In Flaubert: A Life, Geoffrey Wall dramatizes the life and times of Gustave Flaubert, who was one of the most enigmatic writers in literary history. Flaubert seems larger than life--too full of troubles, illnesses, personal traumas, and financial fiascoes. In this biography, Wall ties together all the threads of Flaubert's life into a not-so-tidy tapestry, filled with contradictions and mysteries.
Along the way, Wall draws from letters, journal entries, and various drafts of Flaubert's fiction to offer a new look at Gustave Flaubert. Flaubert once wrote, "External reality has to enter into us, almost enough to make us cry out, if we are to represent it properly." Out of the controversies of his life and loves, he created new realities in his fiction.
Putting Aside All Else... A Whole New Reality
Words and books were always a part of Flaubert's world, but he may never have rocked the literary world if it hadn't been for the "nervous disorder" that struck him down and made him unfit for the legal career he had intended to pursue. His disorder was probably epilepsy, and his fits became a fortunate calamity. He could pursue his art without the guilt or family dishonor that would have otherwise accompanied a rejection of a professional legal career.
In Wall's discussion of Flaubert's life (his early days, his "nervous disorder," and the final arrangement of his literary career), he brings the figure of Flaubert to life. Flaubert was a large man, with blond hair and green eyes--much taken with fantastical exhibits of all kinds.
Putting Aside All Else... A Whole New Reality
Words and books were always a part of Flaubert's world, but he may never have rocked the literary world if it hadn't been for the "nervous disorder" that struck him down and made him unfit for the legal career he had intended to pursue. His disorder was probably epilepsy, and his fits became a fortunate calamity. He could pursue his art without the guilt or family dishonor that would have otherwise accompanied a rejection of a professional legal career.
In Wall's discussion of Flaubert's life (his early days, his "nervous disorder," and the final arrangement of his literary career), he brings the figure of Flaubert to life. Flaubert was a large man, with blond hair and green eyes--much taken with fantastical exhibits of all kinds.
He loved gypsies, idiots, actresses, and courtesans. He also traveled to Corsica, Egypt, Greece, Italy and Morocco in search of adventure. In his travels, he saw the quirky--often dark--side of life. And, through his writings, he transformed those visions with his literary voices into something spectacularly unforgettable.
The Whole Truth
Flaubert once said, "If ever I play an active part in the world, it will be as a thinker and a demoralizer. I shall simply tell the truth, but it will be horrible, cruel and naked." It is that "horrible" truth that captured his readers' imaginations. After publishing Madame Bovary, he received letters from women who were amazed at how closely he'd been able to reflect their experiences.
His visions are filled with sadness, loss and darkness. "Damp houses, damp souls." Flaubert once wrote: "If my book is any good it will gently tickle many a feminine would. One or two will smile when they recognize themselves. I will have known their sufferings, poor obscure souls, damp from your stifled sorrows, like your provincial back-yards, where the moss grows on the wall."
The Whole Truth
Flaubert once said, "If ever I play an active part in the world, it will be as a thinker and a demoralizer. I shall simply tell the truth, but it will be horrible, cruel and naked." It is that "horrible" truth that captured his readers' imaginations. After publishing Madame Bovary, he received letters from women who were amazed at how closely he'd been able to reflect their experiences.
His visions are filled with sadness, loss and darkness. "Damp houses, damp souls." Flaubert once wrote: "If my book is any good it will gently tickle many a feminine would. One or two will smile when they recognize themselves. I will have known their sufferings, poor obscure souls, damp from your stifled sorrows, like your provincial back-yards, where the moss grows on the wall."
Passion fades away, decaying slowly. He was, as Wall writes, "pestered, isolated, tormented, and bewildered" by his visions. Flaubert once wrote, "I am a creature of the quill. I feel through it, because of it, in relation to it, and much more with it."
The Ends Meet
As a "creature of the quill," disappointment and failure came to Flaubert much more easily than success. After the failure of L'Education sentimentale (1846) and La Tentation de Saint Antoine (1856), he told himself, "Time to pull it off, either that or throw myself out of the window."
In Flaubert's view of the world, he explains: "The human race is not doing anything unexpected. Ever since my youth its hopeless miseries have filled me with bitterness. Therefore I feel no disillusionment at all. I believe that the crowd, the herd, will always be odious. The only important thing is a small group of thinkers, always the same, who pass the torch on to each other."
As his friends and family die around him, Flaubert writes, "So sad to witness the decay of those you love, to see their strength declining, their intelligence disappearing."
The Ends Meet
As a "creature of the quill," disappointment and failure came to Flaubert much more easily than success. After the failure of L'Education sentimentale (1846) and La Tentation de Saint Antoine (1856), he told himself, "Time to pull it off, either that or throw myself out of the window."
In Flaubert's view of the world, he explains: "The human race is not doing anything unexpected. Ever since my youth its hopeless miseries have filled me with bitterness. Therefore I feel no disillusionment at all. I believe that the crowd, the herd, will always be odious. The only important thing is a small group of thinkers, always the same, who pass the torch on to each other."
As his friends and family die around him, Flaubert writes, "So sad to witness the decay of those you love, to see their strength declining, their intelligence disappearing."
He feels tied to Earth, devastated. He explains to George Sand, "by chance and force of circumstance, this solitude has gradually grown upon me and now I am alone, absolutely alone."
And then George Sand died. She had been a dear friend and fellow writer. After George Sand's funeral, Flaubert returned home to find that much of the gloom had disappeared. The tears had done him good, he thought. And, he notices: "The sun is shining, the birds are cooing amorously, the sailing boats are skimming silently over the smooth waters and my tale is rolling along."
It is the end every writer would want: peace, as words flow from the pen. The precise cause of Flaubert's death is something of a mystery, but we do know that his characters have lived on. They've taken on lives of their own. As Wall writes: "Ancient or modern, sublime or ludicrous, Flaubert's finest characters are visionaries. They are not quite of this world, though the mud clings thick and heavy to their boots. Like their creator, they are pestered, tormented, and bewildered by their visions. They travel toward the dark places of the mind, and their fate prompts our pity, fear and laughter."
And then George Sand died. She had been a dear friend and fellow writer. After George Sand's funeral, Flaubert returned home to find that much of the gloom had disappeared. The tears had done him good, he thought. And, he notices: "The sun is shining, the birds are cooing amorously, the sailing boats are skimming silently over the smooth waters and my tale is rolling along."
It is the end every writer would want: peace, as words flow from the pen. The precise cause of Flaubert's death is something of a mystery, but we do know that his characters have lived on. They've taken on lives of their own. As Wall writes: "Ancient or modern, sublime or ludicrous, Flaubert's finest characters are visionaries. They are not quite of this world, though the mud clings thick and heavy to their boots. Like their creator, they are pestered, tormented, and bewildered by their visions. They travel toward the dark places of the mind, and their fate prompts our pity, fear and laughter."
