Guy de Maupassant is often called the master of erotic prose. But the novel "Bel Ami, or, The History of a Scoundrel: A Novel" goes beyond the scope of this genre. In it, rather, on the foreground moral criteria are put forward.

Georges Duroy, a handsome young man, dreaming of building a brilliant career and getting rich. He certainly is not a mediocre person, his appearance can conquer the heart of any lady (which, by the way, and enjoys constantly), his conscience is silent when he does any meanness. Did Georges Duroy achieve his goal?