The Necklace Essay

This Study Guide consists of approximately 37 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Necklace.

The Necklace Essay

This Study Guide consists of approximately 37 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Necklace.
This section contains 1,612 words
(approx. 5 pages at 400 words per page)
Buy The Necklace Study Guide

Pierce is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of South Carolina. In the following essay, he comments upon the surprise ending in "The Necklace" and its correlation to the mystery genre.

Discussions of "The Necklace" almost invariably begin with its famous (or, by some accounts, infamous) ending. Much, if not most, of Maupassant's modern reputation in English-speaking countries rests on Madame Forestier's revelation that the original necklace that Madame Loisel borrowed was in fact a fake. Because "The Necklace" has been so often anthologized and so few of the author's other works have been translated into English, the surprise ending is often what the modern reader associates with Maupassant. It is important to understand, however, that the trick ending was not commonly associated with Maupassant during his lifetime, nor was Maupassant its originator. In fact, the surprise ending had existed for some time, although not necessarily...

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This section contains 1,612 words
(approx. 5 pages at 400 words per page)
Buy The Necklace Study Guide
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