Short Fiction · Chapter
Feminine Men explained
Maupassant critiques the 'feminine man' in French society, describing him as fickle, charming, and inconsistent—a figure prevalent in politics, journalism, and daily life.
What happens
Maupassant critiques the 'feminine man' in French society, describing him as fickle, charming, and inconsistent—a figure prevalent in politics, journalism, and daily life. He draws parallels to the volatile friendships and love affairs of prostitutes, emphasizing the emotional instability, contradictory loyalties, and moral ambiguity that define these men.
Themes in this chapter
Gender and Power
Maupassant explores the concept of 'feminine men' as a social type, linking their traits (fickleness, charm, emotional volatility) to traditional stereotypes of women, and examining how these traits play out in male-dominated spheres like politics and journalism.
Illusion vs. Reality
The essay highlights the gap between the charming exterior of 'feminine men' and their unreliable, often dishonest behavior, as well as the self-deception in their friendships and loves.
Characters to notice
- Guy de Maupassant
The author presents a personal essay on the nature of 'feminine men' in France, using his own observations and societal critique.
Key passages
“How often we hear people say, 'That man is charming, but he is a woman, a regular girl.' They are alluding to the feminine men, the bane of our country.”
People often describe charming men as womanly, pointing to a type of man Maupassant considers a national problem.
Opens the essay by defining the 'feminine man' as a recognizable and criticized figure.
“Our Chamber of Deputies is full of feminine men. They form the greater number of the amiable opportunists whom one might call 'The Charmers.'”
The French parliament is filled with these men, who are opportunistic and use charm to manipulate.
Connects the 'feminine man' type to political opportunism in the Third Republic.
“Assuredly, every good journalist must be something of a prostitute—that is, at the command of the public, supple in following unconsciously the shades of public opinion, wavering and varying...”
A good journalist must adapt to public opinion like a prostitute, being flexible and inconsistent.
Uses the metaphor of prostitution to describe the journalist's role in catering to the public.
“For three months he cannot bear to leave his old Jack, his dear Jack. There is no one but Jack in the world... Three months later, if Jack is mentioned: 'There is a cad, a bounder, a scoundrel for you.'”
A man may be inseparable from a friend for months, then later denounce him as a scoundrel.
Illustrates the volatile friendships characteristic of 'feminine men.'
“The feminine man is brave and a coward at the same time. He has, more than another, the exalted sentiment of honour, but is lacking in the sense of simple honesty...”
These men can be both courageous and cowardly, valuing honor but lacking basic honesty.
Summarizes the moral contradictions of the 'feminine man.'