1. W HAT ARE THE SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND LITERARY WORKS IN THE LIFE OF G USTAVE F LAUBERT ? By Nnenna Odihe

2. G USTAVE F LAUBERT Born: December 12, 1821 (Rouen, France) Died: May 8, 1880, Croisset, Fourth child of a distinguished doctor who was the head of the hospital in that city. Rich Family lived in a house on the hospital grounds→ he early gained a knowledge of scientific techniques and ideas Sister died during childbirth, she had a great influence on him and he was very close to her. He was very poor in studies; his mother used to teach him at home Sent to Royal de Rouen and started to write historical work of literature at a young age (14). Took interest in law and went to Paris (1841) where his talent for writing flourished 1844: became the victim of a serious nervous illness, (cannot be identified precisely) but probably related to epilepsy. Gave up law and devoted himself to writing and his studiezs 1846: Father died and Flaubert received huge inheritance which he used to relocate to the family estate in Croisset. Started concentrating completely on his writing there.. His sister died around the same time.

3. C ONTINUED … 1849-1950: Made a trip to the Near East in 1849-50 Visited Egypt, Syria, Turkey, and Greece Became acquainted with most of the important literary figures of the period (Victor Hugo, Georges Sand, Sainte-Beuve, Gautier, Turgenev, the de Goncourts, and de Maupassant) He was respected and admired by all of them. Liked to visit prostitutes to engage in sexual relations Relationships: Elisa Schlessinger: a married, older woman whom he met at Trouville when 15; the object of his platonic and idealized affection. Louise Colet (1846-1954): Wrote letters to each other, rarely saw each other Found to his dismay that Louise in the flesh was not the same as Louise in his imagination. Result: preferred a solitary life at Le Croisset to other pursuits. Devoted his life to his mother and niece; never married After death of his mother: he faced great financial difficulty to help save his niece’s husband financially He was a victim of venereal diseases ever since his childhood and he died of cerebral hemorrhage in 1880.

4. A S A R ECLUSE … Often been considered a misanthropic recluse. Characterized by morbidity and pessimism (due to his many illnesses) and by a violent hatred for middle-class Derived ultimately from his childhood in bourgeois Rouen Often bitter and unhappy because of the “great disparity that existed between his unattainable dreams and fantasies and the realities of his life” Ex: his mystical and idealized love for Elisa adversely affected all his later relationships with women

5. T HE 1857 TRIAL OF M ADAME B OVARY : Was hurt by the enmity and misunderstanding of his critics and readers The novel originally appeared in installments in a magazine called La Revue de Paris in 1856 Caught the eye of the censors Flaubert and his publisher was put on trial in January of 1857 for obscenity It was an "outrage to public morals and religion”; too risqué Post-trial had the opposite effect to the one the authorities had hoped for Flaubert was acquitted and the book became a smash hit

6. L ITERARY W ORKS November (1842): his first completed work; narrator is a schoolboy going through a spiritual and sexual transformation and is at the verge of his adult life Madame Bovary (1857): Known to be the biggest novel of his career Took five years to get finished, after returning from his trip to Egypt Salammbo (1862): a historical novel about the war between Rome and Carthage Written after retuning back from Carthage; took 4 years to complete He became a part of the intellectual court of Napoleon III A Sentimental Education (1869): a novel dealing again with the theme of the frustrations of middle-class life and human aspirations The Temptation of St. Anthony (1874): a rich and evocative series of religious tableaux. Three Tales (1877): Contains three famous stories: "A Simple Heart," "The Legend of St. Julian the Hospitalier," and "Herodias." Famous stories are masterpieces of short fiction and are among his finest and most moving works The Candidate (1874): a play that failed after a few performances Bouvard and Pechuhet (1881): unfinished novel on his death, published posthumously in 1881

7. F INALLY … Flaubert was one of the most important European writers of the 19th century No later works equaled the artistic and technical quality of Madame Bovary Exception:"A Simple Heart," "The Legend of St. Julian the Hospitalier," and "Herodias." Madame Bovary: where his reputation rest Although gained renown as a writer, he was not financially successful Made only 500 francs ($500) for the first five years' sales of Madame Bovary