1. Characters
1.1. married couple
1.1.1. Monsieur Loisel
1.1.1.1. In love with his wife
1.1.1.2. content with his life
1.1.1.3. self-sacrificing man
1.1.1.4. loyal to his wife
1.1.2. Madame Loisel
1.1.2.1. dreaming of high class life
1.1.2.2. unhappy with her situation
1.1.2.3. happy at the end of the story
1.2. friends
1.2.1. Mathilde Loisel
1.2.1.1. dreaming of a high class life
1.2.2. Madame Forestier
1.2.2.1. lends the necklace to Mathilde
1.2.2.2. rich and beautiful
1.2.2.3. scheming, dishonest woman
2. Place/Settings
2.1. Paris
2.1.1. flat (rue des Martyrs)
2.1.1.1. part 1 - 3
2.1.2. party (Ministry of Education)
2.1.2.1. part 4
2.1.3. at Mme Forestier's house
2.1.3.1. part 5
2.1.4. in court
2.1.4.1. part 6
3. Duration of the story
3.1. approximately 10 months
4. Different readings
4.1. can be compared to Cinderella, but after the ball the "fairytale" becomes a nightmare and then finally there is a happy ending.
4.2. a criticism to 19th century society, prisoner to its prejudice and concupiscence
4.3. a person's preoccupation with appearance and materialism is vain
4.4. All that glitters is not gold. (Appearances deceive)
5. Background
5.1. late 19th century, Paris, France
5.1.1. class systems are still prevalent
5.1.1.1. Story has this setting as a backdrop since it is based on Mme Loisel's dissatisfaction with her place in society
6. Genre
6.1. short story
6.1.1. Narrator omniscient
6.2. Realism
6.3. Literary Fiction
6.4. Parable
7. Story structure
7.1. part 1
7.1.1. Mme Loisel
7.1.1.1. Unfulfilled dreams
7.1.1.2. unhappy
7.1.2. M. Loisel
7.1.2.1. little clerk in the Ministry of Education
7.2. part 2
7.2.1. Invitation to the ball
7.2.1.1. M.Loisel
7.2.1.1.1. forgets his wishes and gives money to his wife to buy the dress
7.2.1.2. Mme Loisel
7.2.1.2.1. first unhappy: no good dress
7.2.1.2.2. gets money from her husband to buy an appropriate dress
7.3. part 3
7.3.1. Borrowing Mrs Forestier's necklace
7.3.1.1. Mme Loisel
7.3.1.1.1. unhappy since she has no jewels
7.3.1.1.2. borrows a necklace from her friend; Mme Forestier
7.4. part 4
7.4.1. The ball
7.4.1.1. During
7.4.1.1.1. Great success of Mme Loisel
7.4.1.2. After
7.4.1.2.1. Mme Loisel realises that the necklace is lost.
7.4.1.2.2. A desperate unfruitful search for the necklace
7.5. part 5
7.5.1. Informing Mme Forestier, her reaction and the consequences
7.5.1.1. Mme Forestier is informed of the loss.
7.5.1.2. The necklace is found but Mme Forestier takes advantage of the situation - wants money for her trouble.
7.5.1.3. A legal case starts - duration (10 months)
7.5.1.3.1. Loisel ages 10 years
7.6. part 6 -
7.6.1. The twist / the ugly truth
7.6.1.1. Result of the legal case / trial
7.6.1.1.1. The necklace lent by Mme Forestier was a fake one.
7.6.1.1.2. Mme Forestier is obliged to apologise to the Loisel couple.
7.6.1.1.3. Mme Loisel starts appreciating what she has particularly her husband.
7.6.1.1.4. The story is published in a newspaper.
7.6.1.1.5. M. Loisel gets promoted.
8. Main characteristics
8.1. Use of irony to produce a surprise ending
8.2. narrative text form
8.3. a lot of symbolic meaning
8.3.1. The paste necklace represents the fraudulent nature of Mme. Forestier and the upper class
8.3.2. Both Mathilde and the necklace are pretty on the outside, but common and plain on the inside.
8.3.3. M and Mme Loisel live in rue des Martyrs