literature was enriched with new content and reached the heights of artistic perfection.

Maupassant's short stories (there are about 300 of them, combined into 16 collections) are extremely diverse in subject matter, genre features(short story-anecdote, short story-pamphlet, short story-confession, lyrical short story, short story of characters, etc.), tone and language. Taken together, they give a comprehensive picture of French reality at the end of the 19th century, revealing the wealth social types and human characters, allow us to trace the evolution creative method writer.

In the short stories of the first collections ("Sunday Walk of the Bourgeois", "Tellier's Establishment"), the influence of naturalism is clearly manifested in the predilection for depicting the darker sides of life, in the exaggeration of the role of the biological principle in man ("In the Bosom of the Family"), the conditioning of his actions by instincts ("Girlfriend Fields"), in a deliberately objective, non-judgmental manner of narration ("Tellier's Establishment").

In collections of the mid-80s. The themes of the short stories are expanding, social conflicts become leaders, they increasingly contain the angry and passionate voice of the writer himself, who, according to L.N. Tolstoy, “suffers... from the unreasonableness of the world and... its ugliness.” Maupassant comes to create classic examples of realistic short stories. One of them was “Pyshka” (1880), which opened a cycle of stories dedicated to the events of the Franco-Prussian War. For the first time, the whole truth was told in it about the reasons for the defeat of France, about the heroism of its people and the corruption of those in power.

The plot of the novel is extremely simple. A group of people leaves Rouen, captured by the Prussians: the wine merchant Loiseau and his wife, the manufacturer Carré-Lamadon and his wife, the Count and Countess de Breville, personifying “a wealthy, self-confident and powerful layer of society.” They are driven not by patriotic feelings, but by selfish motives - the fear of losing their capital. Their random neighbor on the stagecoach turned out to be Elisabeth Rousset, a woman of easy virtue, nicknamed Pyshka. She leaves Rouen because she hates the invaders.

On the road, these respectable gentlemen, using Pyshka’s kindness and responsiveness, force her to serve their own interests. At their insistence, in order to be able to continue the journey, she succumbs to the harassment of a Prussian officer, who was “a magnificent example of the rudeness characteristic of a victorious martinet.”

And again the stagecoach moves along the winter road. Pyshka is quietly crying in his corner. The “honest bastards” who “first sacrificed her and then threw her away like an unnecessary dirty rag” show their contempt for Pyshka. The patriotic pathos of the novella and its artistic merits were highly appreciated by G. Flaubert: “I consider “Donut” a masterpiece. It is very original in concept, beautifully taken as a whole and superb in style. You see the landscape and characters clearly, and the psychology is depicted strongly. This little story will remain."

In other military short stories ("Saint Antoine", "Prisoners", "Pope Milon", "Old Woman Sauvage", "Two Friends", "Mademoiselle Fifi", etc.) the writer shows how in the most ordinary, unremarkable, oppressed In the dull everyday life of people, love for their homeland awakens amazing fortitude and unbending courage.

So, the old woman Sauvage, avenging her murdered son, burns her house along with four Prussian soldiers and calmly, with a sense of duty, accepts death. Laconically, restrainedly, Maupassant describes the last minutes of the life of an old peasant woman: “The old woman was grabbed and put against the wall of her house, which had not yet had time to cool down. Then twelve people lined up opposite her at a distance of twenty meters. She did not move, she understood, she waited...”

Peaceful inhabitants, watchmaker Morisseau and haberdasher Sauvage ("Two Friends") unexpectedly grow into genuine heroes. Having gone fishing in the vicinity of besieged Paris and captured by the Prussians, they refuse to tell them the password to enter the city and die without being stained by betrayal.

In these short stories, Maupassant's patriotism was revealed with great force and at the same time his deep rejection of war as a means of resolving any conflicts was revealed. The peasant woman endowed with common sense in “Pyshka” decisively declares: “Isn’t it meanness to kill people, be they Prussians, or English, or Poles, or French?” Hatred of invaders and hatred of war drives Maupassant’s pen in war stories, and in this he is certainly in tune with the anti-war literature of the 20th century.

In his short stories about modernity, Maupassant, developing the traditions of French realism, shows the destructive power of money, the spiritual crushing of man in a world where “accumulating fortune and having as many things as possible is the main code of morality” (Dostoevsky), the triumph of militant vulgarity in all spheres of life.

The central figure of the short stories of this cycle is a cowardly and narrow-minded man in the street, all of whose thoughts are aimed at acquiring wealth, position in society, and awards. In his depiction, Maupassant widely uses various techniques of satire: humor, irony, sarcasm.

Thus, Mr. Sacreman (“Awarded with the Order”), who is engaged in useless library research and writes ridiculous brochures in order to be awarded the Legion of Honor, is contemptuous. In the end, he receives it for “special merits”, expressed in the fact that Mr. Sacrement turns a blind eye to his wife’s relationship with the deputy who is seeking the award. Self-interest, indifference, envy penetrate family relationships, destroying natural human feelings love and affection. Even such a sacred feeling as maternal love cannot resist the thirst for profit.

The heroine of the short story “Mother of Freaks” gains wealth by deliberately giving birth to crippled children and selling them to fairground booths. Maupassant portrays her not as some kind of romantic villain, but as herself an ordinary woman, committing her crime with everyday efficiency.

In his short stories, the writer, like no one else, managed to convey the tragedy modern life, “in which nothing happens except boredom” (B. Shaw), pose the cardinal problem for 20th-century literature of the alienation of people in society, their inescapable loneliness in a cruel world. "

The old accountant Lera (“Walk”), who worked for forty years in the same office, one spring evening went out onto a boulevard filled with a crowd of people walking, and suddenly felt “all the squalor, all the hopeless squalor of his life, the squalor of the past, the squalor of the present, the squalor of the future... and realized that there was nothing in front, nothing behind, nothing around, nothing in the heart, nothing anywhere." And he could not return to his empty room, to his empty, meaningless life - he hanged himself in the Bois de Boulogne.

The hero of the short story “Loneliness” sadly reflects on the tragic disunity of people, on the futility of their efforts to achieve happiness: “What we suffer most in life is eternal loneliness, and all our actions, all our efforts are aimed at escaping from it... so that "No matter what we do, no matter how we rush about... we are always alone. We are further from each other than the stars of heaven..."

Maupassant sought refuge from the harsh prosaic reality in the poetic world of nature and love, to which he dedicated many short stories, poems, and novels. In a number of short stories in the burlesque traditions of French fabliau and Rabelais, he describes the love affairs of his heroes and the comic aspects of love (“That Pig Morin,” “The Rondoli Sisters,” “The Mistress,” “Getting Rid,” etc.). In others, he talks about a real, great feeling that elevates a person above the everyday life, reveals the best in him ("The Chair Weaver", "Testament", "Hromulya", "Farmer", "Lady Paris", etc.).

The short story “Moonlight” sounds like a hymn to triumphant love. The stern ascetic Abbot Martignac, who hates women as insidious temptresses of men, armed with a club, goes out into the moonlit garden at night to prevent the meeting of his niece and her lover. But shocked by the magical beauty of nature, he suddenly comes to the thought that “it means God allowed people to love each other if he surrounds their love with such splendor.”

But most of all the writer has bitter short stories about the impossibility and doom of love in a world where everything is bought and sold ("Confession of a Woman", "Mr. Paran", "Revenge", "Cry of Alarm", "Date", "Testament", "Mademoiselle" Pearl", "Yvette", etc.). Feelings are sacrificed to selfishness, egoism, and prejudice.

Maupassant, in the article “The Inventor of the Word “Nihilism,” spoke with admiration of Turgenev’s skill as a storyteller: “He knows how to give a perfect work in a few pages, wonderfully group circumstances and create living, tangible, exciting images, outlining them with just a few strokes.” These words in can be fully attributed to Maupassant himself, whose short stories are distinguished by in-depth psychologism, accuracy and picturesque detail, subtle irony that serves to express the author’s attitude, laconicism and expressiveness of language. According to A. France, “he writes the way a good Norman farmer lives - carefully and joyfully." Maupassant's short stories were translated into Belarusian by S. Shchup.

In 1883, the novel “Life”, Maupassant’s best and most personal work, was published. It reflected the impressions of childhood, the difficult relationship between father and mother, and his own sad experience. The main theme of the novel is revealed already in the title itself: the history of human life with its unfulfilled hopes, lost illusions, and sad disappointments.

The main character, Jeanne de Vaux, a pure, kind creature, full of charm and youthful charm, having left the monastery, dreams of love and happiness, for which she seemed to be created. She is surrounded by caring parents, the comfort of an old manor house, and the beautiful nature of the Norman coast. But the girl’s romantic dreams come into conflict with harsh and prosaic reality. Viscount Julien de Lamar, whom she marries, turned out to be an unkind, cynical, calculating man. He takes over Jeanne's fortune and constantly deceives her, cheating with the maid Rosalie, then with Countess Fourville. Zhanna begins to feel that “her life is broken, happiness is over, there is no more hope, and she is presented with a terrible future, full of torment, betrayal and grief.”

The heroine's gloomy premonitions come true. Julien dies, thrown into the abyss by Count Fourville along with his mistress. Jeanne's mother dies, and it turns out that this loving and tender wife also cheated on her husband. She now pins all her hopes on her son. But it is the son who brings Zhanna the most severe disappointments. Spoiled in childhood, unsuited to any kind of work, he grows up to be an egoist and a loser: he indulges in various speculations, constantly goes broke, forgets his mother for the sake of his mistress.

The old baron dies, the family estate is sold for debts, and sick, lonely Zhanna lives only with memories of the past. “Everything in the world is only grief, torment, sorrow and death. Everything deceives, everything lies, everything makes you suffer and cry,” she thinks, summing up her life. It may seem that these words express the views of Maupassant himself. However, the philosophical idea of ​​the work is much more complex. No matter how much the author loves his heroine, no matter how much he sympathizes with her, he still does not lose his critical attitude towards her. It manifests itself primarily in the contrast between Jeanne and her maid Rosalie, who also had a difficult fate. But unlike her mistress, she retained her presence of mind and courage in life’s trials, and raised a hardworking and loving son. It is Rosalie who comes to the aid of Jeanne at a difficult moment for that moment, takes control of the household, and saves her from poverty and loneliness. She, a simple peasant woman who embodies folk wisdom, is entrusted by Maupassant at the end of the novel to make the final verdict on life: “You see what life is like: not as good, and not as bad as you think.”

“Life” is not only a psychological novel about a person’s personal drama, but also a broad social canvas that depicts the death of the noble-landlord world and its culture under the pressure of developing capitalist relations. The broad and humane culture of the Age of Enlightenment is represented in the novel by the eccentric Baron de Vaux, “an enthusiastic follower of Jean-Jacques Rousseau,” who has “a loving tenderness for nature, for fields, forests, animals”; his sentimental wife shedding tears over romantic books; “merry and good-natured” Abbot Pico, alien to fanaticism and intolerance; Zhanna herself. These educated, kind, devoid of class arrogance, but inactive, impractical, weak-willed people are naturally supplanted by representatives of the new time, such as the bourgeois nobleman de Lamar, the rich peasant Lecoq, the fanatical fanatic Abbot Tolbiac.

The scene at the end of the novel is symbolic when Jeanne, going to Paris in search of her son, first sees a train that seems to her like a monster, approaching her with a deafening roar.

The novel "Life" was classified by French criticism as a naturalistic work, although in reality it retains all the features of a traditional realistic novel. In him great place belongs to the setting (detailed description of the interior decoration of the Poplars), details (each time indicated exact figure income: “six thousand four hundred francs”, “twenty thousand francs”, etc.), a portrait (“she was reminiscent of Veronese’s portraits with golden-blond hair, which seemed to cast a reflection on her skin, the skin of an aristocrat... She had eyes dark blue, like those of the Dutch faience men").

Modern researchers Maupassant's works note the undoubted dependence of the novel "Life" on the experience of I.S. Turgenev, manifested in the choice of theme (an elegiac depiction of the passing “nests of the nobility”), in the interpretation of the character of the main character (the pure, loving, selfless Zhanna is close to Turgenev’s girls in her inner appearance), in the subtle lyricism that permeates all components of the narrative.

Like Turgenev, landscape plays a large role in the novel, serving as one of the means psychological analysis. Here the heroine, on the threshold of a new life, listens to the sounds and rustles of a beautiful spring night: “It seemed to Zhanna that her heart was expanding, filled with whispers, like this clear night. There was some kind of affinity between her and this living poetry, and in the warm whiteness of the summer evening she imagined unearthly tremors, a thrill of elusive hopes, something close to a breath of happiness. And she began to dream of love."

The first sad disappointments in life make Zhanna see the familiar landscape in a new way: “Is this really the same garden, the same grass, the same trees that were there in May? Where has the sunny joy of the foliage gone, the emerald poetry of the lawn? ...Washed away by the autumn rains , covered with a dense carpet of fallen leaves, the alleys stretched under chilled, almost bare poplars... And then the autumn, damp, harsh nature around her, the mournful fall of leaves and the gray veil of clouds carried away by the wind, plunged her into such an abyss of melancholy that she hurried to return home, afraid of bursting into tears."

But the old, lonely, unhappy Jeanne again observes the spring awakening of nature: “It seemed to her as if something had changed in the world. The sun was perhaps not as hot as in the days of her youth, the sky was not so blue, the grass was not so green; the flowers were also not so bright and fragrant, they were not intoxicating as before.” Maupassant strives not so much to reproduce signs in detail and accurately real world how to convey the emotional reaction to them, the various emotional moods and experiences of the characters arising under the influence of nature, which is characteristic of an impressionistic landscape. The brilliant pages dedicated to the description of Jeanne and Julien's boat trip to Etretat are reminiscent of the paintings of C. Monet and A. Sisley.

Russian writers gave high praise to Maupassant's work. I.S. Turgenev believed that “the novel is delightful - and almost Schiller-like in purity,” and L.N. Tolstoy believed that “Life” is not only Maupassant’s incomparably best novel, but perhaps the best French novel after Hugo’s “Les Miserables.”

In 1885, Maupassant's novel "Dear Friend" appeared, containing a wide panorama of the socio-political life of France during the Third Republic. At the center of the work is the story of a young man striving to conquer Paris. This theme, traditional for French realistic literature, acquires a modern sound under the pen of Maupassant.

The main character of the novel, Georges Duroy, the son of a village innkeeper, a former non-commissioned officer of the colonial troops in Algeria, “corrupted in a conquered country,” comes to Paris after demobilization “to make a career.” However, he does not have the qualities necessary for this: he does not have a penny in his pocket, he does not shine with intelligence and good manners, he is not educated, and has no connections with influential people. The only thing he has is the attractive appearance of a “seducer from a pulp novel,” the most remarkable detail of which was “a beautiful, fluffy, lush, golden with a reddish tint ... curled mustache.”

A happy accident - a meeting with a former fellow soldier, Charles Forestier, now head of the newspaper's political department." French life", opens Duroy's path to journalism. Starting from a modest position as an information collector, this "cunning, rogue, trickster," as many characters characterize him, quickly makes a dizzying career: he becomes the editor-in-chief of a newspaper, receives the Order of the Legion of Honor, and makes a fortune.

The peasant son Duroy turns into the aristocrat Du Roy, before whom a brilliant future opens: “he will be a deputy, a minister.” This arrogant and cynical predator, called, as if in ridicule, a “dear friend,” owes his success in life to women, whose numerous connections help him climb the steps of the social ladder. Unlike the active and talented careerists Balzac and Stendhal, Duroy is organically incapable of a heroic act, does not possess their intelligence, energy, and will. His advantage lies in his ability to “deceive everyone, exploit everyone.”

The “dear friend” cannot have “lost illusions”, since he never had them; he is not tormented by remorse, because she has long turned into “a box with a triple bottom, where you can find anything.”

Maupassant is truly an artist of the 20th century, because he saw in life and brilliantly depicted in the novel the transformation of the heroic bourgeois Rastignac into the cowardly and vulgar Duroy. “Dear Friend” was born of the times, the atmosphere of general corruption that reigned in the Third Republic. Street prostitutes (Rachelle), ladies from society (Mme. Marel, Madeleine Forestier), and politicians(Deputy Laroche-Mathieu), and journalists (Saint-Potin, Forestier, Walter). An expressive episode of the novel is in which Duroy observes on a winter morning in the Bois de Boulogne the walk of people from high society, the behind-the-scenes side of whose lives he knows well: “What a rabble!” he repeated. “A gang of swindlers, a gang of swindlers.”

The social issues that dominate the novel “Dear Friend” do not exclude at the same time the writer’s deep philosophical reflections on the meaning of human life. “Breathing, drinking, eating, sleeping, working, dreaming... all this means dying. Living, finally, also means dying.” These words of the old poet Norbert de Varenne reflected Maupassant’s growing pessimism, associated both with an increased critical attitude towards contemporary reality and with a passion for the ideas of Schopenhauer and the positivists.

The novel "Dear Friend" gained great popularity in Russia, where it appeared almost simultaneously with the French edition. L.N. Tolstoy, in his response to it, highlighted the main idea of ​​the work: “Everything that is pure and good in our society has perished and is perishing, because this society is depraved, insane and terrible.”

In 1886, the psychological novel "Mont-Ariol" was published, which, according to Maupassant, is based on "the story of a very lively and very poetic passion." Talking about the birth, development and death of the love of Paul Bretigny and Christiane Andermatt, the writer once again showed the unattainability of happiness in a world of universal corruption, the impossibility of spiritual unity of people, and man’s doom to eternal loneliness. These motifs sound even stronger in Maupassant’s last novels: “Pierre and Jean”, “Strong as Death”, “Our Heart”, in which social issues gives way to “pure psychology”.

Contemporaries often reproached Maupassant for indifference, dispassion, and excessive objectivity. Responding to his critics, in one of his letters in 1890 he bitterly remarked: “... I am one of those people whose skin is torn off and their nerves are exposed. I am, without a doubt, considered one of the most indifferent people in the world. I am a skeptic , which is not the same thing, a skeptic, because I have good eyes. My eyes tell my heart: hide, old man, you are funny! And my heart hides..."

Maupassant is a writer who suffered from all human troubles and sorrows, but did not see the opportunity to change the world for the better. But he expressed his love for people, hatred of everything that disfigures their lives and cripples their souls in his works. Maupassant's importance as an artist is great. The new tools and techniques of psychological analysis he developed have enriched modern literature. According to A.P. Chekhov, “he, as an artist of words, set such enormous demands that it became no longer possible to write in the old fashioned way.”

Thus, speaking about plots and characters, it should be noted that the people in the stories described by the author are practically not endowed with an inner world. It is here that it is worth mentioning another important feature of the novella: literary genre- lack of psychologism.

Psychologism is a complete, detailed and deep depiction of the hero’s feelings and emotions, thoughts and experiences.

The next sign of the novella is brevity. It gives the work naturalness and accessibility. In this, the short story even becomes like a joke. After all, the essence is formulated clearly and clearly, the emphasis is on the main idea of ​​the work.

Unexpected ending- this is what is undeniably characteristic feature short stories in general and short stories by Guy de Maupassant in particular. The unpredictable turn of events and the ongoing intrigue really draws readers in with great force.

Created at the end of 1879, especially for the collection “Evenings in Medan,” “Dumpling” became one of the most famous short stories by Guy de Maupassant. In it, the author, with inimitable skill, conveyed a real picture of the events of the Franco-Prussian war, the people involved in it on both sides, their feelings, thoughts and actions.

The main characters of the novel are the people of Rouen, whose city was surrendered by the French army to the mercy of the Prussian victors. Patriotically minded and, at the same time, frightened citizens could not endure everyday coexistence next to their enemies and decided to leave the city, intending to settle where there were no Germans - in distant French or English lands. The fugitives included people belonging to different social strata: counts, manufacturers, wine merchants, nuns, one democrat and one person of “easy virtue” nicknamed Pyshka. The main plot core of the novella is formed around the latter. It is Pyshka (the real name of the girl Elisabeth Rousset) who becomes the “litmus test” through which the true characters of all the other characters in the work are revealed.

The composition “Pyshki” is a classic for the short story genre. As an exposition, it uses the scene of the retreat of the French army and the occupation of Rouen by Prussian soldiers. The plot begins at the moment when the main characters of “Donuts” get into the carriage and find a Rouen prostitute among them. The negative perception of the girl is gradually replaced by an animal feeling of hunger and gratitude to the person who fed them. A common misfortune brings passengers together, and Elisabeth Rousset's sincere patriotism reconciles them with her type of activity. The climax of the novella occurs at Thoth, where the Rouensians are detained by a Prussian officer, who day after day demands intimate services from Pyshka. Frightened by the delay, the girl's hitherto peaceful fellow travelers begin to show their irritation. Respectable, at first glance, people refuse to understand why a prostitute cannot fulfill her professional duties and help everyone out of an unpleasant situation in which they found themselves through her own fault. Having succumbed to the flattering persuasion of Pyshka, she is subjected to general ridicule at the moment of her intimacy with the Prussian officer. As soon as the girl completes her task, society's criticism of her occupation reaches its peak, and people turn away from her like a leper. The sad denouement of the plot is accompanied by the girl’s bitter tears, flowing to the patriotic sounds of “La Marseillaise.”

The artistic image of Elisabeth Rousset is one of the most colorful in the novel. Despite her “profession”, the girl shows herself to be a kind person (she generously shares food with all the passengers of the carriage, goes to watch the christening of a child unknown to her), patriotic (Pyshka flees from Rouen after almost strangling a German soldier, and refuses to make love with Cornude, being in the same house with the enemy), selfless (for the sake of saving the whole society, she agrees to sacrifice not only her body, but also her moral principles, and spends the night with a Prussian officer).

The wine merchant Loiseau is portrayed in the novel as a clever businessman (he manages to negotiate the supply of his wine with the owner of the inn in Toth while everyone is worried about the long delay and possible troubles) and a rascal who loves to poke his nose into everything and everyone (Loiseau peeps , how Pyshka denies Cornude love) and operating his life principles to please his wallet and body (he sucks up to Pyshka in order to get the coveted food).

Democrat Cornudet is a patriot in name only. His entire fight against the enemy consists of digging trenches, until the enemy appears on the horizon. Cornudet is a man free from social prejudices, somewhat dissolute, but at the same time decent. Only he has the courage to call his fellow travelers scoundrels for the pressure that brings Pyshka into bed with a Prussian officer.

Respectable women - Countess Hubert de Breville, the manufacturer Carré-Lamadon and the wife of the wine merchant Loiseau - only outwardly observe the rules of decency. As soon as Pyshka goes upstairs to the man’s bedroom, they happily join in the discussion of the intimate process, making no less dirty jokes about what is happening than their husbands. The two nuns in the novel also do not shine with any special spiritual merits - they, along with everyone else, persuade Pyshka to do one of the most unseemly, from the point of view of faith, acts.

An important artistic feature of the short story is the realistic descriptions of people, characters, landscapes, objects, and events. All of them are replete with details taken from life and are drawn in a very lively and figurative language.

Questions and assignments for a practical lesson on French literature of the last third of the 19th century: the Goncourt brothers, “Germinie Lacerte”; Zola, Thérèse Raquin; Maupassant, "Pyshka"

Using available sources (Wikipedia, etc.), clarify your ideas about the history and culture of France in the second half of the 19th century. Pay attention to the issues of the reign of Napoleon III, the reconstruction of Paris by Baron Haussmann, the expansion of the colonial possessions of France, the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 - 1871. Consider why Walter Benjamin called Paris “the capital of the nineteenth century.” How is the cultural and historical background reflected in the works offered for discussion in class?

In educational and reference literature, familiarize yourself with the content of the concepts “naturalism”, “positivism”, “impressionism”, “symbolism”. Consider whether any parallels can be drawn between the works of the authors discussed in class and impressionist painting.

Remember the works of popular French literature of the 19th century that you are familiar with (Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne), music (Gounod, Bizet), etc. Images of Paris at the end of the century were created in numerous operas and operettas (“La bohème” by Puccini, “Mademoiselle Nitouche” by Hervé, etc.). ).

Fragment for analysis:

This happy and unsatisfied love caused amazing physiological changes in Germinie’s entire being. It was as if the passion that had taken possession of her had renewed and regenerated her entire sluggish organism. It no longer seemed to her that she was drawing life drop by drop from a meager source: hot blood poured into her veins, her body was filled with inexhaustible energy. She felt healthy and vigorous; the joy of existence sometimes beat its wings in her chest, like a bird in the sun.

Germinie was now amazingly active. The painful nervous excitement that had supported her before was replaced by a full-blooded thirst for movement, noisy, restless fun overflowing. The former weakness, depression, prostration, drowsiness, and languid laziness have disappeared. She no longer felt in the morning that her arms and legs were filled with lead and could barely move - on the contrary, she woke up easily, with a clear head, open to all the pleasures of the coming day. She dressed quickly and briskly; her fingers slid over her clothes of their own accord, and Germinie never ceased to be amazed that she felt so alive and active in those very hours that had previously brought her only weakness and faintness. All day afterwards she felt the same bodily health, the same need to move. She constantly wanted to walk, run, do something, spend herself. The life she lived sometimes simply did not exist for her. The feelings once experienced became distant, like a dream, and retreated into the depths of memory. The past was remembered so vaguely, as if she had passed through it in oblivion, unconsciously, like a somnambulist. For the first time she understood, experienced the sharp and sweet, painful and divine sensation of the playing forces of life in all their fullness, naturalness and power.

For any trifle she was ready to run up and down the stairs. As soon as Mademoiselle said a word, Germinie was already rushing down from the sixth floor. When she sat, her feet danced on the parquet floor. She cleaned, polished, arranged, knocked out, shook out, washed, without giving herself a moment's respite, always doing something, noisily coming and going, completely filling the small apartment. "Oh my God! - Mademoiselle said, stunned, as if a child was frolicking in the room. - What a restless person you are, Germinie! Enough for you!

One day, entering the kitchen, Mademoiselle saw that there was a cigar box filled with earth in the basin.

What is this? - she asked Germinie.

Sod... I planted flowers... maybe they will grow... - answered the maid.

So now you're into flowers? Well, all you have to do is get a canary.

· The Goncourt brothers' novel "Germinie Lacerte" and the theory of naturalism.

Fragment for analysis:

Mademoiselle had already begun to undress when Germinie appeared on the threshold of the bedroom, walked across the room, sat down heavily on a chair and, taking several deep, drawn-out, intermittent and painful sighs, threw back her head, shuddered, twisted and collapsed to the ground. Mademoiselle wanted to lift her, but she was in such convulsions that the old woman was forced to lower this frenzied body onto the parquet again, the members of which, like springs, either compressed for a second, then unclenched with a crunch, stretching out to the right, left, wherever, throwing off everything. that came along the way.

Hearing the screams of Mademoiselle leaning out of the window, some maid ran for the doctor who lived nearby, but did not find him at home. Four maids helped Mademoiselle raise Germinie and put her to bed, after unbuttoning her dress and cutting the lacing of her corset.

Terrible convulsions, crunching of joints, nervous twitching of arms and legs stopped, but a trembling ran along the neck and bare chest, as if waves were rolling there, under the skin, shaking the skirt, reaching the feet. Throwing back her reddened face with swollen veins clearly protruding under the chin, opening her eyes wide, full of that sad tenderness, that meek despair with which the eyes of the wounded are full, Germinie lay and, gasping for breath, not answering questions, scratched her chest and neck with both hands, as if I wanted to pull out some moving lump from there. It was in vain that they let her sniff ether and drink orange water; waves of grief continued to run through her body, and her face still retained the expression of soft sadness and heartache, which seemed to spiritualize bodily torment. Everything seemed to cause her suffering, everything tormented her - bright light, sounds of voices, smells. Finally, after an hour, she burst into tears, and a real stream poured from her eyes, softening the terrible nervous attack. Tremors now only occasionally shook this exhausted body, calmed by the deepest, irresistible fatigue. Germinie was carried in her arms to her room.

From a letter given to Adele, Germinie learned that her daughter had died.

· Symbolism of a naturalistic novel: symbolic meaning images of water in Émile Zola’s novel “Thérèse Raquin”

Fragment for analysis:

From Chapter II

Teresa was eighteen years old. One day, seventeen years ago, when Madame Raquin was still running a haberdashery business, her brother, Captain Degan, came to her with a little girl in his arms. He came from Algeria.

This is the child to whom you are an aunt,” he said smiling. - His mother died... I don’t know what to do with him. I give it to you.

The merchant took the child, smiled at him, and kissed his rosy cheeks. Degan lived in Vernon for a week. The sister asked him almost nothing about the girl he gave her. She only learned that the sweet baby was born in Oran and that her mother was a native, a woman of rare beauty. An hour before departure, the captain gave his sister a certificate in which Teresa, whom he recognized as his own daughter, was listed under his last name. He left and was never seen again: a few years later he was killed in Africa.

Teresa grew up surrounded by the tender care of her aunt; She slept in the same bed with Camille. Her health was ironclad, but they looked after her like a weak child, kept her in a hot room where a small patient was placed, and she had to take all the medicines that Camille was fed. She squatted for hours in front of the fireplace, thoughtfully, without blinking, looking at the flames. Forced to live the life of a patient, she withdrew into herself, learned to speak in a low voice, move silently, sit on a chair silently and motionless, eyes wide open and seeing nothing. But when she raised her hand, when she stepped with her foot, she felt cat-like flexibility, toned, powerful muscles, untouched strength, untouched passion, dormant in her constrained body. One day her brother fell from a sudden attack of weakness; She lifted and carried it with a sharp movement, and from this effort, which gave an outlet to the energy dormant in her, her face flushed with a thick blush. Neither the reclusive life she led nor the harmful regime to which she had to submit could weaken her thin but strong body; only her face acquired a pale, yellowish tint, and in the shadows she seemed almost ugly. Sometimes she went to the window and looked at the houses on the other side of the street, covered with a golden veil of sunshine.

When Madame Raquin sold the store and retired to a house by the river, moments of hidden joy appeared in Therese’s life. Auntie told her so often: “Don’t make noise, sit quietly,” that she carefully buried all her innate impulses in the depths of her soul. She had the utmost composure and outward equanimity, but beneath them lay a terrible ardor. It always seemed to her that she was in her cousin’s room, next to a sick child; Her movements were measured, she was mostly silent, she was quiet, and if she said anything, it was indistinctly, like an old woman. When she first saw the garden, the white river, the free hills stretching to the horizon, she was overcome by a wild desire to run and scream; her heart beat violently in her chest; but not a single muscle moved on her face, and when asked by her aunt if she liked her new home, she only answered with a smile.

Now her life has become better. She was still pliable, retained the same calm, indifferent expression on her face, she was still a child who grew up in a sick bed; but internally she began to live an unrestrained, violent life. Left alone, in the grass, on the bank of the river, she, like an animal, lay face down on the ground, her darkened eyes wide open, wriggling and as if preparing to jump. And so she lay for hours, not thinking about anything, surrendering to the scorching sun and rejoicing that she could move the earth with her hands. She was overwhelmed by crazy dreams; She defiantly looked at the raging river, she imagined that the water was about to rush and attack her; here she strained all her strength, prepared to defend herself and angrily pondered how she could overcome the elements.

And in the evening Teresa, peaceful and silent, was sewing, sitting next to her aunt; under the soft light pouring from under the lampshade, her face seemed like the face of someone sleeping. Camille, lounging in a chair, thought about his invoices. The serenity of the sleepy room was only occasionally disturbed by some phrase uttered in a low voice.

Madame Raquin looked at the children with heavenly kindness. She decided to marry them.

· The theme of art in Zola's novel Thérèse Raquin

Fragment for analysis:

From Chapter V

The profession of a lawyer terrified him, and the very thought that he would have to dig the ground made him tremble! He turned to art, thinking that this craft was most suitable for a lazy person; it seemed to him that working with a brush was a waste of time; in addition, he hoped for easy success. He dreamed of a life full of accessible pleasures, of a luxurious life, of an abundance of women, of bliss on sofas, of dishes and intoxication. This dream came true in reality while dad Laurent sent money. But when poverty appeared in the distance before the young man, who by that time was already thirty years old, he became thoughtful; he felt that he did not have enough strength to endure hardships; he would not agree to live even a day from hand to mouth, even for the sake of the loudest artistic fame. As he put it, he sent painting to hell as soon as he became convinced that it was powerless to satisfy his vast appetites. His first painting experiments were more than mediocre; his peasant eye perceived nature chaotically, from its base side; his canvases - dirty, sloppy, ugly - did not stand up to criticism. However, he did not suffer from artistic vanity and was not particularly upset when he had to throw down his brushes. He sincerely regretted only the workshop of his school friend, the spacious workshop where he had been so delightfully idle for a good five years. He also regretted the models, whose petty whims were within his means.

Fragment for analysis:

Since it was decided to leave the next day at eight o’clock in the morning, by this time everyone had gathered in the kitchen; but the carriage, the canvas top of which was covered with a shroud of snow, stood alone in the middle of the yard, without horses and without a coachman. They searched in vain for him in the stable, in the hayloft, in the barn. Then the men decided to explore the area and went out. They found themselves in a square at the end of which there was a church, and on the sides there were two rows of low houses where Prussian soldiers could be seen. The first one they noticed was peeling potatoes. The second one, further away, was washing the floor in the hairdresser's. The third, with a beard all the way to his eyes, kissed the crying boy and rocked him on his knees to calm him down; fat peasant women whose husbands were in the “warring army” indicated with signs to their obedient conquerors the work that needed to be done: chop wood, pour in soup, grind coffee; one of them even washed the clothes of his mistress, a decrepit, feeble old woman.

Fragment for analysis:

Loiseau stood up with a glass in his hand:

I drink to our liberation!

Everyone stood up and echoed his cry. Even the nuns succumbed to the ladies’ persuasion and agreed to sip the foamy wine, which they had never tasted before in their lives. They declared that it was like fizzy lemonade, only much tastier.

Loiseau summed it up:

What a shame that there is no piano, it would be nice to grab a quadrille!

Cornudet did not utter a word, did not move; he was immersed in gloomy thought and at times indignantly tugged at his long beard, as if wanting to lengthen it further. Finally, around midnight, when they began to disperse, Loiseau, who could barely stand on his feet, suddenly slapped him on the stomach and said in a slurred voice:

Why are you not in a good mood today? Why are you all silent, citizen?

Cornudet impulsively raised his head and, looking at everyone with a sparkling, menacing gaze, said:

Know that you have all committed something vile!

He stood up, headed to the door, and repeated again: “Yes, meanness!” - and disappeared.

At first everyone felt awkward. Puzzled, Loiseau froze with his mouth open; then his usual self-confidence returned, and he suddenly burst out laughing, saying:

Although the eye can see, the tooth is numb!

Since no one understood what was going on, he told the “secrets of the corridor.” A burst of boisterous laughter followed. The ladies were having fun like crazy. The Count and Mr. Carre-Lamadon laughed until they cried. It seemed incredible to them.

Story:

Delorme Jean. Main events of the 19th century. M., 2005.

Davis Norman. History of Europe. M., 2005.

Hobsbawm Eric. Age of Empire. 1875 – 1914. Rostov-on-Don, 1999.

Hobsbawm Eric. The Age of Capital. 1848 – 1875. Rostov-on-Don, 1999.

Educational and reference literature:

Foreign literature of the 20th century: Textbook. allowance / Ed. V. M. Tolmacheva. M., 2003.

Foreign literature of the second millennium. 1000 – 2000: Textbook. allowance / [L.G. Andreev, G.K. Kosikov, N.T. Pakhsaryan and others]; Ed. L.G. Andreeva. M., 2001. See articles: Tolmachev V.M. Where to look for the 19th century? (romanticism) Venediktova T.D. The secret of the middle world. Cultural function 19th century realism.

Foreign literature of the late XIX – early XX centuries: Textbook; Ed. V.M. Tolmacheva. – M., 2003.

Foreign literature of the late XIX – early XX centuries: Textbook; Ed. V.M. Tolmacheva. In 2 volumes. M., 2007.

Foreign literature of the twentieth century: Textbook. / Ed. L. G. Andreeva. M., 1996, 2001.

Literary encyclopedia terms and concepts. M., 2001.

Rudnev V.P. Dictionary of culture of the twentieth century. M., 1997.

Literature on selected issues:

Auerbach E. Mimesis: Image of reality in Western European literature. M., 1976.

Bozhovich V.I. Traditions and interaction of arts: France, late XIX - early XX centuries. M., 1987.

Brandes G. Literary characteristics: French writers// Brandes G. Collection. op. / Ed. 2nd. St. Petersburg, b.g. T. 13.

Ginzburg L.Ya. Literature in search of reality // Ginzburg L.Ya. Literature in search of reality. L.: SP, 1987.

Lanson G. History of French literature. Modern era. M., 1909.

Lanou A. Maupassant. M., 1971.

Losev A.F. Realism, naturalism and positivism // Losev A.F. The problem of artistic style. M., 1994.

Markin A.V., Smyshlyaeva A.M. Non-constructive contradiction in the structure of Guy de Maupassant’s short story “Pyshka” // News of the Ural State University. 2000. No. 3.

Milovidov V. Poetics of naturalism. Tver, 1996.

Maurois A. Maupassant // Maurois A. From Montaigne to Aragon. M., 1983.

Rozanov V.V. One of the singers of “eternal spring” (Maupassant) // Rozanov V.V. About writing and writers. M., 1995.

Tolmachev M.V. The world of Goncourt // Goncourt E., Goncourt J. Germinie Lacerte. M., 1990.

Tolstoy L. Preface to op. Guy de Maupassant // Tolstoy L. What is art? M., 1985; or: Tolstoy L.N. Collected Works. In 22 volumes. M., 1983. Vol. 15. Articles about literature and art.

France A. Maupassant and French storytellers // France A. Sobr. op. In 8 volumes. T. 8. M., 1960.

Shor V. The Goncourt brothers: their aesthetics and novels // Goncourt E., Goncourt J. Germinie Lacerte. M., 1972.

The work consists of 1 file

Moscow Department of Education.

State educational institution

higher professional education in Moscow

"Moscow City Pedagogical University".

Abstract on the topic:

Analysis of Guy De Maupassant's short story "Donut".

Performed:

Rashidova Aisat

RUSA-OD

3rd year

Checked:

Linkova Ya.N

Moscow 2011.

“Dumpling” - the first story that glorified the name of Maupassant - opens a whole series of his short stories and short stories dedicated to the events of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, which ended in a military disaster at Sedan and the fall of the empire of Napoleon III.

This short story is Maupassant's first work published under his real name. “Pyshka” was included in the collection of stories “Medan Evenings”. The idea to publish this collection on the tenth anniversary of the Franco-Prussian War arose among a group of young writers who united under the slogan of naturalism in literature and met on Thursdays in Medan, at Zola’s country house.

The collection includes six stories: by Emile Zola himself, Paul Alexis, Henri Cear, Leon Ennick, Joris-Karl Huysmans and Guy de Maupassant.

The main characters of the story "Pyshka" were not the product of the author's pure imagination. The prototype of Cornudet is known (a relative of Maupassant - Charles Corde, who told him true story, which forms the basis of the story). The prototype of Pyshka herself was Andriena Legay, a prostitute from Rouen..

In my opinion, the short story “Pyshka” is one of the writer’s brightest works.

In this short story, Maupassant describes the events that occurred during the Franco-Prussian War. Maupassant brought together people from high society and a woman of easy virtue in one stagecoach.

Pyshka is the nickname of a girl of easy virtue who traveled with noble gentlemen in the same stagecoach. Detained by a German patrol, the gentlemen pushed Pyshka to commit an immoral act, and then, having received the result, they themselves condemned her.

In the short story “Pyshka” the plot is extremely simple, but at the same time impressive. Captured by the Prussians, Rouen is left by a group of people, among whom is Elisabeth Rousset - the plump one. They are not driven by patriotic feelings, but by selfish motives - the fear of losing their money. On the road, these “respectable gentlemen” take advantage of Pyshka’s kindness and responsiveness, forcing her to serve their interests. At their insistence, she had to yield to the harassment of a Prussian officer, who was “a magnificent example of the rudeness characteristic of a victorious martinet.”

One of Maupassant's favorite techniques is paradox. In “Pyshka” he uses it to the fullest, contrasting the “virtuous” citizens of Rouen and the “vicious prostitute Pyshka (all of them are passengers on the same stagecoach), as a result of which good and evil must change places (the prostitute turns out to be more moral and principled than the “high” gentlemen ).

Oddly enough, when describing the passengers of the stagecoach, all the “positive” characters receive negative assessments directly from the narration: the wholesale wine merchant Loiseau is a swindler; his wife is a miser; the manufacturer is a greedy hypocrite. On the contrary, Pyshka is rewarded with the most flattering definitions: fresh, rosy, magnificent black eyes, thick eyelashes (although even here the author seems to be pushing us towards a conflict situation, he describes the gentlemen from the moral side, and in Pyshka he touches only on her appearance, not words not to mention her profession, or any of her moral aspects). With this contradiction, Maupassant creates a paradox as a situation that exposes all participants in the trip.

And finally, conflict, as the main part of the paradox, without which it loses all meaning. The German officer demands Pyshka (Mademoiselle Elisabeth Rousset), but she refuses (the Prussian officer). Here he is! Patriotism! And here Maupassant masterfully, on several pages, described all the hypocrisy, baseness and cowardice of people who inherit the right to be elected.

To finish the story, Maupassant draws a parallel with the beginning of the trip, now everyone has food, except for Pyshka, but no one will share with her, and she can only do one thing - cry.

Maupassant masterfully exploits the possibilities of a paradoxical situation, an unexpected turn of events. He achieves maximum entertainment by using all kinds of contrasts: social, everyday, religious and, finally, moral.

It is noteworthy that the literal translation of Elisabeth Rousset's nickname sounds like “a ball of lard” (“Boule de suif”). It is traditionally translated as a playfully affectionate “Puffy”, while the French version is derogatory; in other words, in French, Pumpkin is much less appetizing.

In the short story “Puffy” Maupassant masterfully described in several pages all the hypocrisy, baseness and cowardice of people who inherit the right to be elected or claim a step that is inaccessible to mere mortals.

Description

“Dumpling” - the first story that glorified the name of Maupassant - opens a whole series of his short stories and short stories dedicated to the events of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, which ended in a military disaster at Sedan and the fall of the empire of Napoleon III.