In this series we turn the pages of classic short stories to put together the literary building blocks of how a particular genre or theme began, how it built its foundations to become the well-loved and well-worn genre that it is today.Do authors have the same ideas at more or less the same time? Or can they sniff out an opportunity as to which way the tastes of an audience are moving. Success undoubtedly builds success and in literary terms we can more politely say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and the surest way to reach a hungry readership is to build on the fortune and flair of your literary colleagues. The canon of French authors is both vast and incredibly talented. They have a way of creating characters and describing events to assemble stories with worlds that enthral us.One of the genres they do particularly well is French Realism and here, in this volume, we have many masters of the craft including Victor Hugo, Guy de Maupassant, Emile Zola and Honore de Balzac and a long roll-call of others.01 - Foundations of Fiction - French Realism - An Introduction2 - Two Little Soldiers by Guy de Maupassant3 - Claude Gueux by Victor Hugo4 - The Return of Martin Guerre by Alexandre Dumas5 - Suicides by Guy de Maupassant6 - Three Wars by Emile Zola7 - The Grave by Guy de Maupassant8 - The Atheist's Mass by Honore de Balzac9 - The Maison Tellier by Guy de Maupassant10 - The Siege of Berlin by Alphonse Daudet11 - The Kiss by Guy de Maupassant12 - Mateo Falcone by Prosper Merimee13 - The Piece of String by Guy de Maupassant14 - La Grande Breteche by Honore de Balzac15 - The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant