All Topics  
The Necklace

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

The Necklace
 
 
  Topics The Necklace Topic Home

The Necklace or The Diamond Necklace is a short story
Short story

The short story refers to a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, usually in narrative format. This format or medium tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels or books....
 by Guy de Maupassant
Guy de Maupassant

Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century France writer and considered one of the fathers of the modern short story.A prot?g? of Gustave Flaubert, Maupassant's stories are characterized by their economy of style and their efficient, effortless d?nouement....
, first published in 1884 in the French newspaper Le Gaulois
Le Gaulois

Le Gaulois was a French daily newspaper, founded in 1868 by Edmond Tarbe and Henri de Pene. After a printing stoppage, it was revived by Arthur Meyer in 1882 with notable collaborators Paul Bourget, Abel Hermant, and Ernest Daudet....
. The story has become one of Maupassant's most popular works and is well known for its twist ending
Twist ending

A twist ending or surprise ending is an unexpected conclusion or climax to a work of fiction, and which often contains irony or causes the audience to reevaluate the narrative or characters....
. It is also the inspiration for Henry James
Henry James

Henry James, Order of Merit , son of theologian Henry James Sr., brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James, was an United States author....
' short story, "Paste
Paste (story)

"Paste" is a 5,800-word short story by Henry James first published in Frank Leslie?s Popular Monthly in December, 1899. James included the story in his collection, The Soft Side, published by Macmillan Publishers the following year....
".. It has been dramatised as a musical by the Irish composer Conor Mitchell
Conor Mitchell

Conor Mitchell is an Irish composer and writer. His play, The Dummy Tree, was commissioned by the Royal National Theatre for their 2009 New Connections series....
 First Produced professionally by Thomas Hopkins & Andrew Jenkins for Surefire Theatrical Ltd at the Edinburgh Festival in 2007 .

Necklace" tells the story of Madame Mathilde Loisel and her husband.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'The Necklace'
Start a new discussion about 'The Necklace'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Necklace or The Diamond Necklace is a short story
Short story

The short story refers to a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, usually in narrative format. This format or medium tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels or books....
 by Guy de Maupassant
Guy de Maupassant

Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century France writer and considered one of the fathers of the modern short story.A prot?g? of Gustave Flaubert, Maupassant's stories are characterized by their economy of style and their efficient, effortless d?nouement....
, first published in 1884 in the French newspaper Le Gaulois
Le Gaulois

Le Gaulois was a French daily newspaper, founded in 1868 by Edmond Tarbe and Henri de Pene. After a printing stoppage, it was revived by Arthur Meyer in 1882 with notable collaborators Paul Bourget, Abel Hermant, and Ernest Daudet....
. The story has become one of Maupassant's most popular works and is well known for its twist ending
Twist ending

A twist ending or surprise ending is an unexpected conclusion or climax to a work of fiction, and which often contains irony or causes the audience to reevaluate the narrative or characters....
. It is also the inspiration for Henry James
Henry James

Henry James, Order of Merit , son of theologian Henry James Sr., brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James, was an United States author....
' short story, "Paste
Paste (story)

"Paste" is a 5,800-word short story by Henry James first published in Frank Leslie?s Popular Monthly in December, 1899. James included the story in his collection, The Soft Side, published by Macmillan Publishers the following year....
".. It has been dramatised as a musical by the Irish composer Conor Mitchell
Conor Mitchell

Conor Mitchell is an Irish composer and writer. His play, The Dummy Tree, was commissioned by the Royal National Theatre for their 2009 New Connections series....
 First Produced professionally by Thomas Hopkins & Andrew Jenkins for Surefire Theatrical Ltd at the Edinburgh Festival in 2007 .

Plot summary

"The Necklace" tells the story of Madame Mathilde Loisel and her husband. When Mathilde was little, she always imagined herself in a high social position with wonderful jewels. However, when she grows up, she has nothing, and marries a lowly clerk who is obsessed with making her happy. Through lots of begging at work, he is able to get two invitations to the Ministry of Education's party. However, Mathilde is upset, for she has nothing to wear. Using money that he was saving to buy a rifle, he lets Mathilde buy a fancy dress. However, Mathilde also wants jewels to wear. Since they don't have any money left, her husband suggests that she borrow something from her friend, Madame Jeanne Forestier. Mathilde picks out the fanciest jewel necklace that she can find. However, after attending the Ministry of Education's party, Mathilde finds out that she's lost the necklace. Mathilde and her husband then have to work for ten years to come up with the thirty-six thousand francs to buy a replacement for the necklace. After losing everything, having to work, and forcing her husband to work two jobs, Mathilde sees Madame Forestier walking down the street, and tells her that the necklace she returned to her was actually a replacement worth thirty six thousand francs. However, Madame Forestier is surprised and tells Mathilde that the original necklace was actually a fake worth only five hundred francs.

External links

  • by Guy de Maupassant. Complete text with audio narration.