In the following excerpt, Poteau-Tralie traces the portrayal of the mother in Maupassant's works—focusing on the "good" mother, the criminal mother, the monstrous mother, and the "unnatural" mother—within the context of prevailing nineteenth-century thought; Maupassant's childhood; his thoughts on God, religion, and children; and his worldview.

In the following excerpt, Stivale examines Maupassant's portrayal of the struggle between prostitutes and their environment through their relationships with les hommesfilles (men-harlots). The critic does this in three ways: by analyzing Maupassant's depiction of registered prostitutes; by studying the interactions between filles (prostitutes) and hommes filles; and by considering how women are depicted as "other" (for example, the lesbian woman, the exotic woman, or the anonymo...

In the following excerpt, Donaldson-Evans examines Maupassant's skepticism of traditional religion through his portrayal of various feminine types, including the pious woman; the woman who identifies herself with the Divinity; the woman as Virgin Mother; the sadistic woman incapable of love; and the cruel mother.

In the following excerpt, Sullivan categorizes Guy de Maupassant's short fiction.

In the following essay, Moger discusses Maupassant's narrative technique of using "framed" stories, where the story within the story is actually the primary tale within the frame. To accomplish this effect, according to the critic, Maupassant used a secondary narrator—often a doctor-narrator—and allowed readers to be maneuvered into a reciprocal relationship with the story such that the tales are created as much by the reader as by the storyteller.

In the following essay, Mortimer analyzes Maupassant's use of second-story construction in several of his stories.

In the following essay, Orlich probes links between “Promenade” and Henry James's novella The Beast in the Jungle.

In the following essay, Hadlock discusses the function of the monster in “La Mère aux monsters.”

In the following essay, Stivale explores the role and function of narrative desire in “La Petite Roque.”

In the following essay, Cogman discusses how Maupassant, in his disgust for censorship of any kind, demonstrated his desire to expose the shocking and the explicit (especially with regard to sexual matters) in his work.

In the following essay, Killick considers the influence of Gustave Flaubert on Guy de Maupassant through a comparison of two stories that share similar elements of plot and theme.

In the following essay, Millstone explores the figure of the prostitute in “Le Lit 29” and reflects “on the ways in which the very structure of Maupassant's tale supports his unorthodox definition of service to country.”

In the following essay, MacLachlan and Reid provide a stylistic analysis of “La Chevelure,” focusing on the frame narrative of the story.

In the following essay, Hottell examines the function of the ambiguous denouement of several of Maupassant's fantastic stories.

In the following essay, Leabhart offers a structural examination of Maupassant's “L'Aveu.”

In the following essay, Harris focuses on Maupassant's journalistic writings, pointing out how understanding Maupassant's nostalgia for the past (including his elitism and nationalism) and his perceptions of scientific progress is essential in evaluating his narrative technique.

In the following essay, Stadt asserts that “Les Tombales” “reveals itself to be a metacritical tale whose principal theses are misinterpretation and narrative autonomy.”

In the following essay, Mead investigates Maupassant's broad social vision in his story “La Maison Tellier.”

In the following essay, Morris discusses the structural similarity of Guy de Maupassant's "Lui," "La Chevelure," "Le Horla," "La Nuit," and "Qui sait?"