Boule de suif
Boule de suif is a novella by Guy de Maupassant, written in 1879 and first published in 1880 . In most German editions the title is translated as fat dumplings . The full title is Boule de suif et le vengeur ( Eng . Boule de suif and the avenger ), which refers to the character of the democrat Cornudet.
content
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71, ten people from Rouen tried to travel in a stagecoach from Normandy, which was occupied by the Prussians , to Le Havre to go about their business there. Heavy snowfall and freezing cold make traveling even more difficult. First the desolate condition of the French army is described, then the narrator directs his attention to the characters involved.
This group of travelers represents a cross-section of the population. From the bourgeoisie , represented by an industrialist (Monsieur Carré-Lamadon) and a merchant (Monsieur Loiseau), to the nobility (Monsieur Hubert de Bréville), with their respective wives, All classes of society are represented up to two nuns. Even those in favor of democracy are represented by Cornudet the Democrat . The conclusion is the prostitute Boule de suif (dt. Fat dumplings), who is also the main character of the story.
The plot shows the development of the relationship between Boule de suif and the distinguished citizens of the travel company.
First of all, the tour company clearly shows that they despise Boule de suif . But this changes soon after the coach leaves: Because no one in the group has packed provisions, they are very happy that Boule de suif shares their provisions with them; the relationship improves noticeably. In an inn in Tôtes , which is supposed to serve as overnight accommodation for the tour group, they come across a Prussian officer who only wants to let them continue after he has used the services of Boule de suifs . However, she feels hurt in her patriotic feelings and refuses to accept him. The young woman initially keeps the German officer's request a secret, which is why the gentlemen indulge in all sorts of fearful speculations about the possible reasons for the forced stay.
At her insistence, however, Boule de suif freely reveals what the officer asks of her. From this point the climate between the travelers worsens again, because the fellow travelers do not admire the prostitute for their steadfastness, but feel disturbed because this resistance prevents them from continuing their journey. The action is given an additional erotic dimension by the ambivalent attitude of the women. The officer is described by them as handsome and they appreciate that he does not ask to have sex with them, even if, as they agree, the Prussian would have the power to force them to do so, which at least one of the women does would not be uncomfortable.
Through subtle references to the duty of women to sacrifice themselves, mixed with examples from history and religion, they finally get Boule de suif to give in to the officer's wishes, which is why they are then allowed to continue. But instead of being grateful to her, the next day Boule de suif is despised and laughed at and she is treated again as prostitutes with whom decent people want nothing to do with.
In the last scene, Boule de suif sits crying with the others in the carriage. This time she forgot to pack provisions, but the others don't share with her. Cornudet is also no longer on their side because he is jealous. So he openly whistles the Marseillaise to annoy everyone present ( ... amour sacré de la patrie ... ).
Real role models of the characters
- Boule de suif: Adrienne Legay , born in a village near Fécamp , later living in Rouen. Legay was the mistress of a cavalry officer and later a merchant. After both men broke up with her, she became a prostitute. The good-natured, disinterested woman known for her curves lived in increasing poverty and committed suicide six weeks after Guy de Maupassant's death.
- Cornudet: Charles Cord'homme , the husband of Guy de Maupassant's aunt Louise de Maupassant. Cord'homme was a wine merchant in Rouen and known throughout the city as a supporter of the republic and a free spirit. He was a member of a democratic party with unclear political goals.
- Monsieur Carré-Lamadon: Augustin Pouyer-Quertier (1820-1891).
Position in literary history
Classification in the work of the author
Boule de suif was written as his first work in 1879 after Maupassant's seven years' training with Gustave Flaubert . Flaubert praised it as a masterpiece.
Position in literary history
Boule de suif made the unknown author famous in one fell swoop, as it appeared in the volume of short stories Die Evenings de Médan ( Les Soirées de Médan ) published by Emile Zola in 1880, with the theme of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 along with five other short stories . Fettklößchen is to this day Maupassant's best-known novella and one of the most famous novels in world literature.
reception
In Boule de suif , the sexual exercise of power destroys the cliché of the French bourgeoisie against the background of the Franco-German war of 1870/71. In the conception of the "honorable" society, the citizen is seen as venerable, patriotic and exemplary. Maupassant exposes the hypocrisy of so-called decent people who are only concerned with their own gain. In truth, their morals are false. In fact, only the prostitute is honest and sincere. But it is not part of society. She, who selflessly helps the citizens, is an outsider at the beginning of the story, is hyped up to Jeanne d'Arc in the course of the story and is an outsider again at the end.
expenditure
- Guy de Maupassant: Fat dumplings. Novella ("Boule de suif"). Reclam, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-15-006768-0 .
- Guy de Maupassant: Boule de suif . Gallimard, Paris 2003, ISBN 2-07-041119-2 .
- Guy de Maupassant: Boule de suif . Edition Steinbach, Schwäbisch Hall 2009, ISBN 978-3-88698-334-6 (2 CDs; audio book).
- Guy de Maupassant: Boule de suif . Klett Verlag, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-12-596283-5 (school reading).
- Guy de Maupassant: About love and other wars. Novellas. Newly translated by Martin Lindner. dtv 2014, ISBN 978-3-423-14316-5 (The novella is titled Schmalzkugelchen .)
Movies
- 1934: Pischka , Soviet silent film by Michail Romm
Secondary literature and other works
- Michael Weatherilt: Maupassant's "Boule de suif" and the tales of the Franco-Prussian was . Bridge Books, Wrexham 2001, ISBN 1-872424-93-7 .
- Stephen Hartke: The greater good. Opera in 2 acts . Naxos Publ., London 2007 (2 CDs; the libretto is an adaptation by Guy de Maupassant's Boule de suif ).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Afterword to Boule de suif . In: Helmut Keil (ed.): Guy de Maupassant: Boule de suif . No. 9011 . Reclam, Stuttgart 2014, ISBN 3-15-009011-3 , pp. 86 f .
- ↑ student, Gerda. Guy de Maupassant in: Lange, Wolf-Dieter (eds). 19th Century French Literature III. Naturalism and symbolism. UTB 1980.