University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-03-17


Guy de Maupas>ant. First employed
as government clerk. de Maupassanl
studied literature under Gustave Flau'
bert. at the Lyceum of Rouen. as an
apprentice learns his trade from a mas
ter mechanic Talent" Flaubert used
to say. paraphra>ing Buttons epigram
is merely Ion. patience" and 80 he
kept his pupil steadily at work. "F"r
seven years says de Maupassant. in
the preface To Pierre ct Jean. Il
wrote verses. | wrote stories. | wrote
novels. | even wrote Il deteStablc play.
Of these nothin" survives. The master
read them all. and then on the follow
in" Sunday at breakfast. he would give
me his criticism. and inculcatc. little by
little. two or three principles that sum
up his Ion" and patient lessons. III
one has any originality. the first thin"
requisite i to brn" it ont. If one has
none. the first thin" To he done i to
acquire it.
( There i no question that the mar
vel"u> excellence of literary skill which
/ de Maupa>- >-ant attained was due to
his training as the pupil OF '-Salambbo.'
That youn" author cannot learn from
the experience. or under the tuition. of
an old one is ali assertion too unrea-
>onablc for belief. Flaubert and his
pupil believed that originality can be
taught originality in style. at least.
that shall serve the purpose of origin
ality in thought. The way to become
original. according to the master is de-
~cribed in the preface of Pierre ct
Jean Everything which one desires
t" express says de Maupassant. must
be looked at with sufficient attention.
and during a sufficiently long time
to discover in it some aspect which no
one has as Vet seen or described I'm
everything there is still some spot un-
explored. because we are accustomed
only to use our eyes with the recOllec-
tion of what others before us have
thought on the subj iect which we CON
template. The smallest object contains
something unknown. Find it. To de-
scribe fire that flames and tree on
plain. look. keep looking. at that
flame and that tree till. in Your ewes.
they have lost all resemblance to any
other tree or any other fire. This is
the way to become original
Having. besides. laid down this
truth. that there are not in the whole
world two grains of sand. two specks.
tw" hands. or two noses exactly alike
de Maupa>>ant goes on. he compelled
me- to describe. in a few phrases. a be- |
ing or an object in such a manner As
to Particularize it clearly. and to distin- |
grI>l it from all the other beings or |
all the same oh jectS of the same race |
or the same species
hen you pass. he used to say. "A
grover seated at his shop-door. iani-
tor smoking his pipe. stand of hack
u" '""'"e>, Sho" NE the grocer and |
that janitor. their attitude. their whole
physical appearance. embracing like
wise, as indicated by the skiIlfuIness of
the picture. their whole moral nature
:" that | cannot confOund them with
an! other grocer or any other ianitor:
make me see. IN one word. that a GER
tam cab-hor>e does not resemble the
'ity Others that follow or precede it,
Il have stated elsewhere his ideas of
style. continues de Maupa>>ant. ~Tbey
II" closely connected with the theory
IT observation which | have inst on
'ialned. Whatever be the thing one
WISHES I" say. there is only one poup
F." express it. only one verb to oive
NE. only one adjective to qualify
/ search. then. till that noun. that
erb. that adjective. are di,covered
lever b" content with .-erv ne,rJv' 9
'e'er nave recourse to tricks. however
aPp!. or to buffoonerieS of Ianu,aue
avoid difficulty There j.. M mood I
I 'he strange. complicated. illimitabIe
hlne>e Vocabulary which i, im,os.J h
N us today under the name of art;.,;o I
'ri'ih2. III order to fix every shade If +:
''""@ht; but it is necessary to discern Il
''h the utmost lucidity all the modi-
cations Of the value of a word =. I
'fdin" to the place it occupies. LET us !;
ave Ie"er nouns. verbs. and adjective. "
''h almost incomprehen,ible mean.
~. ana NOR" varied phrases. differ
MI! constructed. ingeniousIv turned P
III "f sorority. and >kilIful rbv,hu- b
et us endeavor to he exc.n.,, .,,I
Is rather than collector, of r,ro b
'rm>. 1t l.. in fact. more dif,;cuI, ., q
'ndle the phrase at pleasure. to NAL. r.
say everything Ceven that which :, b
'eS not eXpre>s). and to fill !, v;,h
hden meanings. and with ..c,e, w
'stIons which are not Formulated ,ta. -
invent new expressions. or to s.,ro,,