Boule de Suif (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Guy de Maupassant
- First Published: 1880
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: About 1870
- Setting: On the road between Rouen and the port city of Havre, France
- Principal Characters: Elizabeth Rousset, Monsieur and Madame Loiseau, Cornudet, Prussian officer
- Genres: Social realism, Short fiction
- Subjects: Traveling or travelers, Class conflict, Prostitution or prostitutes, Guilt, War, Patriotism
- Locales: France
The Story
A coach is making its way along the icy road to Havre. Its passengers are silently eyeing one another, trying to reach the port in spite of the war-torn countryside and the advancing Prussian troops. Self-conscious of respectability, they are uncomfortable sharing a coach with “a member of the courtesan class,” who is nicknamed “Boule de Suif” (ball of fat) because she is so round. The journey is long and tedious, so that when Boule de Suif takes some food from her traveling basket and good-heartedly offers to share it among the others, the...
[The entire page is 1322 words long]
See Also:
Guy de Maupassant (Cyclopedia of World Authors)Guy de Maupassant (Short Fiction)Guy de Maupassant (Censorship)Guy de Maupassant (Dictionary of World Biography)Guy de Maupassant (Mystery and Detective Fiction)Theory of Short Fiction (Topical Overview--Short Fiction)
See Also:
- - Read the Boule de Suif text online.
- - Boule de Suif summary and study guide in the eNotes.
- Add Boule de Suif to your favorites