Selected Short Stories (Penguin Classics) [Mass Market Paperback]

Guy de Maupassant (Author), Roger Colet (Translator, Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995 | Series: Penguin Classics

A collection of the author's most characteristic stories portrays life in 19th-century France.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014044243X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140442434
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #720,587 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unequalled World-Class Short Story Writer, November 2, 2004

By 

Erika Borsos "pepper flower" (Gulf Coast of FL, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Selected Short Stories (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

Never having taken a world literature class, I discovered Guy De Maupassant many years ago on my own ... to my utter delight! I love his insights into human behavior, his writing technique of emphasizing some human conditon, dilemma, or foible, his ability to contrast the behavior of the wealthy respectable class against the more common people, his humor, and his creative writing style. The reader learns about the lives of people during the 19th century, their cares, concerns, their vices and passions ... and their secrets, the subjects are as varied as life itself!

This volume of 30 short stories is an extremely fine selection of his works. I was familiar with three of the stories, "The Jewels", "The Piece of String" and the most well known titled "Boule De Suif" (translated as "Ball of Fat"). In this famous story, the prostitute of the region of Rouen is traveling with upper class companions in a coach as each traveler assesses the other one, making judgements as human beings often do. Eventually the upper class passengers are hungry, as they eye Boule De Suif opening her basket filled with fried chicken and other delicious foods. Boule De Souif takes compassion on her fellow passengers by offering them some of her food, to their embarrassment and pleasure, assuaging their hunger pangs. We learn a little about the character and background of the passengers, as the author builds his plot ... The passengers became more chummy, a most unusual situation that would not occur in normal everyday life between such different classes. The coach stopped for a rest at an inn. Prussians occupied the town and were staying at the same inn. As circumstances developed, the Prussian officer wanted to speak with Boule De Suif (Madame Elisabeth Rousset) ... she refused, recognizing at once the reason for his summons. The passengers on the coach sensed the tension and attempted pursuading Ms Rousset to join the officer ... they feared bad consequences for themselves if she did not cooperate, despite their disgust toward that sort of activity. They prevalied, Ms Rousset succumbed. The story ended on a sad note ... after "the event", the snobby behavior of the passengers toward Ms Rousset was evident as they reached their destination. They forgot her kindess in sharing her food, her resistance to the advances of the officer (she had pride in resisting the enemy) ... the passengers looked to their own selfish concerns and had no compassion for the sacrifice made by "Boule De Suif" on their behalf. This story exemplifies one of the main reasons the stories of Guy De Maupassant are so popular, in addition to his creative techniques and writing expertise, he contrasts certain extremes of human behavior to make a very strong point which emphasizes the human condition most accurately. These stories will delight a wide-range of readers. Most highly recommended. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Contents of this book, May 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Selected Short Stories (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

First, I want to say how amazed I was with this book. De Maupassant was a brilliant author -- anyone interested in great literature should give his stories a chance.

Contents: Boule de Suif, In the Spring, The Graveyard Sisterhood, Madame Tellier's Establishment, A Ruse, An Old Man, Rust, Two Friends, The Jewels, The Conservatory, The Matter with Andre, My Uncle Jules, A Duel, The Convert, In the Bedroom, Regret, The Decoration, The Piece of String, The Model, The Hand, Idyll, Mother Savage, Guillemot Rock, Imprudence, The Signal, In the Woods, The Devil, The Horla, The Mask, Mouche.

Note - You won't find "The Necklace" here, as the translator (Roger Colet) points out in his notes.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the undisputed master of the short fiction form, March 19, 2004

By 

I ain't no porn writer (author, "Crippled Dreams") - See all my reviews

This review is from: Selected Short Stories (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

Guy de Maupassant is today considered by most literary historians to be the greatest short story writer who ever lived, in any century. When it comes to just telling a great story, he was the best, couldn't be topped. Both aspiring and established fiction writers should read Maupassant's finest stories to learn or brush up on the basics--plot, pacing, conciseness, character, mood, description, as well as to learn how simple naturalness and clarity of technique are important for writing engaging and readable fiction.

This is a very good selection of some of his most memorable tales. I would also recommend "A Day In The Country and Other Stories", which I believe is the best Maupassant collection available in English.

Maupassant was considered shocking a hundred years ago because he wrote about prostitutes and adultery in frank and unashamed terms. He was ahead of his time in that way. He never wrote a truly great novel, but 50 or 60 of his stories are real classics. Nobody who reads a great Maupassant story will soon forget it.

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"