A summary of "Life" by Guy de Maupassant

The novel was written in 1883 and initially appeared in installments in the newspaper Gil Blas. This book is the French writer’s debut major work, published with the author’s own subtitle, "The Modest Truth." The author depicts the collapse of the naive youthful illusions of a noblewoman confronted with harsh reality, the selfishness of those around her, and the loss of loved ones.

The work has been adapted for the screen several times. The most famous are the films of the same name by Alexandre Astruc in 1958 and Stéphane Brizé in 2016, with Brizé’s film winning the FIPRESCI Prize at the 73rd Venice Film Festival.

Jeanne’s youth and marriage

In May 1819, seventeen-year-old Jeanne Le Pertuis de Vaux left the Sacré-Coeur monastery, where she had spent her youth. Her father, Baron Simon Jacques, a follower of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, sought to preserve the purity of his daughter’s perceptions. Together with her mother, Baroness Adélaïde, who suffered from cardiac hypertrophy, and her foster sister, Rosalie, they moved from Rouen to the family estate, Les Poplars, on the Normandy coast near Yport.

The girl is filled with romantic hopes and longs for happiness. Soon, the local priest, Abbé Picot, introduces the family to an impoverished neighbor, Viscount Julien de Lamare. A handsome and well-mannered young man with an expressive gaze, he quickly wins the favor of the castle’s residents.

After a boat trip to the cliffs of Etretat with a local sailor, Uncle Lastique, Julien begins to frequent the house. During the christening of the new fishing boat "Jeanne," the Viscount declares his love for her. The wedding takes place on August 15th. On their very first night, Jeanne encounters her husband’s rough sensuality, a far cry from her poetic dreams.

The newlyweds set off on their honeymoon to Corsica. The island’s harsh nature, the Ota Gorge, and Paoli Palabretti’s hospitable home offer Jeanne a brief period of true passion and happiness.

Betrayal and first disappointment

Upon returning to "Poplars" in October, Julien undergoes a profound change. From a gallant cavalier, he transforms into a stingy, slovenly, and overbearing master. He takes the gold coins given to Jeanne by her mother, cuts back on food, gives up riding horses, and neglects his personal grooming.

In winter, the maid Rosalie unexpectedly gives birth to a boy right on the floor of her mistress’s room. Some time later, feeling ill at night, Jeanne goes to her husband’s bedroom and finds Rosalie in Julien’s bed.

Shocked by the betrayal, the girl runs out of the house in just her nightgown and runs through the snow toward the sea cliff, wanting to throw herself overboard. Despair overcomes her, but a second before she leaps, a thought for her mother stops her. Her husband and servants catch up with Jeanne and carry her into the house.

After the shock, Jeanne falls gravely ill. The doctor announces she is pregnant. The Baron and Abbé Picot persuade the young woman to forgive her husband for the sake of their unborn child. To cover up the Viscount’s sin, Rosalie is given the Barville farm, worth twenty thousand francs, as a dowry and married to the peasant Désiré Lecoq.

The emergence of the Field and new challenges

At the end of July, Jeanne gives birth prematurely to a son, Paul. The young mother devotes all her unspent tenderness to the infant, jealous even of his wet nurse. Julien is burdened by the child and loses all interest in his wife.

The family meets their neighbors, the Count de Fourville and his ailing wife, Gilberte. Julien begins to take care of his appearance again, takes up horseback riding, and becomes a frequent guest at their Château de Vrillette.

During a solitary walk near Étretat, Jeanne notices Julien and Gilberte’s horses tethered in the forest. She realizes that her friend has become her husband’s mistress. The resulting contempt forces Jeanne to completely withdraw into her love for her son and parents.

The parish priest changes. The good-natured Abbé Pico is replaced by the young fanatic Tolbiac. He wages a merciless war against all manifestations of carnal passion. Seeing a bitch giving birth near a kennel, the priest, in a frenzy, kicks her and her puppies, for which the baron throws him out into the yard.

Disaster at the Shepherd’s Hut

Abbé Tolbiac demands that Jeanne inform the Count de Fourville of his wife’s infidelity. Jeanne refuses, fearing a bloody outcome. However, the priest himself finds a way to open the eyes of her betrayed husband.

One May day, the enraged Count of Fourville rushes to Les Peuples in search of Gilberte. Not finding her, he rushes to the Vaucote coast, where a mobile shepherd’s hut stands on the hilltop. Seeing the tethered horses, the Count creeps up to the hut and bolts the door.

Bent over with tension, the deceived husband pushes the wooden hut to the edge of the cliff and throws it over the edge. Julien and Gilberte perish in the collapsed house. Overwhelmed by the shock, Jeanne gives birth to a stillborn baby girl.

Ruin and loss of loved ones

After the tragedy, Zhanna suffered a long illness. She gradually regained her strength, supported by her father and Aunt Lison. Little Paul, known at home as Poulet, became the family’s sole focus. They spoiled the child excessively, forgiving him for any whims or reluctance to study.

At the age of 12, Paul was sent to the College of Le Havre. His mother took the separation hard, constantly visiting him and disrupting his studies. Growing up, Paul fell in with questionable company, ran into gambling debt, and ran off with a prostitute to England.

To pay off his son’s enormous debts, the baron mortgages his property. Paul sends letters from London and Paris asking for more money, engaging in speculative ventures.

His son’s latest financial collapse leads to another remortgage of the lands. While negotiating with his lawyers, the baron suffers a stroke and dies. Soon, Aunt Lison also dies of lung disease. Jeanne is left alone in the empty house.

New life in Batville

The widowed Rosalie comes to the mistress’s aid. She takes over the ruined estate, forcing Jeanne to sell the mortgaged Château des Poplars and buy a modest house in the village of Batville. Rosalie’s son turns out to be Denis Lecoq, Julien’s illegitimate son.

In her new home, Jeanne languishes in melancholy and loneliness, reminiscing about the past and looking at old calendars. An attempt to travel to Paris to search for her son ends in failure and deception by her creditors.

Suddenly, a letter arrives from Paul. His beloved has given birth to a daughter and is dying in poverty, and he has no means to support the infant. Rosalie goes to Paris, arranges a wedding before the woman’s death, and brings the newborn girl to Batteville.

Holding her granddaughter in her arms, Zhanna feels the warmth of life returning to her. Rosalie says that life isn’t as good, but it’s not as bad as it seems.