A Tress of Hair by Guy de Maupassant
The story revolves around a young woman who finds a tress of hair on her pillow and becomes obsessed with finding the owner. She enlists the help of a detective, but he is unable to identify the donor. As she continues her search, she becomes increasingly unhinged, revealing a darker side to her personality.
By Guy de Maupassant · First published 1888 · Genre: Horror, Psychological Fiction, Gothic Fiction · 2,970 words
First lines
The walls of the cell were bare and white washed. A narrow grated window, placed so high that one could not reach it, lighted this sinister little room. The mad inmate, seated on a straw chair, looked at us with a fixed, vacant and haunted expression. He was very thin, with hollow cheeks and hair almost white, which one guessed might have turned gray in a few months. His clothes appeared to be too large for his shrunken limbs, his sunken chest and empty paunch. One felt that this man's mind was destroyed, eaten by his thoughts, by one thought, just as a fruit is eaten by a worm. His craze, his idea was there in his brain, insistent, harassing, destructive. It wasted his frame little by little. It -- the invisible, impalpable, intangible, immaterial idea -- was mining his health, drinking his blood, snuffing out his life.
What this Textopian page supports
A Tress of Hair is listed on Textopian as a short story by Guy de Maupassant, dated 1888 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Guy de Maupassant
- Date: 1888 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Horror, Psychological Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Mystery, Literary Fiction
- Length: 2,970 words
- Structure: 1 section, 56 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for A Tress of Hair by Guy de Maupassant
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering A Tress of Hair?
- How does this short story by Guy de Maupassant fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Horror first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Horror — The story involves macabre elements, including necrophilia and madness, creating a chilling atmosphere.
- Psychological Fiction — The narrative delves deeply into the protagonist's mental state and obsession, exploring themes of madness and desire.
- Gothic Fiction — The story features Gothic elements such as a mysterious relic, a haunted protagonist, and an eerie setting.
- Mystery — The plot revolves around the mysterious origin and significance of the tress of hair, engaging the reader in uncovering its story.
Tags
Short story · French literature · Realism · Psychological fiction · Literary realism · Symbolic narrative · Haunting tale · Tragic love · Obsessive love · Unrequited love · Love triangle · Romantic tragedy