Irony and cynicism

In this collection of sketches, the tone of Guy de Maupassant is more often ironic rather than cynical, unlike that of his other collections. Here `no honest men, or at least they are so only in relation to scoundrels. ' (The Testament)
Or even find real farces without double bottom: first hunting in `Farce Normande '.

But, we will also meet the themes dear to the author:
the disastrous impact of war on the lives of people (La Folle St. Antoine, The Adventure of Walter Schnaffs).
lovemaking (This pig Morin, Les Sabots)
the hypocrisy of bourgeois (The Rempailleuse)
the beauty of the past and Youth (Menuet)
Women: their unfaithfulness (A Rooster Chanta) or the unfortunate fate of the wives (Testament), but also rape (A Son).
the coldness of the heart of humans towards animals (Pierrot) or entrepreneurs towards their staff (the money first, then life in `Sur Mer ').

This collection is an excellent introduction to the work of Guy de Maupassant destabilizing, which is conspicuous by its ruthless analysis of the human heart, with its destruction of beliefs and morality of right-thinking and the disorienting structure of each of his works.

Highly recommended reading.