wy a | Guy de Maupassant A French master of the short story, Guy de Maupassant had a special gift for dramatic swiftness and naturalness, exemplified in his most famous story, “The Necklace.” Henri-Rene-Albert-Guy de Maupassant was born on August 5, 1850, near Dieppe in the French province of Normandy. His parents separated when he was 1] and he remained with his mother and younger brother at Etretat on the English Channel. In his youth he was fond of fishing and boating and of writing verse. ‘Maupassant was educated at the Rouen lycee and at the University of Caen, After serving in the Franco-Prussian War, he went to Paris where his father found him a job as a government clerk. He spent much of his spare time writing, In Paris Maupassant attended literary gatherings at the house of the novelist Gustave Flaubert, an old friend of his mother. For 10 years Flaubert tutored the young man, teaching him patience and the need for acute observation and realistic description. Maupassant was also influenced by Emile Zola, leader of the new naturalstic school of fiction writing. Maupassant wrote about people and events he had known. At 30 he was so successfull as a short-story writer that he gave up his government job. His carliest stories deal with the people of Normandy and scenes he knew so well in his youth—peasants, townspeople, and life by the banks of the River Seine, Later he wrote a few war stories and a group of tales about Paris. His travels on the French and Italian Rivieras, in other parts of Italy, and in North Africa furnished backgrounds for more stories. Some of Maupassant’s stories have surprise endings; others conclude as the reader expects they will. As a realist, Maupassant’s stories have little sen- timentality, but do not lack sympathy for his characters. His general attitude was cynical and he was often melancholy. His friends nicknamed him “the gloomy bull.” Maupassant’s last years were tragic. He became increasingly erratic, and carly in 1892 he tried to commit suicide. His mother reluctantly had him placed in a mental institution in Paris, where he died on July 6, 1893. Maupassant’s enormous output of short stories—nearly 300—appeared in various collections. Although noted for his short stories, Maupassant pro- duced novels as well. His novels include Une Vie and Pierre et Jean. The hero of his novel Bel-Ami, published in 1885, is an ambitious rascal. Reading TimeRecalling Facts 1. Maupassant is known as a master of Qa. the short story. Q b. poetry. Oc. the novel. 2. Maupassant’s most famous story is titled D a, “The Parasol.” Ob. “The Necklace.” Oc. “Une Vie.” 3. The two greatest influences on Mau- passant’s writing were a, Paris and the River Seine, Ob. The French and Italian Rivieras. Gc. Flaubert and Zola. 4, To pursue a writing career, Maupas- sant gave up @ a, a government job. O b. fishing and boating Q c, traveling Maupassant died Q a. awealthy and happy man Q b. of malaria. Q c. ina mental institution. 26 Understanding Ideas 6. From the article you can conclude that Maupassant Oa. discovered he enjoyed writing while living in Paris. b. had always enjoyed writing. Oc. never considered writing as a career until he met Flaubert and Zola. 7. Maupassant frequently wrote about the people and places of his youth, suggesting that he a, had an unhappy childhood. O b. felt comfortable writing about things he knew well. Gc. was affraid to travel. 8. Maupassant’s stories have little senti- mentality, which suggests that he O a. was a warm, friendly person. Q b. focused on the harsh realities of life. G c. disliked writing about people. 9. From the article you can conclude that Maupassant preferred writing a. fiction. 1 b. nonfiction. © c. verse. 10. You can conclude from the article that, given the success of Maupas- sant’s writing, readers of short stories enjoy (2 a, naturalness and realistic description. Q b. a surprise ending, Oc. great detail.Ea: | The French novelist Emile Zola (1840-1902), leader of the naturalist school of writing, produced frank novels that stressed the effect of heredity and the environment on people’s actions, Naturalists believed that writers should portray the brutality of industrial life. Zola’s outspoken novel Germinal described the degradation endared by miners working and living in the inhuman conditions of northern French mines. Zola’s work influ enced such other writers as Guy de Maupassant. Zola expressed his beliefs and ideals in his life, not just in novels. His involvement in what became known as the Dreyfus Affair caused him to flee France for brief exile in England. The affair began in 1894 with the court martial for treason of Alfred Dreyfus, a French army officer and a Jew. Con- victed on scanty evidence of spying for Germany, Dreyfus was sentenced to Devil’s Island for life. His case resulted in a wave of anti-Semitism in France. In support of reopening the case, Zola wrote a famous pamphlet, P-Accuse, in 1898. Eventually an officer who had forged the evidence that convicted Dreyfus confessed and committed suicide. Dreyfus was given clemency in 1899 and fully cleared in 1906, thanks to the efforts of Zola and other supporters. Emile Zola and the Dreyfus Affair 1. Recognizing Words in Context 2. Distinguishing Fact from Opinion Find the word scanty in the passage. One definition below is a synonym for ‘Two of the statements below present facts, which can be proved correct. that word; it means the same or almost the same thing. One definition is an antonym; it has the opposite or nearly opposite meaning. The other has a completely different meaning. Label the definitions $ for synonym, A for antonym, and D for different. a. frugal b, slight c. considerable The other statement is an opinion, which expresses someone’s thoughts or beliefs. Label the statements F for fact and O for opinion. a. Emile Zola was a leader of the naturalist school of writing in France. Zola’s work influenced that of other writers, such as Guy de Maupassant. c. Zola should have kept to his fiction and stayed out of the Dreyfus Affair. 273. 28 Keeping Events in Order Label the statements below 1, 2, and 3 to show the order in which the events happened. a. Alfred Dreyfus was tried for treason and convicted. b. Dreyfus was given clemency and eventually cleared. c. Emile Zola wrote a letter in support of Dreyfus. Making Correct Inferences ‘Two of the statements below are cor- rect inferences, or reasonable guesses. ‘They are based on information in the passage. The other statement is an incorrect, or faulty, inference. Label the statements C for correct inference and F for fanlty inference, a. Zola’s pamphlet, J’Accuse, helped get the Dreyfus case reopened, b. France is an anti-Semitic nation. c. Zola believed that Dreyfus was innocent. . Understanding Main Ideas One of the statements below expresses the main idea of the pas- sage. One statement is too general, or too broad. The other explains only part of the passage; it is too narrow. Label the statements M for main idea, B for to0 broad, and N for too narrow. ____ a. French novelist Emile Zola helped obtain the freedom of unjustly convicted army officer Alfred Dreyfus. b. Anti-Semitism following the Dreyfus Affair opened political and social divisions that troubled France. c. Emile Zola wrote a pamphlet, J’Accuse, in support of Alfred Dreyfus. Correct Answers, Part A Correct Answers, Part B _ Total Correct Answers