The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant
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Short biography of Guy de Maupassant
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born in Dieppe in 1850
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spent his childhood in Normandy
his parents separated when he was 11 years old
brought up by his mother
started writing poetry
began to study law at the Sorbonne
joined the army at 20
worked as a civil servant (Maritime Affairs and Education) 1872–1880
wrote for newspapers under a false name
1880 published famous story Boule de suif (Ball of fat)
in the 1880s wrote 300 short stories, 6 novels, 3 travel books and one volume of verse
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began to have trouble with his sight
wrote horror stories with a theme of madness
attempted suicide
1893 died in a private asylum
Comprehension questions
1. Why was Mme Loisel not happy with her life at the beginning of the story?
2. What did Mme Loisel do most of her time?
3. Why did M. Loisel expect his wife to be pleased to receive the invitation from the Minister of Education?
4. Describe Mme Loisel's reaction on reading the invitation?
5. Why had M. Loisel been saving 400 Francs?
6. Why was Mme Loisel still not satisfied even when she got a new dress?
7. What did Mme Loisel borrow from her rich friend?
8. How was the ball to Mme Loisel and M. Loisel?
9. Why was Mme Loisel anxious to hurry away from the ball?
10. How did they get home?
11. What efforts were made to find Mme Forestier’s necklace?
12. What did they decide to do after they knew they lost the necklace for good?
13. Describe in your own words how the Loisels' life changed after they had paid for the new necklace.
14. Describe how Mme Loisel changed before and after the necklace was lost.
15. How did Mme Forestier recognize Mme Loisel when they met in the Champs-Elysees?
16. Imagine how Mme Loisel must have felt after she knew the real value of the necklace.
Write a summary of the story (300 words)
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Group discussion: Read the statements below and check “Agree” or “Disagree” after discussing with your
group members. Please record your reasons why you think so.
Agree
Disagree
statement
Husbands should always try to please their wives.
If you borrow something from a friend and lose it, you should replace it, if you know
your friend won’t be able to tell the difference.
Lying is acceptable in some situations. You should always lie to save face.
Material goods, like clothing and cars are extremely important to being happy. Money can’t
buy happiness but if definitely makes it easier to be happy.
You should pretend to be richer than you really are, spending more money than you
should, and it’s alright to get in debt for this cause.
Some people deserve to be at the bottom of society.
Women have the same opportunities today as they did in the past.
Group members: _______________________________________________________________________
agree/disagree
statement
Your reasons why
Script Writing
Adapt the story into a script. You should use words from the story and change it into dialogues. The only
thing you can change is the ending. You can either end the story as written by Maupassant or give a twist in
the plot, giving the Loisels another fate. It should be at 5 minutes long and ready for acting it out. Everyone
should collaborate in the adaption, providing ideas and typing the script. There should be four people in the
play: Mme Loisel, M Loisel, Mme Forestier, and the jeweler/the money lenders/other created characters
Write down the plot diagram (outline) for your story before starting to write the script