Think about the following famous painting by Belgian artist René Magritte.
The written words say, in French, "This is not a pipe." So, what is it?
With this in mind think about "The Necklace" and "The False Gems" as fiction -- a construct, an invention by an artist like Magritte's painting. A myth, a "fairy tale", a story with a moral.
Think about these stories as morality stories, like myths and fairy tales. Think about the "lessons". Then, think about the system of morality, the social conventions, on which these morality stories are based.
Fiction is fiction -- it is not real. But all fiction is based on a real social context: that of the writer, that of (those of) of the readers.
Think about these matters for awhile. Discuss them with some people you know. That should help!
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Reread these stories. Find some non-realistic elements in these apparently "realistic" stories. (By "apparently realistic" I mean that the personal names, place names like Paris, details of clothing furniture, etc., all appear to correspond to a familiar "reality".)
An old saying goes: "The devil is in the details". By "the devil" is meant really significant matters that are easily overlooked.
Look especially in the details. Include details of psychology, of activity. Do these characters act "realistically"?
But don't exclude other details. All details have been put there, deliberately, by the writer.
For example: What street do M. and Mme Loisel live on? What do you make of this detail?
(If you don't know who the Loisels are, you need to reread these stories a few more times, SLOWLY!)
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Written Assignment: Write 350 words or a bit more giving your interpretation of both of the stories. Write about 175 words on each story.
Discuss the details in each story that lead you to your interpretation.
A good interpretation is based upon details in the story. It isn't "something you dream up". So, you must study the details carefully, including details you probably did not pay close attention to the first and second times you read the story.
Email to your group and to me.