Author's Craft and Characterization

“The Necklace”

By Guy de Maupassant

Author and Objectives

Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) was a French writer known for
his skillful craft of the short story. Maupassant's stories often
reveal the truth about human nature through the events of
everyday life.

Reading Objectives: As you read, think about how the author
characterizes Madame Loisel and what motivates her behavior.

Poll

What motivates you?

• Happiness

• My friends, family, and faith

• money and material possessions

• fear

  (fear of losing, not being the best, being embarrassed, etc.)

• Getting good grades

Setting

Paris, France at the close of the 19th century (late 1800s)

Characters

Mathilde Loisel - protagonist

Monsieur Loisel - husband

Madame Forestier - Mathilde’s wealthy childhood friend

Characterization (take notes)

• Characterization is the how author's create and describe characters in literature.

The author indirectly shows traits.
Example: "No animal had a chance with me anymore."
It is implied that Zaroff is skilled yet egotistical.

​Indirect Characterization

The author directly describes traits of the character.
Example: Zaroff is described as "singularly handsome with a bizarre quality about his face."

​Direct Characterization

Direct and Indirect Characterization

S.T.E.A.L.

STEAL is an acronym for how we analyze indirect characterization

S - What the character says (dialogue)

T - What the character thinks

E - Effects on others

A - Actions of the character

L - What the character looks like (physical appearance)

Multiple Choice

What is characterization?

• The creation of fictional characters through personality traits.

• A cartoon

• When an author directly states the traits of a character

• How an author directly states the qualities of a character.

Multiple Choice

What is indirect characterization?

• The way an author "breathes life" into fictional characters.

• The author explicitly indicates traits of a character.

• The author portrays character traits through the character's words. thoughts, feelings, appearance, and how other's feel about them.

• What time is lunch?

Multiple Choice

Which is an example of indirect characterization?

• "I am as hungry as a horse" replied Jason.

• "The girl was simply as exhausted and tired as could be expected after studying all night."

• “Every morning as he walked around the block, people skirted his path, for he was in the habit of muttering under his breath and staring passersby in the eye.”

• "The first thing Rainsford’s eyes discerned was the largest man Rainsford had ever seen – a gigantic creature, solidly made and black bearded to the waist. …"

​Pre-Reading Vocabulary

Multiple Choice

"She had no dowry, no expectations, no way of being known, understood, loved, married by a rich and distinguished man; so she let herself be married to a minor civil servant at the Ministry of Education.

What is a dowry?

• property or money brought by a bride to her husband on their marriage

• a wedding dress

Multiple Choice

"She dressed plainly because she could not dress well, but she was unhappy as if she had really fallen from a higher station, since with women there is neither caste nor rank, for beauty, grace and charm take the place of family and birth."

What does "caste" refer to?

• what a doctor puts on a broken limb

• any class or group of people who inherit exclusive privileges or are perceived as socially distinct.

Multiple Choice

Mathilde suffered ceaselessly, feeling herself born to enjoy all delicacies and all luxuries.

What does "ceaselessly" mean?

• to come to an abrupt stop

• careless

• never ending

Multiple Choice

“Very well. I will give you four hundred francs. But do try to get something really nice.”

What is a "franc?"

• a unit of money in France (prior to the Euro)

  400 fracs is about $80

• Franc? Franc is my next door neighbor.

Draw

"She dressed plainly because she could not dress well, but she was unhappy as if she had really fallen from a higher station."

DRAW A PICTURE OF THE PROTAGONIST BASED ON THIS EXAMPLE OF DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION.