Literature Library author

Guy de Maupassant

A concise guide to Guy de Maupassant's body of work, major titles, and recurring themes.

IB PRL recommended author
Languages
French
Regions / countries
France
Forms
Prose: fiction
Indexed works
4

Author overview

Guy de Maupassant (1850–1893) was a novelist, poet, and playwright whose body of work spans fiction. This writing is in French and associated with France. Major works and useful reading starting points include Bel-Ami, Boule de Suif, Pierre and Jean, and The Horla. Key themes include Success without merit, Public respectability and private exploitation, Gendered labor and limited power, and Respectability hides exploitation.

Reading pathway

Begin with Bel-Ami, then move to Boule de Suif, then move to Pierre and Jean.

Representative starting points

Bel-Ami

Georges Duroy turns charm, borrowed ideas, and other people’s labor into a rapid climb through journalism, politics, wealth, and marriage in Third Republic Paris.

Boule de Suif

Ten travelers fleeing occupied Rouen eat one woman’s food, praise her patriotism, pressure her into a coerced sacrifice, and then punish her for making it.

These are Literature Library reading suggestions by an IB PRL author, not titles prescribed by the IB.

All published guides by this author

Biography, authority, and bibliography sources

This independent author guide supports reading and discussion. Curriculum badges show useful AP or IB connections without making this an official AP or IB publication.