The Necklace --Guy de Maupassant I. Background information Times: _____ Nationality:_____ Occupation:_____ Genre:_____ 19th century French novelist, short story writer realism depicted human lives and destinies and social forces truthfully and often in pessimistic terms A representative of Maupassant’s style– a story with a twist. II. Pre-reading Can you briefly tell us the main idea of the short story The Necklace? 2. Who are the main characters in this novel? Mathilde Mr. Loisel Madame Forestier Mathilde’s husband Mathilde’s wealthy friend The protagonist of the story? Part 1 Read Part 1 of the short story, and answer the following questions: III. Reading Before losing the necklace Paragraph 1: What does “married beneath her” mean? Why does Mathilde think so? She is beautiful on the outside, but internally, she is filled with discontent for her less-than-wealthy lifestyle. She longs for luxury which cannot be provided by her husband. 2. Role-playing reading: Characters: Mathilde, Mr. Loisel. The narrator. 3. Answer the following questions: 1) What is Mathilde’s reaction to the invitation? 2) How does Mr. Loisel probably feel about her reaction? Paragraphs 2-14: 3) What is implied in Paragraph 8, when Mr. Loisel said “…a suitable dress, which you could use on other occasions as well, something very simple?” Paragraph 10, “He grew slightly pale.” not wealthy, practical, economical He worried about the cost of the dress. Madame Forestier lent Mathilde the necklace 4) Is the party a success for Mathilde? Part 2 Read Part 2 of the short story, and answer the following questions: III. Reading After losing the necklace What changes happen to Mathilde after she loses the necklace? {5C22544A-7EE6-4342-B048-85BDC9FD1C3A} Before After life appearance psychology Fine clothes and jewels were the only things she loved. She came to know the life of poverty. She came to know the heavy work of the house. Charming, admired, the prettiest woman at the party Looked old, like all the strong, hard, coarse women of poor households. She had longed so eagerly to be wildly attractive and sought after. She thought of that evening long ago, of the ball at which she had been so beautiful and so much admired. 2. What does Mathilde mean by saying “all on your account” in Paragraph 13? 3. How would Mathilde probably react at the end of the story, when she found out the original necklace was a fake? IV. Literature appreciation: 1) a twist / surprise ending A twist ending is a literal technique, introducing an unexpected ending beyond the readers’ original expectations. Also known as “O Henry ending” Shatters the readers’ illusion, adds irony, raises the story to a higher level, sets readers rethinking. 2) symbolism. A literary device to use an object, person, situation or word to represent something else, to give an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant. What is the most important symbol in the story? The necklace, beautiful but ... ...
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