The History of a Scoundrel (Bel-Ami) - Unabridged (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Parisian tale of ruthless ambition, journalistic intrigue, and social climbing amid moral decayBy Guy de Maupassant
Length13h 46m
About this audiobook
In The History of a Scoundrel (Bel-Ami), Guy de Maupassant offers a glittering yet pitiless anatomy of ambition in fin-de-siècle Paris. The novel follows Georges Duroy, a former soldier of modest talent but exceptional opportunism, as he rises through journalism, politics, and high society by exploiting desire, vanity, and corruption. Written in Maupassant's lucid, economical realist style, the book belongs to the great nineteenth-century tradition of social observation, while sharpening its satire against the press, imperial politics, and bourgeois morality. Maupassant, a disciple of Flaubert and one of the supreme masters of the short story, brought to the novel his intimate knowledge of Parisian literary and journalistic circles. His experience as a civil servant, war veteran, and professional writer informed his suspicion of institutions and his unsentimental view of human motives. Bel-Ami reflects both his stylistic discipline and his fascination with the uneasy commerce between power, sexuality, and language. This unabridged edition is recommended to readers interested in French realism, political satire, and psychologically acute fiction. It remains a bracingly modern portrait of social climbing, media manipulation, and moral emptiness beneath elegant surfaces.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreLiterary Classics, General Fiction
Length13 hrs 46 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateApr 16, 2015
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5Author Biography
Show all chaptersShow less
6The History of a Scoundrel (Bel-Ami) - Unabridged (pt. 1)
7The History of a Scoundrel (Bel-Ami) - Unabridged (pt. 2)
8The History of a Scoundrel (Bel-Ami) - Unabridged (pt. 3)
9The History of a Scoundrel (Bel-Ami) - Unabridged (pt. 4)
10The History of a Scoundrel (Bel-Ami) - Unabridged (pt. 5)
11Analysis
12Reflection
13Memorable Quotes
Sämtliche Romane (Kommentiert)Guy de Maupassant76h 10m$1.50 · $0.00
The Collected Short Stories: The Necklace + The Piece of String + Boule de Suif + Mademoiselle Fifi + Pierrot + Two Friends + La Maison Tellier + Ghosts and much more (Annotated)Guy de Maupassant87h 26m$2 · $0.00
Maupassant: Die beliebtesten Erzählungen (Tag-und Nachtgeschichten + Der Horla + Nutzlose Schönheit + Die kleine Roque und mehr) (Kommentiert)Guy de Maupassant21h 38m$2 · $0.00
Gesammelte Werke: Romane + Erzählungen (Kommentiert)Guy de Maupassant152h 23m$1 · $0.00
Mademoiselle Fifi and Other Stories - Bilingual Edition (English / French) (Annotated)Guy de Maupassant10h 50m$2 · $0.00
Collected Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant: The Necklace + The Piece of String + Boule de Suif + Mademoiselle Fifi + Pierrot + Two Friends + La Maison Tellier + Ghosts and much more (Annotated)Guy de Maupassant87h 20m$2 · $0.00
The Horla (Horror Classic) - (The Classic English Edition) (Annotated)Guy de Maupassant2h 36m$2 · $0.00
The Diamond Necklace (Unabridged) (Annotated)Guy de Maupassant1h 51m$2 · $0.00
Maupassant: Les récits de voyage (Annoté)Guy De Maupassant14h 57m$2 · $0.00
L'oeuvre théâtrale de Maupassant (Annoté)Guy De Maupassant7h 52m$2 · $0.00
Collected Novels of Guy de Maupassant (Bel-Ami + A Life + Pierre and Jean + Strong as Death + Mont Oriol + Notre Coeur) (Annotated)Guy de Maupassant51h 48m$2 · $0.00
Maupassant: Nouvelles et contes complètes (Annoté)Guy De Maupassant102h 53m$2 · $0.00
Die bekanntesten erotischen Novellen von Guy de Maupassant (Kommentiert)Guy de Maupassant9h 34m$1 · $0.00
Der Liebling / Bel-Ami - Zweisprachige Ausgabe (Deutsch-Französisch) / Edition bilingue (français-allemand) (Kommentiert)Guy de Maupassant29h 32m$1 · $0.00
Maupassant: Poésies complètes (Annoté)Guy De Maupassant7h 17m$2 · $0.00
Boule de Suif (Annoté)Guy de Maupassant5h 36m$2 · $0.00
Gesammelte Erzählungen (Kommentiert)Guy de Maupassant74h$2 · $0.00
Fräulein Fifi (Skizzen aus Paris des 19. Jahrhunderts) (Kommentiert)Guy de Maupassant5h 55m$1 · $0.00
A Life: The Humble Truth (The Classic Unabridged English Edition) (Annotated)Guy de Maupassant7h 56m$2 · $0.00
Collected Novels of Guy de Maupassant (Bel-Ami + A Life + Pierre and Jean + Strong as Death + Mont Oriol + Notre Coeur)Guy de Maupassant51h 34m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Annotated)William Shakespeare157h 18m$2 · $0.00
C. S. LewisC. S. Lewis38h 55m$30
The Jeeves and Wooster Stories: The Complete Collection (33 Books)P. G. Wodehouse21h 57m$15 · $0.00
The Gulag Archipelago Volume 3Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn21h 56m$46 · $0.00
Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate CollectionArthur Conan Doyle59h 49m$5 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Novels, Short Stories and Autobiographical WritingsFyodor Dostoyevsky270h 59m$2 · $0.00
The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America (Annotated)Howard Irving Chapelle, Tappan Adney13h 10m$2 · $0.00
Charles Dickens: Complete Works (Annotated)Charles Dickens819h 4m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Jane Austen & Brontë Sisters (Annotated)Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë203h 52m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works: Charlotte, Emily, Anne, Patrick & Branwell BrontëCharlotte Brontë, Anne Brontë, Emily Brontë138h 12m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (Annotated)Oscar Wilde126h 19m$2 · $0.00
L. M. Montgomery – Premium Collection: Novels, Short Stories, Poetry & MemoirsLucy Maud Montgomery155h 1m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of the Brontë Family Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë140h 13m$2 · $0.00
MARK TWAIN: 12 Novels, 195 Short Stories, Autobiography, 10 Travel Books, 160+ Essays & Speeches (Illustrated)Mark Twain415h 9m5.0 (2)$2 · $0.00
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m$2 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m$18 · $0.00
Ivanhoe (Annotated)Walter Scott22h 52m$2 · $0.00
All NovelsGeorge Orwell53h 48m$10 · $0.00
The Complete Works of TolstoyLeo Tolstoy412h 44m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Louisa May Alcott (Annotated)Louisa May Alcott226h 24m$2 · $0.00
Under His ProtectionB. Love5h 7m$15
Heart of IronC. M. Alongi15h 24m$30
Ethic IIAshley Antoinette9h 1m$20
RiversnowTess Thompson8h 11m$20
Supreme ClienteleAshley & JaQuavis8h 58m$20
Body Refinement in a Beast Tamer’s World, Book 1Seth Ring14h 7m$27
EmberJeffrey Wilson, Brian Andrews13h 58m$23
The Complete Works of Jane Austen (Unabridged)Jane Austen88h 8m5.0 (1)$1 · $0.00
Desperate MeasuresBrenda Jackson8h 59m5.0 (1)$28 · $0.00
Searching For ThanksgivingS.E. Smith4h 24m$20
Naughty 4Brenda Hampton7h 30m$17
The Dance with Me TrilogyShelley Shepard Gray21h 44m$35
Anne Shirley (Complete 14 Book Collection)Lucy Maud Montgomery125h 28m$2 · $0.00
The DopemanJaQuavis Coleman5h 25m$20
Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate CollectionArthur Conan Doyle59h 49m$5 · $0.00
WhistlerAnn Patchett10h 45m4.4 (21)$29 · $0.00
Grand Opening 2Carl Weber9h 16m$20
Sons of Valor II: Violence of ActionBrian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson12h 34m$23
Malevolent MagicMildred Abbott7h 13m$17
Bikes, Toys, and Hot BoyzGenesis Woods, Shantaé13h 9m$23
You may also like
The Fourth Estate (4 Satirical Stories about Journalists and Politicians) (Annotated)Ambrose Bierce1h 48m$2 · $0.00
Burmese DaysGeorge Orwell10h 56m$2.30
America FantasticaTim O'Brien13h 40m$33 · $0.00
Dogbert's Top Secret Management HandbookScott Adams1h 23m$16 · $0.00
The Essential Works of George Orwell (Annotated)George Orwell114h 12m$2 · $0.00
Bel Ami, or, The History of a ScoundrelGuy De Maupassant5h 56m$2.30
100%: The Story of a PatriotUpton Sinclair11h 36m$1 · $0.00
Burmese Days (Annotated)George Orwell12h 31m$2 · $0.00
An Unpleasant Predicament: A Nasty Story (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky3h 56m$2 · $0.00
Under Western Eyes (Unabridged Deluxe Edition)Joseph Conrad35h 34m$2 · $0.00
Torture GardenOctave Mirbeau7h 12m$1 · $0.00
Burmese DaysGeorge Orwell10h 43m$1.20 · $0.00
The Way We Live Now (Annotated)Anthony Trollope38h 51m$2 · $0.00
All The Worst Humans: Book Summary & AnalysisJasper Eastwick22m$11 · $0.00
Elmer Gantry (Annotated)Sinclair Lewis19h 30m$2 · $0.00
The Double - Psychological Thriller (Classic Unabridged Edition) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky8h 29m$2 · $0.00
A Man of MarkAnthony Hope4h 4m$1 · $0.00
The Management MythMatthew Stewart11h 38m$21 · $0.00
GossamerGeorge A. Birmingham8h 4m$2.30
The Complete Works of George OrwellGeorge Orwell114h 54m$1 · $0.00