StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

The Function of Seduction in Maupassants novels Bel-Ami, Pierre et Jean and Une vie - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
But so far, the psychological motivations of seduction have not been discussed in great detail. While analyzing the notion of seduction, it would be interesting to…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95% of users find it useful
The Function of Seduction in Maupassants novels Bel-Ami, Pierre et Jean and Une vie
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Function of Seduction in Maupassants novels Bel-Ami, Pierre et Jean and Une vie"

Download file to see previous pages

First, the male characters in Bel-Ami and Pierre et Jean use seduction appealing to women in order to be accepted by them because perhaps they do not accept themselves the way they are. George Duroy (Bel-Ami) seduces all the women in the novel because he does not have what Roy (Engendrement du Romanesque) calls the “ideal self”. It is this lack of self-confidence, the weakness of his ego, that pushes him to seduce. Duroy comes from a modest family which he wants to change by becoming wealthy.

Second, male protagonists often use seduction to change their identity, to take one some other identity. . In Bel-Ami, Duroy is frustrated of being part of the lower social rank, so he always tries to dissimulate his poverty from others. For example, when Duroy invites Mme de Marelle to his place, he changes the decor of his “shabby apartment” in order to hide his poverty. Also, in order to hide his peasant background, Duroy “forgets” to invite his parents to his wedding with Madeleine Forestier.

Similarly in ‘Une vie’, Julien de Lamare disconcerts us by his successive metamorphoses all along the novel. The narrator portrays Julien as a handsome man, a seductor and as someone full of disguise and dissimulation. In fact, we realize that Julien is just a fortune hunter who knows how to play his physical appeal for seducing. Once he marries Jeanne, he drops his mask and reveals his true personality. Third, men use seduction to reach wealth and power. Indeed, in Une Vie, Julien de Lamare comes from a ruined family and that had a great impact on him.

Julien will do anything to seduce and marry a rich commoner (Jeanne) in order to regain legitimacy and the glamour of his name (Ball 56). In Bel-Ami, on Madeleine Forestier’s recommendations, Duroy seduces Mme de Marelle and then Mme Walter. One provides him with housing and money while the other makes him chief editor. After Mme de Marelle remark about Mme

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Function of Seduction in Maupassants novels Bel-Ami, Pierre et Essay”, n.d.)
The Function of Seduction in Maupassants novels Bel-Ami, Pierre et Essay. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1543524-the-function-of-seduction-in-maupassants-novels-bel-ami-pierre-et-jean-and-une-vie
(The Function of Seduction in Maupassants Novels Bel-Ami, Pierre Et Essay)
The Function of Seduction in Maupassants Novels Bel-Ami, Pierre Et Essay. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1543524-the-function-of-seduction-in-maupassants-novels-bel-ami-pierre-et-jean-and-une-vie.
“The Function of Seduction in Maupassants Novels Bel-Ami, Pierre Et Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1543524-the-function-of-seduction-in-maupassants-novels-bel-ami-pierre-et-jean-and-une-vie.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Function of Seduction in Maupassants novels Bel-Ami, Pierre et Jean and Une vie

Guy de Maupassant: Stories of Regret

Guy de Maupassant: Stories of Regret.... Name: Institution: Abstract.... Guy de Maupassant's short stories, “All Over,” “Regret,” and “A Stroll,” focus on the common sense of regret shared by the protagonists, Leras, Saval and Lormerin.... The three protagonists regret the absence of love in their lives, have their moments of epiphany and react to the truth in different ways....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

The Diamond Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

This paper examines a short story "The Diamond Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant, which depicts the human condition where they try to tout their wealth by the display of jewelry.... It deals with the life of ordinary people and mainly focuses on their way of thinking, their desires, and hopes....
4 Pages (1000 words) Book Report/Review

Guy de Maupassants The Necklace

In the essay “Guy de Maupassant's The Necklace,” the author analyzes Guy de Maupassant's most popular short story.... It is a 'tale with a twist,' and the surprise ending has a powerful impact.... Madame Loisel is the protagonist of the story.... She borrows a diamond necklace from a friend and loses it....
5 Pages (1250 words) Book Report/Review

Renoirs adaptation of maupassants A counrty excursion

Use jean Renoir's film ‘A Day in the Country' and Guy de Maupassant's story ‘A Country Excursion' to illustrate or test, concretely and precisely, one or more of Andrews' three adaptation strategies.... Must a single film operate in only one of Andrews' three modes of adaptation or might a film move between all three?...
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

French culture 1800-1900

The young woman was his wife Camille and the little boy jean was their son.... The impressionist movement that became famous in the 1870s and 1880s had its paintings characterized by open composition, ordinary coverage of subject, clear depiction of light, thin albeit visible brush strokes, and most importantly the inclusion of movement to show human… One of the most prominent impressionist era painters was Claude Monet. Oscar Claude Monet was born on 14th November1840 in Paris and he grew up in Le Havre in Normandy....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Short Fiction: the Thematic Concerns in Maupassants

Most of his stories were published during the Franco Prussian war in which he shows the effect of the war among the common people (pierre… The writer's country, Normandy, has also influenced his works.... Many stories are set here using local characters speaking the local dialect....
8 Pages (2000 words) Term Paper

According to Guy Maupassant, is Realism, Pessimistic

This paper is a critical review of Maupassant works and in particular pierre et jean to try and look deeply into how he presents his realism and his general view of realism in literary form.... jean and Pierre are both sons of Roland Gerome, and Loice.... Pierre is a doctor while jean is a lawyer and both have a happy and successful life based on the societal expectations.... However all these changes when Leon a family friend dies and leaves all his inheritance to jean....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

The Life and Work of Guy de Maupassant

As a young boy, Guy attended Yvetot School in Normandy and later schooled in Reoun where he gained most of his knowledge that would prove helpful in his writings.... Guy was eleven years old when his parents… His mom was close friends with the sister of Flaubert, a famous nineteenth century writer, whom Guy's mother approached to offer advice on Guy and what she should do about him....
6 Pages (1500 words) Research Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us