More than you ever wanted or needed to know:
"When a single word that governs or modifies two or more others must be understood differently with respect to each of those words. This combination of parallelism and incongruity often has a witty or comical effect. Not to be confused with zeugma. Not to be confused with zeugma.
Originally, syllepsis named that grammatical incongruity resulting when a word governing two or more others could not agree with both or all of them; for example, when a singular verb serves as the predicate to two subjects, singular and plural ("His boat and his riches is sinking"). In the rhetorical sense, syllepsis has more to do with applying the same single word to the others it governs in distinct senses (e.g., literal and metaphorical); thus, "His boat and his dreams sank."
Mia now includes de Maupassant's name in that particular piece. I like to think she does it to avoid confusing some of us whose gift for words isn't as abundant as hers. I have a proprietary feeling for the alteration (deserved or not, I really don't know), and I consider it my contribution to her impressive, creative and brilliant body of work.