Bel-Ami (1885)

For a novel published in 1885 and set in the Paris of that period, this novel has a remarkably modern feel. It's about sleazy journalism, corrupt politicians, sex, money and power. And through it all is the Bel-Ami of the title - Georges Duroy, who uses his liaisons with rich and / or powerful women to achieve the wealth and social position he craves. Bel-Ami is the nickname given to him by the daughter of a mistress. It means "handsome (or beautiful) friend", but the nickname, like almost everything else about Georges, is deceptive. As handsome as he is, there's nothing in the least bit friendly about Georges.

I love so much about this book. I love the straightforward, accessible language, the believable dialogue and the descriptions of Paris life in 1885. I love the use of humour, such as in the duelling scene. I love the poignancy of some of the scenes: for example the death of a secondary character, Forrestier, which is masterfully written.

However, the character of Georges Duroy is the novel's greatest achievement. He is the centre around whom everyting turns and he is a fascinating creation. De Maupassant initially evokes sympathy for Georges. He is poor, and while ambitious, he suffers humiliation because of his poverty. But any sympathy is stripped away as the narrative progresses. Georges is a person who can never be content with what he has. Each gain, each achievement only leads to more envy and increased greed. In another novel, a character like this would ultimately get his comeuppance. But not here. George goes from success to success, taking every opportunity presented to him with cynical disregard for anyone other than himself. As a character, Georges is both horrifying and compelling.

This novel is a wonderful illustration of how a total lack of virtue can bring great rewards. There is no doubt that this remains as true today as it was in Paris in 1885. ( )

Bel Ami tells the story of Georges Duroy, a man with a magnificent mustache and a desire for advancement and women. Throughout the novel, he attempts to obtain these things, using his incredibly seductive mustache. This is not a joke. Oh how I wish it was.

I seriously hated this novel, which I listened to in audiobook form. Almost from the first, I wanted nothing more than to punch this smarmy French bastard in the face. He is an incredibly awful person and has absolutely zero respect for women. Actually, I think this book should have been subtitled "Monsieur Mustache Seduces Every Woman of His Acquaintance." Why? Because he really does. He beds every female character with more than a couple of lines. The end result of his great success is to categorize all women as whores. Thank you so much for writing this Guy de Maupassant. Womenkind is so grateful.

On top of that, all of these relationships, with the exception of one (which involves seducing the daughter of a mother he seduced), involves adultery. I know that there is a fine French tradition of viewing adulterous relationships as the home of real love, but this isn't the time period of Chretien de Troyes. All of these people are completely awful and unlike other bits of pop culture (like Mad Men) with only terrible characters, these are not even interesting. I don't give a damn about how good anyone is at playing cup and ball, of which there are numerous descriptions.

The audiobook itself was pretty awful as well, I thought. For one thing, the editing does not seem to have been done very well, as the narrator's deep, rattly breaths are often audible. Speaking of which, McDonough does not make a satisfying narrator for this particular story. The book is about a young, attractive man, skilled in seduction, which means that an old man with gasping breaths that make him sound close to death may not be the ideal choice for a narrator. This is not to say that McDonough could not be an excellent narrator for another book that was better edited, but he was not the right choice for Bel Ami. ( )

In vague technical terms, this is a French realist story about a young disaffected impoverished officer who learns the mechanisms of social norms, and uses them to advance his own position within society, with substantial commentary on the decay of French morality in the 19th century.

In other words, it's the story of a complete shit-heel who manipulates money and people and rises through society quite easily. Maupassant has a few cutting remarks (see - fencing scene) and he has a very nice contrast between the nice descriptive scenes of the countryside, and the utterly disgusting behavior of not only Georges 'Bag-o'-Dicks' Duroy, but all the rest of the characters too.

I'd only read Maupassant's short stories before, but it's good to see his condensed descriptions work well when extended to a novella in length. ( )

De Maupassant's classic remains shocking today, almost 130 years after publication, and is shockingly contemporary in some ways. What's shocking in this tale of a young man on the make is the complete amorality of the central character, and, indeed, of most of the characters in the book. And what's contemporary is the same thing. The ways and means of chasing success have changed since de Maupassant's time, but the compulsion to succeed -- at any cost to any one -- remains very much in place.

"Bel Ami" traces the career of Georges Duroy, an ex-solider from the provinces who comes to Paris to make his fortune. At first, he has no contacts and no skills, but he does have a handsome face and a quick mind. Through an accidental meeting with an old comrade-in-arms, he gets a chance at a newspaper job, and the friend's wife helps him clinch the job with a well written article. From there on in it it's onward and upward, as Georges uses his attractiveness to women to advance himself socially and professionally. When a women ceases to be useful, he ends the connection and moves on to the next, until, at the end of the novel --- well, no spoilers here.

Duroy never suffers any qualms of conscience about the women he seduces (and abandons) or the men he cuckolds. Where a reader looks for some effort at self-justification, there is a deafening silence. For example, remember Gordon Gecko's "Greed is Good"? Duroy doesn't even argue that his doings are OK, he just does them. Most of the other characters are equally amoral. They use their professional positions, their social contacts, and their lovers to get them more money and more power. And most don't seem to think the worse of anyone else for acting this way: indeed, they expect it.

As to the book's surprisingly contemporary echoes, it's about ambition. The electronic world has replaced the social world as a route to quick-time fame and fortune (think reality TV) and the roles of men and women are much less differentiated than they were. But individual ambition that becomes its own justification, and takes no account of the damage it has done, remains very much with us.

As a novel, this one works like a charm. The story keeps pulling the reader along, as -- even though it is hard to like any of the characters very much -- you get very curious about what will happen to them. Historically, it provides a vivid look at Third Republic Paris, full of glamor, glitter, and what de Maupassant called a "rather smutty elegance". (The book has no overt sex, but there is a lot going on just offstage-- one sees why the 19th century English found the 19th century French so shocking). An excellent novel, and an enjoyable read despite its age. ( )

Georges reprit le bras de Suzanne pour retraverser l'église. Lorsqu'il parvint sur le seuil, il aperçut la foule amassée, une foule noire, bruissante, venue là pour lui, pour lui Georges Du Roy. Le peuple de Paris le contemplait et l'enviait. Puis, relevant les yeux, il découvrit là-bas, derrière la place de la Concorde, la Chambre des députés. Et il lui sembla qu'il allait faire un bond du portique de la Madeleine au portique du Palais-Bourbo