
172: “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
From Why Is This Good? by Why Is This Good?
March 15, 2026 · 36 min
About this episode
In this episode, the hosts discuss Guy de Maupassant's short story 'The Necklace' and explore its themes, character fitting, dialogue structure, and emotional impact.
Interested in our novel mentorship program or have any other questions? Email us at napleswritersworkshop@gmail.com If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining our Patreon. Your support helps us keep the show running. Find out more at http://www.patreon.com/whyisthisgoodpodcast You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter at http://www.napleswritersworkshop.com In this episode, we discuss “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant . ( French version here .) What can we learn from this exemplar story? How can we fit characters to their stories? How can the shape of dialogue on the page help us guide the flow of the story? What did de Maupassant learn from Flaubert, and how has he guided the style of short fiction since? How does the ending of the story work? Where does the emotion come from?
Topics covered
- literature
- short stories
- character development
- dialogue
- story structure
Keywords
- The Necklace
- Guy de Maupassant
- character fitting
- dialogue structure
- story ending
- Flaubert influence
- short fiction style
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Necklace
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