• What is there about social climbers that makes their stories irresistible? Guy de Maupassant’s Bel Ami, published in installments in nineteenth century-France, enthralled readers and has been adapted for the screen a number of times. The present version stars Robert Pattinson as Georges Duroy. It is filled with descriptions of the world of journalism, politics and banking which Duroy skims for maximum profit in his ascent