Artinian, Artine, editor. The Complete Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant. Garden City, NY: Hanover House/Doubleday, 1955. The introduction offers a critical analysis of Maupassant's writing, highlighting the artistic value of his numerous works.

Le Guin, Ursula K. "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas." In The Wind's Twelve Quarters. New York: Harper & Row, 1975. This short story portrays a fantastical city of immense wealth and the suffering of a single child, whose imprisonment magically sustains the city's prosperity.

Maupassant, Guy de. The Best Stories of Guy de Maupassant. Edited by Saxe Commins. New York: Random House, 1945. Features an insightful introduction that explores Maupassant's life and experiences.

Sources

James, Henry. ‘‘Guy de Maupassant,’’ reprinted in his Partial Portraits, Macmillan, 1888, pp. 243-87.

Prince, Gerald. ‘‘Nom et destin dans 'La Parure',’’ in The French Review, Vol. 55, 1982, pp. 267-71.

Sullivan, Edward D. ‘‘Maupassant et la nouvelle,’’ in Cahiers de l'association internationale des etudes francais, Vol. 27, pp. 223-36.

Further Reading

Artinian, Artine. "Introduction" in The Complete Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant, Hanover House, 1955, pp. ix-xvii.

This introduction discusses Maupassant's literary reputation, especially in the United States.

Donaldson-Evans, Mary. ‘‘The Last Laugh: Maupassant's 'Les bijoux' and 'La parure',’’ in French Forum, Vol. 10, 1985, pp. 163-73.

Analyzes ‘‘The Necklace’’ in comparison to ‘‘Les bijoux,’’ another story by Maupassant, and argues for the former's superiority due to its greater complexity.

Europe, no. 482, 1969.

A collection of essays in French on Maupassant and his works, which helped revive his literary standing.

James, Henry. ‘‘Guy de Maupassant,’’ in Maupassant's The Odd Number, Harper & Brothers, 1889, pp. vii- xvii.

Also featured in the October 19, 1889, issue of Harper's Weekly, this essay introduced Maupassant's works to American readers.

O'Faolain, Sean. The Short Story, Devin-Adair, 1974.

In the section titled ‘‘The Technical Struggle: On Subject,’’ O'Faolain discusses ‘‘The Necklace’’ and asserts that the story's value lies in Maupassant's depiction of characters and society, rather than its "whip-crack ending."

Steegmuller, Francis. Maupassant: A Lion in the Path, Collins, 1949.

This biography connects much of Maupassant's fiction to his life through the lens of psychoanalysis.

Sullivan, Edward D. Maupassant: The Short Stories, Barron's, 1962.

An introduction to Maupassant's contes and nouvelles, with insightful commentary on ‘‘The Necklace.’’

Thibaudet, Albert. "The Generation of 1850," in his French Literature from 1795 to Our Era, Funk & Wagnalls, 1968, pp. 263-359.

Provides an overview of key figures and movements in French literature, placing Maupassant's work in the context of literary development and his interactions with other writers.

Readers who appreciated this story should definitely consider reading Maupassant's "Boule de Suif" along with many of his other short stories. Educators might find it beneficial to assign both this story and "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin, found in her short story collection The Wind's Twelve Quarters, for a comparative analysis. Both narratives explore the relative and absolute values of material wealth in contrast to human suffering.

There are at least three English film adaptations of Maupassant's story. The earliest, a silent film from 1909, was directed by D. W. Griffith and has a runtime of eleven minutes. A 1980 adaptation, distributed by Britannica Films, lasts twenty minutes. Another version from 1981, distributed by Barr Entertainment, runs for twenty-two minutes.

Another adaptation of "The Necklace," titled "La parure" in French, aired on American television on January 21, 1949. The famous ending was altered to a happy conclusion, presumably to satisfy the preferences of the sponsoring advertiser.

Additionally, several audio recordings of "The Necklace" are available in both cassette and compact disc formats. These include: Maupassant's Best-Known Stories (two volumes), distributed by Cassette Works; De Maupassant Short Stories (one volume), distributed by Listening Library; Favorite Stories of Guy de Maupassant (two volumes), distributed by Jimcin Recordings; and the French-language "La parure," "Deuxamix," "Le bapte" (one volume, abridged), distributed by Olivia & Hall.