"Boule de Suif" is a short story written by French author Guy de Maupassant in 1880. Set during the Franco-Prussian War, the story follows a group of passengers who are stranded together on a coach journey from Rouen to Le Havre.
One of the passengers, Boule de Suif, is a plump and amiable prostitute who offers to share her food with the other passengers. However, when the coach is stopped and searched by Prussian soldiers, the passengers' bourgeois pride and prejudice prevents them from standing up for Boule de Suif when she is asked to provide sexual favors in exchange for their safe passage.
As the journey continues, tensions rise among the passengers, with Boule de Suif's treatment at the hands of the Prussians serving as a metaphor for the betrayal of French values and the hypocrisy of the upper classes.
Through its vivid characters and intricate plot, "Boule de Suif" explores themes of morality, class, and patriotism, and has been celebrated as a masterpiece of French literature.
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