Summary of my anti-necklace story

BTW, this is NOT FOR CRIT. If I want that, I'll ask on a later version. This is just for people who might be interested.

What I noticed was that "The Necklace" is a sort of mirror image of Cinderella. Glass shoes/glass necklace. Borrowed finery lost at ball, not returned in time; found by prince took Cinderella out of the scullery, not found at all put Mathilde INTO the scullery. Wonder if Maupassant was deliberately using fairy tales. There's a motif from "The Magic Flounder" too: wife gets one extraordinary wish -- then pushes for another. --
Hopefully this will go in the blurb.


PV begins with an Apprentice Fairy Godmother (Godmaiden?) who has blundered and got her Mortal (Madame Mathilde Loisel) in trouble. In these degenerate days of //late 19th century//, what with low mana supplies on earth and the Prime Directive, fairies conceal their existence and try to help their Mortals in ways that will give 'believable' results without obvious magic.

Mathilde wished to go to a ball, but had no suitable jewelry. So Apprentice Fairy Godmaiden (/Maiden/) arranged for a Human Godmother Figure (Mathilde's friend Madame Forester) to lend Mathilde a spendid necklace, with the implied Prohibition of 'bring it back on time.' But the laws of Story (fairytale Prohobitions are always broken) pulled events awry: Mathilde lost the necklace and is falling into the hands of sharks and bloodsuckers.

Maiden appeals to her superiors and receives no help, just a little informaiton and an ally: a Boy Apprentice is fired for trying to help, and joins her unofficially. They visit Loisels, learn more, and App Boy and Maiden put out inquiries about the lost necklace and other matters.

Finally the Senior Fairy Godmothers return and review the case. The loss makes them quickly suspect the borrowed necklace was 'paste' (ie glass -- like glass shoes). Trying to confirm this takes a great deal of plotting, because Mathilde (who by now is poor and working hard to pay the loan sharks) refuses to ask Forester anything or even to see her.

Through other friends, they succeed in borrowing teh genuine necklace from Madame Forester again. App Boy gets a paste copy made and suggests Mathilde give his copy to Forester and sell the genuine one; but everyone rejects this as too dangerous, since they have not confirmed that Forester's necklace was paste (and that Forester knows it). Annoyed, Boy pockets his copy and leaves town (to pursue inquiries elsewhere).

Finally Godmothers do trick Forester into confirming that her necklace was paste, so they arbitrarily proceed with the substitution. (Making yet another copy, as Boy has left town with his copy.)

Now Forester has a paste necklace as before, and the Godmothers take the real necklace, which Mathilde is paying for, back to Mathilde telling her it can be safely sold. Mathilde is still reluctant, but finally the local priest persuades her that Forester has what she always knew she had: a paste necklace. "An eye for an eye, paste to paste returneth...." Finally, for her husband's sake, Mathilde agrees and the genuine necklace is sold. Because of markup and interest, there are still some debts to work off, but the Loisels' life is much eased.

Now Boy's inquiries get results (tho Godmothers do not tell Mathilde, not wanting to remind her of the whole upsetting event.) He learns that the Foresters long ago had their genuine necklace copied and sold the real one (which Mathilde bought -- no wonder it was an exact match for the lost one). He also locates the necklace Mathilde lost -- which magically leads a Nice Jeweler to Mathilde, to offer her the management of his shop -- if the necklace fits.

“The augary says you have years of developing such love of beautiful objects and good taste – and now more /time/ of mangement and careful industry/. You have no idea how hard it is to find someone with such taste who is willing to Go Into Trade!”

”----! And your augary chose me?”

“The augary pointed, but said I must choose the woman whom the necklace fits.”

She would not touch the necklace with her dirty hands. He fastened it round her sooty neck.

The necklace ///reacts//.

And she smiled with proud and naïve joy.

- end -