An exquisite story. Outstanding. I think it's important to point out that the word "Suif" means "sebum" or "tallow". It being translated as "butter", I think, doesn't do justice to the symbolism related to it in the story. The word for "butter" in French is not "suif". This is just my two cents analysis, but if you look at the description of the meals they have inside the carriage, you can see that the animal fat is mentioned there explicitly and implicitly. Butter Ball gives them from her greasy food, a kind of food that oozes with fat produced *from inside the animal itself*, and later on gives from herself, as a ball of sebum or tallow, in order to save the others. She's eaten by the others: she's sent by them to the Prussian, and later on, she's left hungry and humiliated, at the end of the story, empty of any energy (fat=energy) necessary to protest, to demand respect, whike they eagerly eat their, again greasy, food. The word "Gelatine" repeats itself in both carriage rides, to the best of my memory, and I think it's key. Also, her fingers, at the beginning are described as resembling hotdogs. With these fingers she gives them to eat and pleases the Prussian. At the end a kind of a greasy hotdog is mentioned again, and is denied to her. This is just off the top of my head, I suppose that if I dig more into the text I'll find much more. Btw, in Spanish the title was translated as "Ball of Sebum", and in Hebrew as "Ball of Fat". That's also something that made me question the title in English...
@MayberryBookclub
3 жыл бұрын
Super interesting! Thank you for the analysis!
@Amysdustybookshelf
4 жыл бұрын
What got me choked up a bit was when she began to cry when they didn't even think to share their food with her in the carriage. Hunger makes rejection and cruelness seem much worse, and its likely she's someone who uses food as a comfort. Also the juxtaposition of Butterball finding solace in attending the baptism, and returning to find the Nuns joining in the party's attempts to convince her to sleep with the Prussian. A phenomenal story!
@wawazx5215
3 жыл бұрын
Fun fact : This dude made me understand the story much better in my second language than in French, my primary language. I swear, videos in French are just wack, sometimes you just need to use your bilingual skills to understand some stuff.
@MayberryBookclub
3 жыл бұрын
Hey thanks!
@jondevilliers3587
Күн бұрын
Mais vrmm réel moi aussi
@snowfugitive3318
2 жыл бұрын
this was a really good overview of this short story thank you for sharing your view on this its really helping me write my essay on this. having a diferrent point of view from a bokreview is always helpful thanks
@MayberryBookclub
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you, I'm glad I could be of some help!
@Jaylikesstars
5 күн бұрын
Thx dude i have a test tmrw and i didn't even started the book
@danicaholly1554
4 жыл бұрын
This is such an excellent story with so many ethical and moral issues. Thank you for analyzing this story today. Real Masterpiece. I like the irony at the end. You are right - powerful. Who were the real enemies...?
@dpakholly
2 жыл бұрын
Wonderful analysis, thanks!
@helwanmounnah8286
3 жыл бұрын
je suis Français et j'ai adorée la vidéo
@MayberryBookclub
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you!
@pachbentley
3 жыл бұрын
I also like how there are little bits of irony throughout such a striking novella. Boule de Suif sits next to the nuns, who chatter and rumour amongst themselves, and is silent being "eyed up" by some of the men who are sat next to their wives. The hypocritical, gossip-enjoying nature of characters like Loiseau feels very real and can actually be quite funny.
@marciallamas1233
4 жыл бұрын
I juste read the book for a literature seminars that I am talking I loved the way you described it. I read it in Spanish and I will read it in French as well. Will love to comment with you soon. Thank you Marcia Isabelle Writer
@ffx2343
4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the video it was very helpful to me. You brought some good thoughts to the whole thing. Keep going with the good work pal! :)
@Mark-fv8vt
3 жыл бұрын
5:30 - A Quarantine story? Even Canterbury Tales were designed for those cold Winter nights with a lot of people crammed up in a castle somewhere. This story sounds like a modernisation of that.
@Mark-fv8vt
3 жыл бұрын
So the nobility are viewed as Pharisees during the Franco-Prussian War?
@jb11games
3 жыл бұрын
you sir have saved my bacon for a presentation i have to do tomorrow. Liked and subscribed!
@MayberryBookclub
3 жыл бұрын
That's great! What were your thoughts on the story?
@jb11games
3 жыл бұрын
@@MayberryBookclub I quite enjoyed it. My pres. is on the authenticity and rather the inauthenticity of the travelers in the story (except butterball of course). Would you have any particular examples or commentary on this subject? I would be happy to cite it and give your channel a shoutout to the 200 people in my class on zoom tomorrow haha
@MayberryBookclub
3 жыл бұрын
That's great! It's been a little bit since I've read the story so I don't have any specific thoughts to offer. But thank you for the kind offer haha! And best of luck tomorrow!
@jb11games
3 жыл бұрын
@@MayberryBookclub no worries, thanks anyways
@ramblingraconteur1616
4 жыл бұрын
Great discussion of a great story! It’s place within the French anthology that sort of launched Maupassant is fascinating, the moment when everybody sat up and recognized his genius. I always find it interesting that Maupassant shows humane characters from all walks of life and juxtaposes these with villains from all of those same social classes, through primarily villains in this one. “Microcosm” was such an apt descriptor. The influence of the Franco-Prussian War seems so profound on the writers of that generation, and Maupassant periodically dips his pen in acid with how the society failed its people. There are so many adaptations of Maupassant’s stories that it’s neat to see what other creative minds are drawn towards in his work. Shanghai Express uses the female lead and a wartime setting but includes kinder characters in the group, so that it’s not as bleak as the story.
@MayberryBookclub
4 жыл бұрын
I'm always amazed by how efficiently Maupassant can draw a rich realistic portrait of a person, it feels almost effortless. I'd like to find a letter correspondence between Flaubert and Maupassant. I don't know if it even exists. Thank you for the movie recommendation! I've never seen it! Warm regards,
@ramblingraconteur1616
4 жыл бұрын
Mayberry Bookclub My understanding is that only a smattering of Maupassant’s letters survived. There are a number in the Viking Portable Maupassant, about 60 pages worth with around 10 from Maupassant to Flaubert. He always refers to Flaubert as, “Master”. A number catalogue Maupassant’s frustration with Zola! It also includes Maupassant’s letter to Turgenev upon Flaubert’s death. Cheers, Jack
@eyalh843
3 жыл бұрын
@@MayberryBookclub I don't know about letters, but Maupassant wrote articles about Flaubert and his work you might be interested in. He also wrote about Zola.
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