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La Parure

The Necklace

by Guy de Maupassant

Mathilde longs for luxury, but a party invitation brings worry.

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Original language: FrenchLevel: Advanced3,820 characters · ≈ 5 minSource: Wikisource

Sample: three-line reading

Each word has its meaning in this sentence underneath, and each sentence has a full translation. Read the original and glance down only when you need to.

C’étaitIt was / She wasuneonedeofcesthosejoliesprettyetandcharmantescharmingfillesgirlsnéesborncommeas ifparbyuneanerreurerrorduof thedestinfatedansintouneafamillefamilyd’employésof clerks / employees
She was one of those pretty, charming girls who, as if by an error of fate, were born into a family of clerks.
Elleshen’avaithad notpasnotdedota dowrypasnod’espéranceshopesaucunmoyenno meansd’êtreof beingconnueknowncompriseunderstoodaiméelovedépouséemarriedparbyunhommea manricherichetanddistinguédistinguishedetandellesheseherselflaissamarierlet be marriedavectounpetitcommisa minor clerkduof theministèreMinistrydeofl’instructionpubliquePublic Instruction
She had no dowry, no hopes, no way of being known, understood, loved, or married by a rich and distinguished man; so she let herself be married to a minor clerk in the Ministry of Public Instruction.
Elleshefutwassimplesimplenepouvantêtreparéebeing unable to be adornedmaisbutmalheureuseunhappycommelikeunedéclasséea woman who has fallen from her classcarforlesfemmeswomenn’ontpointdecastehave no castenideraceor raceleurbeautétheir beautyleurgrâcetheir graceetandleurcharmetheir charmleurservantdenaissanceserving them as birthetdefamilleand family
She was simple and could not be adorned, yet she was unhappy like someone who has fallen from her class; for women have no caste or race, and their beauty, grace, and charm serve as their birth and family.
Leurtheirfinessefinenessnativenativeleurtheirinstinctinstinctd’élégancefor eleganceleurtheirsouplesseflexibilityd’espritof mindsontareleurtheirseuleonlyhiérarchiehierarchyetandfontmakedesof thefillesdaughtersduof thepeuplepeoplelestheégalesequalsdesof theplusmostgrandesgreatdamesladies
Their native fineness, their instinct for elegance, and their mental flexibility are their only hierarchy, and they make the daughters of the people the equals of the greatest ladies.

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About the book

"The Necklace" (La Parure) is a short story by Guy de Maupassant, first published in 1884 and set in nineteenth-century Paris. It follows Mathilde Loisel, unhappy with her unglamorous circumstances, whose choices in hope of rising above her station lead to her personal, financial, and social downfall. The story is known for its twist ending, a hallmark of Maupassant's style.

About the author

Guy de Maupassant (5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author celebrated as a master of the short story and associated with the naturalist literary school. A protégé of Gustave Flaubert, he wrote 300 short stories and six novels, and his first published story, "Boule de Suif" (1880), is often considered his most famous work.

Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: La Parure (CC BY-SA)

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Word glosses and sentence translations are generated in context by AI models (DeepSeek and Zhipu GLM), and every word is checked to have a gloss. AI can make mistakes; you can report problems from the book page.

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