Pierre et Jean (Oxford World's Classics) - Softcover

De Maupassant, Guy; Mead, Julie; Lethbridge, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 019283147X ISBN 13: 9780192831477

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2002

Synopsis

Henry James's admiration for "this masterly little novel" has been echoed throughout the twentieth century by readers of Pierre et Jean. It marked a turning point in the development of French fiction, situated as it is between traditional social realism and the psychological novel. It is recognized as a classic study of filial jealousy, triggered by one of the two brothers of its title finding himself the sole inheritor of the fortune of his mother's former lover.

Pierre et Jean is set in Le Havre in the 1880s and is notable for its evocation of the Normandy coastline captured by the Impressionists. But Maupassant's greatest achievement is to have woven from this simple plot in a maritime context a brilliantly crafted exploration of the complexities at the heart of family life.

About this title

About the Author:

Henri Rene Albert Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) was a popular 19th-century French writer. He is one of the fathers of the modern short story. Robert Lethbridge is at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Language Notes:

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 019283147X
• ISBN 13: 9780192831477
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208