Life of wonderful names. Gustave Flaubert, short biography

When starting to study a writer’s work, pay attention to the works that are at the top of this rating.

As a result of common efforts, including based on your ratings, we will receive the most adequate rating of Gustave Flaubert’s books. Quick search in the rating». Madame Bovary (Madame Bovary, 1857) is the fruit of six years of labor and the first published work of Flaubert, the titular “father of modern novel The main topic “Madame Bovary” became the eternal conflict between illusion and reality. "...an artist with Flaubert's talent» manages to transform a wretched, according to his own ideas, world... - into one of the most perfect examples of poetic invention..." Vladimir Nabokov "Lectures on

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  foreign literature ... Further manages to transform a wretched, according to his own ideas, world... - into one of the most perfect examples of poetic invention..." Vladimir Nabokov "Lectures on

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  In the novel "Salambo", the love story of the daughter of the military leader Hamilcar Salambo and the barbarian leader Mato unfolds against the backdrop of the turbulent events of the mercenary uprising against Carthage in the third century BC. Flaubert worked on the novel from 1857 to 1862. and remained committed to precise expressive detail, striving to be as historically accurate as possible. Radio play on scandalous romance Flaubert will take you to France and allow you to observe the beautiful life interesting woman. Passionate and romantic nature Emma Bovary does not find happiness in her marriage to a village doctor and her life turns into a series of events to which society always disapproves. But no matter how vicious and immoral the heroine is, she is “ true woman ", the disadvantages of which are as attractive as the advantages! This paradox contains the beauty of the most controversial. Such women will always be loved by men and rejected by society. Emma Bovary - Alisa Koonen Charles Bovary - Evgeniy Vesnik Leon - Georgy Yanikovsky Homais, pharmacist - Boris Petker Lere - Dmitry Sumarokov Guillomen, notary - Yuri Khmelnitsky Rudolf - Anatoly Larionov Bournisien - Nikolay Novlyansky Justin - Anatoly Lipovetsky Felicite - Lyubov Goryachikh Presenter - Konstantin Vakh Terov Production by Alisa Koonen Director Anatoly Lipovetsky The episodes feature theater artists ® Gosteleradiofond, 1960 manages to transform a wretched, according to his own ideas, world... - into one of the most perfect examples of poetic invention..." Vladimir Nabokov "Lectures on

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  Audiobook « Simple soul"is a work of a classic of French literature, one of the largest European writers of the XIX century by Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880). The author of this little story famous novels“Madame Bovary” and “Education of Sentiments” created at the end of his life, in 1877 year. It is in “A Simple Soul” that the originality of Flaubert’s prose is most clearly manifested: using extremely laconic visual arts, striving for precision of language and style, the writer achieves penetration into the very depths human existence. Here is the sad story of the illiterate, ignorant peasant woman Felicite - a woman infinitely charming in her spiritual simplicity and naivety. All her life, Felicite, despite endless hardships and misfortunes, continued to love, to give her love to others... All her life, tragic in its absurdity, she felt the need to turn her care and tenderness to someone... manages to transform a wretched, according to his own ideas, world... - into one of the most perfect examples of poetic invention..." Vladimir Nabokov "Lectures on

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  Three Stories (Trois Contes, 1877) - the author's collection of the French classic Gustave Flaubert, includes unusual and vivid story plots. A Simple Heart - written by Flaubert based on some events from his own life - he also loved a country house in Normandy, he was also engaged in knowledge, like Paul. More importantly, he also suffered from epilepsy like Felicite. A Simple Heart is a story about the life of an unhappy servant, haunted throughout her life only by suffering and loss. In the end, at the end of her life, the most valuable thing she has is a stuffed parrot. Little by little, without noticing it, the woman begins to identify him with the divine Holy Spirit. The legend of Saint Julian the Merciful was written by Flaubert under the impression of the large stained glass window in Rouen Cathedral, which he often visited. However, contrary to the stained glass, Flaubert noticeably changed the plot of the legend. It says that in the lives of most righteous people there is always something to come to confession with. And then, one day, the hero of this story, having sincerely repented of all the sins of his youth, by the will of fate found himself on the threshold of a fatal test - a leper patient asked Julian for a kiss. WITH pure soul Having accepted the poor man’s request, Julian suddenly found himself in the arms of Jesus, who carried him to heaven. Herodias is the story of how Herodias decided to behead John the Baptist through a secret conspiracy with her daughter Salome, who charmed the ruler Herod Antipas with her dance to such an extent that he vowed to fulfill any of her wishes. Flaubert was inspired to write this story by Oscar Wilde's Salome, as well as Jules Massenet's opera Herodias, which was based on the plot of Julian the Merciful. manages to transform a wretched, according to his own ideas, world... - into one of the most perfect examples of poetic invention..." Vladimir Nabokov "Lectures on

Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880) - famous French novelist, head of the realistic school in France. Logged in world literature as the creator of an objective narrative, when the author remains an impartial observer, without imposing his assessments and preferences on the reader. Being an outstanding master of style, he created classic examples of French prose. "Education for Sentiments" (1869), or (in an early translation) "Sentimental Education" is Flaubert's last novel published during his lifetime. Main character Frederic Moreau, while still an eighteen-year-old student, met Jacques Arnoux, an art dealer, and fell in love with his wife. This feeling remains platonic until the end of the story. Love brings nothing but suffering to Frederic: Madame Arnoux feels sympathy for the young man, but does not want to cheat on her husband. And the unfortunate Moreau rushes into the maelstrom of alcove adventures. Intertwined with the story of the hero’s “sentimental upbringing” is the story of his failed career. All of Frederick's hobbies - writing, painting, law - are fruitless. The action in the novel takes place during the revolution of 1848. Whirlpool Parisian life in years of political crisis clearly emphasizes spiritual emptiness contemporary author youth. At the end of the book, Frederick and his comrade sum up the years they have lived. And both admit that “life failed – both for the one who dreamed of love and for the one who dreamed of power.” Translation from French by E. Beketova Performer and sound engineer Maxim Suslov Music - Vyacheslav Tupichenko © & ℗ 1C-Publishing LLC manages to transform a wretched, according to his own ideas, world... - into one of the most perfect examples of poetic invention..." Vladimir Nabokov "Lectures on

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  At the heart of the entire work of the French writer Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880) lies an irreconcilable conflict and discrepancy between the inner spiritual world of man and the surrounding reality. In his famous novel“Madame Bovary” translated by Nikolai Lyubimov Gustave Flaubert gives it hard psychological analysis main character Emma Bovary, who lives in the hope of filling the inner emptiness and is unable to resist the vulgarity and cruelty of the world. manages to transform a wretched, according to his own ideas, world... - into one of the most perfect examples of poetic invention..." Vladimir Nabokov "Lectures on

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  She dreamed of being loved, living surrounded by beauty and brilliant society. But in return, fate gave her a marriage with a village doctor and vegetation in a tiny town among the inhabitants. However, there is a man who seems to Emma Bovary to be the embodiment of her former dream. Where to Will her pursuit of the ghost of love lead her to happiness or to the grave? manages to transform a wretched, according to his own ideas, world... - into one of the most perfect examples of poetic invention..." Vladimir Nabokov "Lectures on

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  Gustave Flaubert entered world literature as the creator of an objective novel, when the author remains a dispassionate observer and does not impose his assessments on the reader. “Education of Feelings” is a brilliant confirmation of this. The hero of the novel, Frederic Moreau, is trying to make a career realize his natural abilities, he wants and knows how to love. But his chosen one is tied by marriage, and all of Frederick’s endeavors - writing, painting, jurisprudence - remain just endeavors... manages to transform a wretched, according to his own ideas, world... - into one of the most perfect examples of poetic invention..." Vladimir Nabokov "Lectures on

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  Gustave Flaubert in his novel “Salammbô” turned to the history of ancient Carthage (III century BC) and created an amazingly picturesque work in which there is an abundance of historical specifics, description material culture, morals do not overshadow moral and philosophical problems, understandable and close to the modern reader: love and loyalty, kindness and cruelty, civilization and barbarism. Salammbo has a romantic nature and dramatic fate; love and death are the beginning and end of her life on the pages of the novel. manages to transform a wretched, according to his own ideas, world... - into one of the most perfect examples of poetic invention..." Vladimir Nabokov "Lectures on

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  The story of a medieval righteous man who renounced the sins of his youth, and his final test.

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  “Julian’s father and mother lived in a castle among the forests, on the slope of a hill.

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  The four corner towers ended with pointed roofs covered with lead tiles, and the base of the walls rested on blocks of rocks that fell to the very depths of the ditches..." ... More The Tale of Salome - Jewish princess

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  , which played a significant role in biblical history. The novel “The Spiritual Spirituality” is the most complex in style, ideas, and problems written by Gustave Flaubert. This is a richly planned creation, in which the history of France, the history of a generation, the history of a hero is understood from a new, unseen perspective. In Svidomo's life the hero of the novel is young manages to transform a wretched, according to his own ideas, world... - into one of the most perfect examples of poetic invention..." Vladimir Nabokov "Lectures on

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  Frederic Moreau begins with a lot of revelations about himself and his ability, with the song that he was destined for an unimportant fate. He becomes a writer and writes a novel, but does not complete it, composes waltzes, learns the Chinese language, tries his hand at painting, and never finds his passion, all his young ambitions recognize defeats. Vreshti-resht, without showing itself in any way, this beautiful business was lost in death, and the high places appeared worthless right. This is where the spiritual training of the sensibilities ended. Before the book, we published the most famous novel “Lady Bovary” and the story “A Simple Soul”. These works convey a sense of true humanity and impress the reader with an outward simplicity that combines with the depth of psychological analysis. manages to transform a wretched, according to his own ideas, world... - into one of the most perfect examples of poetic invention..." Vladimir Nabokov "Lectures on

Flaubert's novel "Lady Bovary" (1856) marks an important milestone

1823-1840 - Flaubert studies at the Royal College of Rouen, where he does not achieve much success, but shows interest in history and great love to literature. At school he meets the future poet L. Buyer (1822-1869), who becomes his lifelong friend.

1840 - Flaubert begins to study law in Paris.

1843 - Flaubert is diagnosed with a nervous disease and is prescribed a sedentary lifestyle. He interrupts his studies at the Sorbonne.

1845 - Flaubert travels to Italy.

1846 - after the death of his father, he returns to the Croisset estate near Rouen, takes care of his mother and is mainly engaged in literature. He has sufficient wealth to travel and devote many years to writing his works.

1849-1851 - Flaubert travels to the East.

1856 - Flaubert publishes the novel Madame Bovary in the Revue de Paris magazine. Provincial Morals" (Madame Bovary. M?urs de provinse), which he created over the course of five years, slowly, carefully finishing each episode, achieving expressiveness and precision in each phrase. The main theme of Madame Bovary was the eternal conflict between illusion and reality, between fictional and real life. To explore this theme, Flaubert used not the heroic impulses of a noble personality, but the pitiful dreams of an ordinary bourgeois woman. Flaubert gave his narrow-minded characters a sublime and universal meaning. Despite editorial amendments and cuts, the author and editors of the magazine are brought to court for insulting public morals. The court acquits Flaubert.

1857 - the novel “Madame Bovary” is published as a separate book without any cuts.

1858 - Flaubert travels to Africa.

1862 - Flaubert's second novel, Salammbo, is published, which was the result of a trip to Africa, as well as serious historical and archaeological studies. The novel takes place in Carthage after the 1st Punic War, when mercenaries led by Mato rebelled against the Carthaginians led by Hamilcar.

1864 - The Vatican bans the novel Madame Bovary and adds it to the Index of Prohibited Books.

1869 - Flaubert's third novel is published - "Education sentimentale", the first, fundamentally different from this, edition of the novel, not published during his lifetime, was written by Flaubert back in 1845. This novel is a biography young man, striving to establish himself in Paris, but failing due to the vagueness and inconstancy of his feelings and aspirations - creative, love, political. The action takes place in the 40s. XIX century, in a turbulent environment intellectual life France during the July Monarchy, and the finale was the revolution of 1848. and the story of the collapse of the Second Republic, correlated with the failure in life of the protagonist Frederic Moreau. Sentimental Education paints an unflattering portrait of a lost generation.

1870-1871 - during the Franco-Prussian War, Flaubert serves in the army with the rank of lieutenant and is awarded the Legion of Honor.

1874 - published philosophical drama“The Temptation of Saint Anthony” (La Tentation de Saint-Antoine), begun even before “Madame Bovary”. “Temptation” is inspired by the painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, which Flaubert saw in Genoa in 1845. The idea of ​​​​exposing the temptations that beset the saint occupied Flaubert for the rest of his life, and its embodiment in the dialogue novel is an attempt to show all conceivable sins, heresies, religions and philosophies. In the same year, Flaubert’s comedy “The Candidate” (Le candidat) was staged.

1877 - “Three Stories” (Trois Contes) is published: a story about the life of a village maid (“A Simple Heart”, Un Coeur simple), all of whose achievements after a long life are reduced only to a stuffed parrot, to which she becomes attached to such an extent that she unconsciously begins to treat him as the Holy Spirit. In “The Legend of Saint-Jullien the Hospitaller” (La Legende de Saint-Jullien l "Hospitalier), a medieval righteous man, having repented of the sins of his youth, is subjected to the last supreme test: a leper turns to him with a request for a kiss. Having fulfilled his desire, Julian finds himself face to face with Jesus taking him to heaven. Herodias tells the story of Salome demanding the head of John the Baptist.

1881 - the novel “Bouvard et Pecuchet” is published posthumously, which Flaubert had been writing since 1872, but never managed to complete. Here is a satirical encyclopedia XIX culture century, presented through the story of twin friends who, having retired and settled in a small provincial town, are tirelessly engaged in self-education, consistently studying the most different areas knowledge: agronomy, geology, history, literature, etc. The result of their experience reveals the internal contradictions of intellectual culture, which also manifests itself in the political farce that the revolution of 1848 turns out to be in the French province.

Gustave Flaubert - The Temptation of Saint Anthony

Gustave Flaubert (December 12, 1821 - May 8, 1880) - French writer some of the greatest Western novelists. Best known for his first published novel, Madame Bovary (1857), and for his dedication to technique and style, presented in an endless search and selection of words.

Early years and education

Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821 in Rouen, in the Northern Normandy region of France. He was the second son of Flaubert (1784 - 1846), his surgeon father, and Anne Justine's mother Caroline Flaubert (1793 - 1872). Flaubert began writing at an early age, before the age of eight, as is known from some sources. Flaubert studied in his hometown and did not leave him until 1840, when he went to study as a lawyer in Paris.

Indifferent to his studies, Flaubert found Paris a most delightful city. He made several acquaintances, including Victor Hugo. Towards the end of 1840, Flaubert traveled through the Pyrenees and Corsica. In 1846, after an outbreak of epilepsy, he left Paris and abandoned his studies.

Personal life

After Flaubert left Paris, he returned to Croisset (a town adjacent to Rouen) and lived with his mother. Flaubert lived in his father's house on the banks of the Senne (which became his home) until the end of his days. Flaubert never married. From 1846 to 1854 he had a relationship with the poet Louise Colette (his letters to Her Majesty). As Flaubert's biographer, Emile Fagot, says, his relationship with Louise was the only serious relationship. Flaubret sometimes visited prostitutes. Gradually losing interest in each other, Gustave and Louise separated.

Together with his friend Maxime de Camp, Flaubert traveled to Brittany in 1846, Greece and Egypt in 1849. Beginning in 1850, Flaubert lived in Croisset, making rare visits to Paris and England, where he had mistresses. He visited Carthage in 1858 in search of prototypes and examples for his novel Salammbô.

Flaubert was a tireless worker and often complained about his busy schedule in letters to friends. He was close to his niece, Caroline Commonville, and was friends and corresponded with Gerge Sand. Occasionally he visited Parisian acquaintances, including Emile Zola, Ivan Turgenev, Edmond and Julia Goncot.

1870 was a difficult year. Parisian soldiers occupied Flaubert's house for the duration of the War in 1870, and his mother died in 1872. After the death of his mother, Flaubert experienced financial difficulties.

Flaubert suffered from venereal diseases for most of his life. His health deteriorated and he died at Croisset from a stroke in 1880 at the age of 58. Flaubert was buried in the family plot, in the cemetery in Rouen. In 1890, a monument to Flaubert was erected in the Rouen Museum.

Writer's career

In September 1849, Flaubert completed the first version of The Temptation of Saint Anthony. He read the novel aloud to Louis Bola and Maxime de Camp for four days, without allowing them to stop themselves and express any opinion. At the end of the reading, his friends told him to throw the manuscript into the fire, suggesting that he concentrate on Everyday life, and not on fantastic objects.

In 1850, after returning from Egypt, Flaubert began work on the novel Madame Bovary. The novel, which took five years to write, was published in the Ruve de Paris (Paris Magazine) in 1856. The government opened a case against the publisher and the author on charges of immorality, but both were acquitted. The novel Madame Bovary, which appeared in book form, was received very warmly.

In 1858, Flaubert went to Carthage to collect material for his next novel, Slambo. The novel was completed in 1862, after a year's work.

Based on childhood events, Flaubert's next work, "Education of the Sentiments", took seven years of intensive work. Sentimental Education, the last completed novel, was published in 1869.

Flaubert wrote a rather unsuccessful drama, The Candidate, and also published a revised version of The Temptation of Saint Anthony, part of which was published in 1857. He devoted most of his time to a new project, Two Woodlice, which later became known as Beauvard et Pécuchet, and broke away from it only to write Three Tales in 1877. This book included three stories: “A Simple Soul”, “The Legend of Saint Julian the Stranger” and “Herodias”. After the publication of these stories, he devoted the rest of his life to the unfinished work "Buvard et Pécuchet", which was published posthumously in 1881. It was a grand satire on human futility and the ubiquity of mediocrity. Flaubert believed the work would be a masterpiece, although the posthumous version received lukewarm reviews. Flaubert loved to write letters, which were collected in various publications.

Work and legacy

The special compositional methods used by Flaubert are interesting and original. He worked in gloomy solitude, sometimes taking a week to complete a single page, and what he composed never satisfied him, furiously torturing his brain for a better selection of phrases and suitable adjectives. His continuous work was rewarded. From his personal correspondence it is clear that Flaubert was not one of those for whom correct language was natural; With sweat dripping from his eyebrows, he extracted his ideal phrases, improving them all the time. Many critics consider Flaubert's works to be style icons.

That Flaubert was one of the greatest writers who ever lived in France is fully confirmed even now, and his greatness mainly depends on the extraordinary energy and precision of his style. Less than any other writer, not only from France, but from modern Europe, Flaubert introduces the tolerance for imprecision, generalization, obscurity and inappropriate expression that are the bane of ordinary writing. He never indulged or was led, throwing out his phrases that most express his understanding. As a writer, Flaubert was partly a novelist, a realist and a stylist. Consequently, members of various schools, especially the realists and formalists, traced their affiliation to his work. The precision with which he adapts his expressions to his purpose can be seen in all parts of his work, especially in the portraits, of which there are countless in his major novels. The degree of fame to which Flaubert's name claims to be very great, since his death represents an interesting chapter of literary history in itself. Also, Flaubert is associated with the spread and popularization of the color "Tuscan cypress", which is often mentioned in the novel "Madame Bovary".

The publication of Madame Bovary in 1857 led to many scandals, and not only with the government; At first this novel was not understood, since it carried something new: an overly plausible description of life. Gradually, this aspect of his genius was accepted, and began to crowd out all others. Before his death, Flaubert was rated as the most influential French realist. In addition, Flaubert greatly influenced the development of Guy de Maupassant, Edmond de Goncote, Alphonse Daudet, and Zola. Even after he deviated slightly from realism, he did not lose prestige in the literary community; he continued to have an influence on other writers because of the depth of his aesthetic principles, dedication to style and tireless pursuit of ideal expression.

He is said to have turned cynicism into art form, which is confirmed by the observation from 1846:

"Being stupid, selfish and having good health- three fundamental factors of happiness; although if stupidity is a disadvantage, then anything else is useless.”

The complete works (8 volumes, 1885) were printed from the original manuscripts, and included, in addition to the works already mentioned, the works “The Candidate” and “The Castle of the Heart.” Another edition (10 volumes) was presented in 1873-1885. Flaubert's correspondence with Georges Sand was published in 1884 with an introduction written by Maupassant.

Flaubert has been described and praised by every literary figure of the 20th century, including philosophers and sociologists such as Perry Braudy and Jane Paul Sartre, whose partly psychoanalytic portrait of Flaubert, The Family Idiot, was published in 1971. Georges Peret called Sentimental Education his favorite novel. The Peruvian novelist, Mario Vargas Llosa, admired Flaubert more than anyone else. “Endless Orgy” is dedicated exclusively to the work of Flaubert.

Gustave Flaubert

GUSTAVE FLAUBERT.
Portrait by E. Giraud.
IGDA

Flaubert Gustave (Flaubert) (1821-1880) - famous French novelist, head of the realistic school in France. A first-class master of style, Flaubert created classic examples of French prose. His most famous novel is Madame Bovary (1857). A realistic picture of the morals of society is painted in this novel - suffering female soul, sucked into the routine of provincial life, the novel “Education of Sentiments” (1869) is a story of failures and disappointments of a young man. Historical prose (the novels "Salammbo" 1862; "Herodias", 1877), vividly reconstructing different historical eras, was based on modern political associations and the idea of ​​​​the unchangeable biological beginning of human nature.

The unfinished satirical novel "Bouvard and Pécuchet" (published 1881), the parody "Lexicon of Common Truths" (published 1910). A brilliant stylist, Flaubert influenced the development of realism in world literature.

The writer's most significant creation is his novel Madame Bovary (1857). At the center of the novel is the image of a woman from a bourgeois environment, whose dreamy imagination was fueled by reading romantic literature. Reality upsets her dreams. For all the sobriety with which Flaubert regards the ideals of his heroine, he is deeply concerned about the death of a person in a collision with bourgeois reality.

Disgusted by the ugliness of his surroundings, Flaubert constantly turned to the historical past, covered in beauty and poetry. This is how his novel “Salambo”, dedicated to the uprising of mercenaries in ancient Carthage, the story “The Legend of St. Julian the Merciful” and “Herodias” arose. In these works, Flaubert, with enormous, almost scientific objectivity, restores the accessories of distant historical eras, describes them in detail. But the heroes of his historical works have the psychology of people of the 19th century.

In the novel Sentimental Education (1869), Flaubert develops the theme of the “young man,” continuing in this sense the line of Stendhal and Balzac. But the representative of the new generation of the bourgeoisie, Frederic Moreau, is shown as a lethargic, inert person, incapable of struggle and active activity.

Flaubert's hatred of the bourgeoisie and at the same time his negative attitude towards the people determined the unique position of this writer in the history of literature. From Flaubert came the great realist Maupassant, and, on the other hand, the theory of “pure art”, which Flaubert defended, formed the basis of the aesthetic aspirations of the decadents.

Despite the fact that the heyday of naturalism dates back to the 80s, the naturalistic tendency appears earlier - already in the work of the Goncourt brothers, Jules (1830-1870) and Edmond (1822-1896). They are supporters of introducing the “scientific method” into literature, supporters of “documentaryism,” that is, a careful, down to the smallest detail, reproduction of the environment in which the action takes place. Goncourts consider biological factors to be the main stimulus for people's behavior, and they are especially interested in pathological cases and deviations from the norm. In search of people with an easily excitable and unbalanced psyche, the Goncourts turned to the lives of artists, painters, and writers (novels “Charles Demaio”, “Manette Solomon”, etc.). In the novel “Germinie Lasserte” they depict the life of the lower classes of society, believing that the biological principle is easier to trace in primitive people from the people.

Quoted from the publication: The World History. Volume VI. M., 1959, p. 621.

Flaubert, Gustav (1821–1880), French writer, often called the creator of the modern novel. Born on December 12, 1821 in Rouen, where his father was the chief physician of one of the local hospitals. From 1823 to 1840, Flaubert studied at the Royal College of Rouen, where he did not achieve much success, but showed an interest in history and a great love for literature. He read not only the romantics who were fashionable at that time, but also Cervantes and Shakespeare. At school he met the future poet L. Buyer (1822–1869), who became his true friend . In 1840, Flaubert was sent to Paris to study law. After studying for three years, he failed to pass the exams, but made friends with the writer and journalist M. Du Cane (1822–1894), who became his travel companion. In 1843, Flaubert was diagnosed with a nervous disease similar to epilepsy, and he was prescribed a sedentary lifestyle. After the death of his father in 1846, he returned to the Croisset estate near Rouen, took care of his mother and was mainly engaged in literature. Fortunately, he had a fortune that freed him from the need to earn a living by pen or other means. Likewise, he was able to fulfill his dream of travel and devote many years to writing a single novel. He perfected his style with utmost attention, distracted only by professional conversations with the Goncourt brothers, I. Taine, E. Zola, G. Maupassant and I. S. Turgenev. Even his famous love story

associated with the poet Louise Colet, and in their extensive correspondence the main topic was literary problems.

Flaubert was brought up on the works of F. Chateaubriand and V. Hugo and gravitated towards the romantic way of depiction. All his life he sought to suppress the lyrical-romantic beginning in himself for the sake of the most objective depiction of everyday reality. Having started writing early, he soon realized in himself a conflict between his goal and the inclinations of his nature. The first of his published novels was Madame Bovary (1857.

The main theme of Madame Bovary was the eternal conflict between illusion and reality, between fictional and real life. To explore this theme, Flaubert used not the heroic impulses of a noble personality, but the pitiful dreams of an ordinary bourgeois woman. Flaubert gave his narrow-minded characters a sublime and universal meaning. Madame Bovary was first published in the Revue de Paris magazine in 1856, however, despite the fact that the alarmed M. Du Cane and M. Pichat made serious amendments and cuts, the author and editors of the magazine were brought to court for insulting public morals. After a sensational trial - one of the most famous literary battles in the legal field - Flaubert was acquitted, and in 1857 the novel was published as a separate book without any cuts.

Flaubert's second novel, Salammbô (1862), was the result of a trip to Africa in 1858, as well as serious historical and archaeological studies. The author's desire to renounce everyday life is obvious, creating an epic canvas on themes of hoary antiquity. The action takes place in Carthage

after the 1st Punic War, when mercenaries led by Mato rebelled against the Carthaginians led by Hamilcar. In the third novel, Education of Feelings (L"ducation sentimentale, 1859; Russian translation 1870 under the title Sentimental Education), Flaubert writes the history of his generation, confused by romanticism and generous promises of humane theorists social order , however, forced to come down to earth after the disaster of 1848 and the crash idealism

. Sentimental Education paints an unflattering portrait of a lost generation.

Started long before Madame Bovary and, on the advice of Bouyer and Du Cane, put aside, The Temptation of Saint Anthony (La Tentation de Saint-Antoine, 1874) owes its origin to the painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, which Flaubert saw in Genoa in 1845. The idea of ​​​​exposing temptations , besieging the saint, occupied Flaubert for the rest of his life, and its embodiment in the dialogue novel is an attempt to show every conceivable sin, heresy, religion and philosophy. Three stories (Trois Contes, 1877) include plots of two types - deliberately ordinary and flowery-historical. Brief and about the life of a village maid (A Simple Heart - Un Coeur simple) consists entirely of a chain of losses, which at the end of her life left her with only a stuffed parrot, to which she becomes attached to such an extent that she unconsciously begins to treat him as the Holy Spirit. In the Legend of Saint Julian the Host (La Lgende de Saint-Jullien l'Hospitalier), a medieval righteous man, having repented of the sins of his youth, is subjected to the last supreme test: a leper turns to him asking for a kiss. Having fulfilled his desire, Julian finds himself face to face with Jesus , who carried him to heaven. Herodias (Hrodias) tells of Salome demanding the head of John the Baptist.

Flaubert devoted the last eight years of his life to his favorite brainchild - the novel Bouvard et Pcuchet (Bouvard et Pcuchet, 1881; Russian translation 1881), which remained unfinished. In the story of two small employees who decide to devote their leisure time and small income to the study of all branches of human knowledge, the main target is the follies and inescapable stupidity of the human race. Flaubert takes a grim delight in classifying all examples of this kind, forcing his heroes to devote their lives to creating an anthology of the absurdities they discover.

One of greatest creations Flaubert's Letters (Correspondence, published 1887–1893) continue to attract keen interest. In casual conversations with friends, he pours out his thoughts on paper, without worrying about style, thereby providing a unique opportunity to see an artist analyzing his work in the process of daily creation and formulating his ideas about the nature of literature. Along with a vivid self-portrait of Flaubert himself, the correspondence contains insightful observations about the people and customs of the Second Empire.

IN last years Flaubert's life was haunted by misfortunes: the death of his friend Bouyer in 1869, the occupation of the estate by the advancing enemy army during the Franco-Prussian War, and finally, serious financial difficulties. He did not experience commercial success when publishing his books, which for a long time caused rejection among critics. Flaubert died in Croisset on May 8, 1880.

Materials from the encyclopedia "The World Around Us" were used.

Read further:

Semenov A.N., Semyonova V.V. The concept of mass media in the structure of a literary text. Part I. (Foreign literature). Tutorial. St. Petersburg, 2011. Gustave Flaubert.

Literature:

Reizov B.G. The works of Flaubert. M., 1955

Flaubert G. Collected Works, vols. 1–3. M., 1983–1984

Flaubert G. On literature, art, writing: Letters, articles, vols. 1–2. M., 1984

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