Paris, France during the Belle Epoque

Bel Ami is essentially a portrait of Paris during the Belle Epoque. Maupassant gives the reader an in-depth look into Georges’ world, right from the start. The narrator says, “It was one of those sultry, Parisian evenings when not a breath of air is stirring; the sewers exhaled poisonous gases and the restaurants the disagreeable odors of cooking and of kindred smells. Porters in their shirt-sleeves, astride their chairs, smoked their pipes at the carriage gates, and pedestrians strolled leisurely along, hats in hand” (8). This attention to detail characterizes the novel as a work of naturalism and provides the reader with a thorough understanding of society at this time.

Rue de Constantinople

Mme. de Marelle and Georges’ shared apartment is located on the Rue de Constantinople. Clotilde pays for the apartments, at first. The narrator says, “Installed in the cozy apartments on Rue...