The literary mentor of guy de maupassant

Abstract

Laure Le Poittevin, Guy de Maupassant’s mother (1850-1893), had from his early childhood, a key role in the literary education of her son. This intelligent and sensitive woman, who was always passionate about arts, especially literature, to whom Maupasssant entrusted his projects and literary adventures, was his first and eternal critic. In the letters he writes her, most of the time he takes the opportunity to plan and discuss his future projects; he presents a text in progress, he draws its guiding lines, he foreshadows its structures and points out some procedures based on a series of principles and recommendations of personal and universal values. Therefore, by reading again these letters, the readers nowadays can follow the writer’s daily life, the progression of his ideas and his literary development, the editing process of his book and his moments of sorrow and joy, anger and affection.

Keywords: Correspondence; Guy de Maupassant; Laure Le Poittevin.