De Maupassant was a godson and disciple of Flaubert, thus his name is
closely connected with the Naturalistic School, which goes back to
_Madame Bovary_, Flaubert's masterpiece. The leading writers of this
school are: Flaubert, the de Goncourt brothers, Daudet (only in portions
of his work), Zola and Maupassant. Maupassant is known as a writer of
short stories and as a novelist. His work is at times pessimistic and
morbid, in this respect he represents the worst side of the Naturalists;
he had, however, a remarkable power of observation and the "sldquo;saving gift
of irony," and was a master of style, the chief characteristics of which
are strength and simplicity. In the artistic composition of the short
story he is probably unsurpassed. Important works: _Des Vers_ (1880),
_Une Vie_ (1883), _Bel Ami_ (1885), _Mont Oriol_ (1881), _Pierre et
Jean_ (1888), _Fort comme la Mort_ (1889), and especially several
collections of _Contes_.
Edition: Havard, 9 vols.; Ollendorff, 8 vols.