A Further Selection of the «Chroniques» of Guy de Maupassant: Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Adrian C. Ritchie

ISBN-13: 9783039101535 / Francuski / Miękka / 2003 / 252 str.

Guy de Maupassant

Opis

This second selection of Maupassant s chroniques, edited in their original French version, includes articles on a wide range of subjects. Many are on literary, artistic or social themes, some are inspired by political events of the day. In general, some of the lighter pieces have been chosen, but in all of them Maupassant has something important to say.
Maupassant often uses his chroniques to rehearse themes and topics to be developed later in short stories or novels. It is true that he never sought to re-publish them after their initial appearance in Le Gaulois, Gil Blas, or Le Figaro, but this is not to say that he did not reveal much about his inner self in these writings. Though he sometimes referred to them disparagingly as an irksome weekly obligation, he continued to offer his chroniques to the Parisian dailies when fame and fortune ensured that he had little need of the extra income they brought in. He wrote almost as many chroniques as short stories indeed the distinction between the two genres is not always clear and, whether the tone is facetious, serious or ironic, one can sense that Maupassant enjoys this dialogue with a regular readership. Readers or critics who ignore the journalism deprive themselves of a significant part of his overall output. This second selection shows once again that Maupassant the short-story writer and novelist was also an entertaining and observant chronicler of events in the France of his day.
Cette deuxieme selection de chroniques ecrites par Guy de Maupassant, publiees en langue originale francaise, contient des articles sur la litterature, l art, la vie sociale, ainsi que quelques morceaux inspires par l actualite politique. Les articles legers ont ete priviliegies, mais dans tous ces articles, Maupassant a quelque chose d important a dire.
La chronique permet a Maupassant d aborder des themes et des sujets qu il va developper plus tard dans ses contes et ses romans. S il est vrai qu il n essaya jamais de donner une forme plus permanente a ces articles, parus pour la plupart dans les colonnes du Gaulois, de Gil Blas, ou du Figaro, ceci ne signifie pas qu il ne s y decouvrait pas. Certes, sa chronique hebdomadaire lui semblait souvent une corvee, mais il continuait a la rediger meme apres avoir acquis une notoriete et une aisance financiere suffisante pour renoncer au journalisme. Il composa presque autant de chroniques que de contes et de nouvelles deux genres qu il n est d ailleurs pas facile de distinguer l un de l autre. Et, quel que le soit le ton, facetieux, grave ou ironique, on sent, en lisant les chroniques, le plaisir que prend Maupassant a dialoguer ainsi avec ses lecteurs.
Ceux qui font la moue devant ces articles de journal se privent d une partie essentielle de son uvre. Ce deuxieme choix de chroniques apporte a nouveau la preuve que le conteur et romancier Maupassant etait aussi un observateur divertissant et vivant, un chroniqueur lucide et perspicace de la vie de la France et des Francais."

Spis treści

Contents: A selection of Maupassant's chroniques published in the French press in the 1880s - Notes explaining references and allusions - A short introduction to the chroniques with an evaluation of the importance of the journalistic writings - A bibliography of critical works relating to Maupassant's writings in the press.

O autorze

The Editor: Adrian C. Ritchie is Head of French (Department of Modern Languages) at the University of Wales, Bangor. He has written extensively on Maupassant, and is the editor of Guy de Maupassant: A Selection of the Political Journalism (1999) and of Guy de Maupassant: A Selection of the Chroniques (1881-87) (2002), both published by Peter Lang.