A Literary Comparison of the Necklace and the Proposal
A Literary Comparison of The Necklace and The Proposal
ENG125: Introduction to Literature
Lucinda Ramon
Instructor Trillium Sara Hinton
July 29, 2013
A Literary Comparison of The Necklace and The Proposal The Necklace and The Proposal are two pieces of literary work that parallel each other in ways that include theme, content, and form. While both stories are similar in those perspectives, their only difference seemed to be the style in which the author chose to deliver the story. The Necklace is written in short story form while The Proposal is written in a one act drama form. The theme of each story delivers the same theme of accepting and respecting one another in a unique way. The authors of each literature piece opted for a dramatic presentation of social challenges that people face regarding status and the choices made. In my opinion, The Necklace has a more in-depth focus regarding social class than The Proposal. Regardless of the depth they each have, they both manage to deliver alike themes. The first piece of literary work is called The Necklace. It is written in short story form in 1884 by Guy de Maupassant. It was first published in Le Gaulois, a French newspaper. The setting takes place in Paris, France. The main character of the story is Mathilde Loisel, who is married to a clerk that works in the Department of Education. The Loisels belong to the middle class but it is Mathilde that longs to be part of the upper class. It is so important to Mathilde that she often daydreams about what it would be like to belong to the upper class. Mathilde is envious of her childhood friend who married a rich man and now belongs to the upper class. Mathilde no longer wants to speak to her. She feels it only serves as a painful reminder of the upper class social status that she will never belong to. In an opportunity to briefly interact with the upper class, Mathilde is compelled to borrow a necklace from her friend that is missing before the night is over.
ENG125: Introduction to Literature
Lucinda Ramon
Instructor Trillium Sara Hinton
July 29, 2013
A Literary Comparison of The Necklace and The Proposal The Necklace and The Proposal are two pieces of literary work that parallel each other in ways that include theme, content, and form. While both stories are similar in those perspectives, their only difference seemed to be the style in which the author chose to deliver the story. The Necklace is written in short story form while The Proposal is written in a one act drama form. The theme of each story delivers the same theme of accepting and respecting one another in a unique way. The authors of each literature piece opted for a dramatic presentation of social challenges that people face regarding status and the choices made. In my opinion, The Necklace has a more in-depth focus regarding social class than The Proposal. Regardless of the depth they each have, they both manage to deliver alike themes. The first piece of literary work is called The Necklace. It is written in short story form in 1884 by Guy de Maupassant. It was first published in Le Gaulois, a French newspaper. The setting takes place in Paris, France. The main character of the story is Mathilde Loisel, who is married to a clerk that works in the Department of Education. The Loisels belong to the middle class but it is Mathilde that longs to be part of the upper class. It is so important to Mathilde that she often daydreams about what it would be like to belong to the upper class. Mathilde is envious of her childhood friend who married a rich man and now belongs to the upper class. Mathilde no longer wants to speak to her. She feels it only serves as a painful reminder of the upper class social status that she will never belong to. In an opportunity to briefly interact with the upper class, Mathilde is compelled to borrow a necklace from her friend that is missing before the night is over.
References: Brackett, V. (2010). The Necklace. Masterplots, Fourth Edition, 1-3. Bradford, W. (2013). The Marriage Proposal. About.com. Retrieved from http://plays.about.com/od/plays/a/The-Marriage-Proposal.htm Checkhov, A. (1916). The proposal. Plays by Anton Checkhov. (Julius West, Trans.). New Yok: Scribner’s. Retrieved from http://www.one–act–plays.com/comedies/proposal.html Clugston, R.W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Kleine-Albrandt, W. (2004). The Necklace. Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition, 1-3. Maupassant, G. de. (1884). The necklace. Retrieved from http://www.bartleby.com/195/20.html The Free Dictionary. (2013). Content. Retrieved from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/content Roberts, Michael. (n.d.) Writing Styles of English Literature. eHow. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/info_8065424_writing-styles-english-literature.html