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The eclectic novel, titled "Balls of Mutton Fat", was quickly submitted to his mentor for review. After receiving the long note, he sent it to Croiser, which Flaubert read greedily and with enthusiasm. It makes sense that he bet on Juyi's future, and the young man lived up to his teachings, leaping up and being on an equal footing with the elderly. Flaubert was quite impressed by this discovery, and in a letter to his niece Caroline, he said: "My disciple's work 'Ball of Mutton Fat,' which I saw this morning, is indeed a masterpiece; I still maintain this claim, it is a masterpiece, in terms of structure, drama and observation of things." ”
Letter of 1 February 1880. On the same day, he told the author of this meaning: "I have to tell you right away, I think 'Balls of Mutton Fat' is a masterpiece. Yes, young people! Not bad at all, this is the work of the master. The idea is very distinctive, easy to understand, and the writing is fluent. The landscape and character depictions are coordinated, and the psychological depictions are also excellent. All in all, I was fascinated. I've laughed out loud three or four times... I wrote a few pedantic comments on a piece of paper, please refer to them, I think are good opinions. This is going to be passed down to the world, and you have to be sure. The faces of the citizens you describe are amazing! None of them are failures! I really want to hug and kiss you for a long time! It's true, I'm glad! I'm happy and appreciative... Awesome! It's fucking..."
Flaubert never showed such ecstasy for the work of his students. Juyi was particularly pleased that a few days earlier, several of his friends had praised the article. They gathered in Maupassant's apartment on Rue Crosaire, each reading their own work, and when they listened to "Ball of Mutton Fat", they were silent, and suddenly everyone jumped up and embraced him as a master. And he was intolerant of the works brought by the other five authors of "Medan Night".
Flaubert (left) and his student Guy (Maupassant)
In his letter to Flaubert, he said: "Zola: Good, but this subject can be dealt with in the same way by Madame Desan or Tudor. Yusman: Not outstanding, no theme, not well structured, poor style. Sayar: Dull, too dull, unreal, strangely written, but meticulous and fascinating. Enick: Well, it's from the writer, but it's not in the right place. Alexis: Like The Babé Dolvier style, but also like Sarce who wanted to imitate Voltaire. ”
Indeed, the article "Balls of Mutton Fat" stands out in this book for its fine observations, smooth writing, unpretentious characters, and precise and humorous characters, surpassing several other novels.
During the period when France was occupied by the Prussians, the timid passengers in this stagecoach were both pretentious and selfish, symbols of mediocrity. This is the humiliation of defeating the country being held in a car. When a German officer wanted to sleep with one of the passengers, a prostitute, without letting the carriage drive away, the citizens who despised the prostitute thought she should sacrifice herself for the common good.
Madame Dei Loiseau said: "Since the profession of this lady is to do this with all men, she has no right to pick and choose." The Earl of Braville, on the other hand, convinced the prostitute with sweet words and diplomatic rhetoric: "Do you like that we are subjected to violence as much as you are?" It's better to give some courtesy as you used to do in life. At the dinner table, the example of Judit and Orofrna was cited (referring to the Jewish woman Judit, in order to save the city, seduced the enemy general Orofrna and killed him in his sleep. The story comes from the Bible. —Translator). One old nun even said that when intentions are good, actions should not be condemned. At first, the ball of mutton fat rebelled, not agreeing to his physical contribution to the enemy of the motherland, but under the persuasion of this group of decent people, he finally gave in.
When the matter was finished, the German officer kept his promise and let the carriage drive away. Relieved and full of nature, these townspeople ignored the unfortunate woman. The mutton fat ball was despised by everyone, and the shame and hatred were mixed, and they secretly shed tears. Maupassant wrote: "No one looks at her, no one wants her." She was despised by these serious villains, who first sacrificed her and then threw her like unclean and useless rags. ”
What fascinates the reader and makes Flaubert like is the sonorous and powerful sentences, the real character descriptions, and the poignant morals. This characteristic novel is full of life, like a text denouncing a conformist society. Flaubert was afraid of imitation, which his students did not do. Ju Yi studied under the master, but knew that he created works with unique stylistic characteristics, and his brushwork was more free and natural than that of the lonely old man of Croisser. At the age of 30, Guy de Maupassant finally made his mark.
The above content is excerpted from: The Biography of Maupassant, by [French] Henry Troya, translated by Hu Yaobu, Henan Literature and Art Publishing House. The title was prepared by the editor.
This book is part of the "Biography of a World Celebrity" series. The protagonist, Güyy de Maupassant, was a well-known French critical realist writer in the second half of the 19th century, known as the "king of the short story". "Lamb Fat Ball" is his famous work, and it has also been selected into china's middle school Chinese textbooks.
Outside of literature, Maupassant's face is changeable, contradictory, and elusive. He was indulgent, but also enjoyed boating, swimming, long-distance hiking and shooting, and debauchery, sports and writing were the three major components of his life. For Maupassant, muscularity and prolific works, the roughness of the countryside and the ease with which he navigated the salon, indulgence and rejection of honor were all things he was proud of. This book quotes a large number of letters, diaries and other real historical materials, with delicate and plain white strokes, objectively and vividly reproduce Maupassant's short (died at the age of 43) and brilliant and legendary life, the whole book is readable and the sense of picture is excellent.
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