Maupassant is considered a father of the modern short story.
Literary theorist Kornelije Kvas wrote that along with Chekhov, Maupassant is the greatest master of the short story in world literature.
He is not a naturalist like Zola; to him, physiological processes do not constitute the basis of human actions, although the influence of the environment is manifested in his prose.
In many respects, Maupassant's naturalism is Schopenhauerian anthropological pessimism, as he is often harsh and me.