1885Naturalism
Bel-Ami
Guy de Maupassant · 1850–1893 · France
Originally Bel-Ami (French)
Why it matters
An unscrupulous ex-soldier claws his way up Parisian journalism and society by seducing the women who can help him. Maupassant's Flaubertian precision applied to pure, glittering cynicism about ambition.
At a glance
satirepsychological novel
Difficulty 4/10medium pace320 pagesClear Flaubertian sentences; the difficulty is moral, not stylistic.
Deep dive
A penniless ex-soldier sleeps his way to the top of Parisian journalism, and Maupassant never once lets him feel a flicker of guilt about it.
Where to go next
Guy de Maupassant · 1888Pierre and JeanLvl 4Medium pace
Gustave Flaubert · 1857Madame BovaryLvl 5Slow burn
Émile Zola · 1885GerminalLvl 5Medium pace
Leopoldo Alas "Clarín" · 1885La RegentaLvl 6Slow burn
Joris-Karl Huysmans · 1884Against Nature (À rebours)Lvl 7Slow burn
Kate Chopin · 1899The AwakeningLvl 5Medium pace