Guy de Maupassant, 1850-1893
"I followed his glance, and saw on the ground, under the armchair by the side of the bed, standing out white on the dark carpet, and open as if to bite, Schopenhauer's set of artificial teeth."
Beside Schopenhauer's Corpse - a haunting short tale by the undisputed master of the form, French author Guy de Maupassant.
“He was slowly dying, as consumptives die. I saw him each day, about two o'clock, sitting beneath the hotel windows on a bench in the promenade, looking out on the calm sea.”
Thus Maupassant begins his tale which, as
it turns out, is a frame tale, that is, where someone within the tale
relates his or her own story, in this case, the old dying man sitting on
a bench looking out at the sea tells the younger narrator, a reader of
poetry, about a time some years back when he knew the great German
philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer.
As we read this tale, one aspect becomes clear: Guy de Maupassant has strong feelings about Schopenhauer and his pessimistic philosophy. Although the French author was held under the sway of Sir Arthur in his younger years, he went on to write about the tenderness of love, the dignity of patriotism, the courage required for heroic efforts, the beauty of simple people, those very details of life Schopenhauer tended to despise.
Beside Schopenhauer's Corpse can be read online: http://www.online-literature.com/maup...
As we read this tale, one aspect becomes clear: Guy de Maupassant has strong feelings about Schopenhauer and his pessimistic philosophy. Although the French author was held under the sway of Sir Arthur in his younger years, he went on to write about the tenderness of love, the dignity of patriotism, the courage required for heroic efforts, the beauty of simple people, those very details of life Schopenhauer tended to despise.
Beside Schopenhauer's Corpse can be read online: http://www.online-literature.com/maup...
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