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Curious about the story behind the new movie, Bel Ami that Rob Pattinson is filming right now? If you want to read the book Bel Ami, that the movie is based on, it is available for free online here. (It doesn’t look that long.)
Here is little synopsis:
Bel-Ami deals with the rise of ex-soldier Georges Duroy to prosperous
journalist and social climber. Set in Paris at the end of the
nineteenth century, the novel features a detailed background with a
wide range of characters. His old friend and successful newspaperman
Edward Forestier hires Georges to the paper, where he starts at the
bottom. It soon becomes apparent that Forestier owes his success to his
wife Madeleine, a canny woman with a knack for journalism. She helps
Georges with his first article, starting him in his new job as
reporter. After Forestier dies, Georges marries her, and they
began to climb the ranks of Paris society and Georges’ career
together.
Throughout the book Georges treats the women in his life as imminently
disposable, but they fall for him anyway, attracted to his blue eyes
and ‘fine moustache’. He has no charm and is certainly a less complex
character than his wife Madeleine. He is neither villain nor hero.
There is a certain fascination in watching an ordinary person make his
way steadily to the top. He enjoys himself with his mistress and then
seduces his boss’s wife, but finally realizes that to attain true
social elevation he must marry into the higher ranks. Catching his wife
in adultery, he divorces her and elopes with the beautiful Suzanne, his
boss’s daughter, forcing her father to consent to their marriage. By
the end of the book, Georges has attained all his desires: a promising
career as a journalist and a wife with money and good position, and
still manages to retain his former mistress.
It isn’t only Georges who treats the women characters as discardable:
Maupassant tosses Madeleine aside as soon as his hero is done with her,
telling us no more about this intriguing character. Georges’ various
mistresses are never given any dignity by their author. It is the
emotions and scheming of Georges Duroy that make the final impression
on the reader, including such scenes as a duel and when he brings his
new wife Madeleine home to meet his peasant parents. The whole book
gives a vivid impression of life at that time and place, and whether or
not Georges wins your sympathy it’s almost impossible not to root for
him to succeed.
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