Gustave Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821 in the family of a famous surgeon, spent all his childhood and youth at the hospital where his father's apartment was located. Flaubert himself thought from an early age that he was destined for a different career, although he began to write already in his teens. Interest in life, but more death, which largely determined the semantic core of future works, was born here, within the walls of the Rouen hospital, when, as a boy, secretly from his parents, Gustave made his way into the autopsy room and watched the bodies disfigured by death.
After receiving his initial education at the Royal College of Rouen, in 1840 Flaubert went to Paris to study law. This decision was not dictated by the heart: jurisprudence did not in the least interest the young man. In the most romantic capital of the world, he lives more than secluded, he has practically no comrades.
After studying for three years at the Sorbonne, Flaubert failed to pass the translation exam. In the same year, he was diagnosed with a disease that resembled epilepsy in symptoms. Doctors strongly recommend Gustave to lead a sedentary lifestyle, and constant seizures, from which he saw salvation only in taking hot baths, plague him. To find salvation from sickness future writer goes to Italy.
The year 1845 radically changes his life vector: his father dies, and then his beloved sister, Carolina. Flaubert takes care of the daughter of her sister and her husband, and also decides to return home to his mother in order to overcome the pain of loss with her. Together with her, they settled on a small, picturesque estate in Croisset, near Rouen. From now on, Flaubert's whole life will be connected with this place, which he left for a long time only twice.
The inheritance received allowed Flaubert not to know material worries, having no official service, he daily and painstakingly worked on his works.
In line with the then dominant romanticism in literature, his first stories were written: Memoirs of a Madman (1838) and November (1842). But in the novel “Education of the Senses”, which did not see the light of day, work on which lasted from 1843 to 1845, the notes of realism are clearly traced.
By 1846, the beginning of his relationship with Louise Colet, a well-known writer in those days, whom he met in Paris, dates back. This affair, lasting eight years, was the longest affection in Flaubert's life. Due to the fact that the writer was very afraid to pass on his illness by inheritance, he, not wanting to continue his family, did not propose to anyone, although he was always popular with women.
Glory fell on Flaubert when, in 1856, his first novel, Madame Bovary, was published in the Revue de Paris magazine, which is calling card writer. Painstakingly, day after day, for five years, thinking over every written word, Flaubert wrote a book about how illusion can destroy reality. The plot is simple: an unremarkable, more than ordinary bourgeois woman, in order to add color to her life, starts two intrigues, not noticing that loving person was always there.
The novel, which ended in the suicide of the heroine, made a lot of noise. The author and editors of the magazine were sued for immorality. The sensational trial ended in an acquittal. But in 1864, the Vatican listed Madame Bovary on the Index of Forbidden Books.
The subtlest psychology in revealing the image main character became a real discovery in literature and largely determined the path of development of the entire European novel.
In 1858, Flaubert travels to Africa, bringing not only impressions from the voyage, but also his second novel Salammbo, the action of which takes the reader to ancient Carthage, making him a witness to the love of the daughter of a commander and leader of the barbarians. Historical accuracy and careful attitude to every detail of the story allowed this book to take its rightful place in a number of historical novels.
The third novel of the writer "Education of feelings" is devoted to the theme of the "lost generation".
The 19th century in the field of culture was rightfully considered the century of the novel. The novel was to the educated classes what the series are now. Both entertainment and learning. At Gorky's call "Love a book - a source of knowledge!" legs are growing just from that era when the novelist not only entertained the public with a plot, but at the same time screwed it with a lot of useful information. Victor Hugo will always be an example to us in this.
Why Victor Hugo! He is not alone! 19th century - century of glory French novel. It was then that literature in France became a source of decent income for many, the most diverse, writers and journalists. The circle of consumers of literature, those who could read and enjoyed it, grew many times over. What should I say special thanks to the system public education and the industrial revolution. The "production" of novels has also become a kind of entertainment industry. But not only. Literature and journalism shaped the national consciousness and the French language itself.
And if we talk about language and style, the main success in this area has been achieved by Gustave Flaubert (1821 - 1880). He is sometimes called the creator modern novel.
“Flaubert's Normandy mustache” is remembered by everyone who listened to and fell in love with D. Tukhmanov's disc “According to the Wave of My Memory”, which appeared in 1975. What is true is true, Gustave Flaubert's mustache was luxurious. And yes, he was a native of Normandy.
Gustave Flaubert was born in the "capital" of Normandy, Rouen. His father was the chief physician of the local hospital. Studying at the Royal College of Rouen made the boy fall in love with history and literature. And not only French. Gustave read both Cervantes and Shakespeare. Here, in college, he acquired true friend for life, the future poet L. Buye.
Now from Paris to Rouen - two hours by train. At the beginning of the 19th century, this was also not very far away, so Gustave Flaubert went to continue his studies in Paris. At the Sorbonne he studied law. After three years of study, he did not pass the exams and said goodbye to the thought of a career as a lawyer. But he had a burning desire to become a writer.
In 1846 my father died. After him, the family was left with a sufficient fortune so that Gustave could return to the Croisset estate near Rouen, which belonged to their family. Here he lived, taking care of his mother and doing literature. From here, he used to travel to Paris, where he met with famous colleagues E. Zola, G. Maupassant, the Goncourt brothers and I. S. Turgenev. By the way, the Russian writer had a considerable influence on all the listed French writers. A translation was not required for communication. Turgenev spoke excellent French.
Flaubert's life is not particularly eventful. Although there were travels in it. For example, in the recently French colony Tunisia and the Middle East. But still he locked himself in the provinces and concentrated entirely on literature. He did not have to constantly earn a living by writing. Therefore, he could at his pleasure hone each phrase in search of " right word"("mot juste"). In the already mentioned song from the disc “According to the wave of my memory”, written after a poem by M. Voloshin, the Goncourt brothers are called “chasers”. Perhaps this nickname would be more suitable for the great perfectionist Flaubert. In short, G. Flaubert became famous as an outstanding stylist.
For all my creative life Flaubert has published five books. His first novel, Madame Bovary, was published in 1857. The release of the novel was accompanied by a scandal, which attracted additional attention to it.
The main theme of this work is the conflict between invented life and real life. The heroine of the novel is not a heroic person at all. Moreover, the unforgettable MS Panikovsky would call Madame Bovary a pitiful and insignificant person. An ordinary bourgeois from a small town near Rouen (a province of a province, so to speak), in search of adventure and "high" (in her understanding) love, squanders her husband's money and eventually commits suicide. At the same time, it is poisoned with arsenic. Who knows - not the most aesthetic way to settle scores with life. Long and painful dying, black vomit... And G. Flaubert painstakingly described all this. And in general, Flaubert's work made a splash with its realism. Before that, none French writer did not describe in great detail how the heroine of his novel is fucked in a carriage circling the city. Ah, the morality of the French nation was terribly traumatized by this! The author and editors of the magazine in which the novel was published were sued for insulting public morality
The lawsuit by the writer and journalists was won. In 1857, the novel "Madame Bovary" was published as a separate book. Completely, without cuts. And critics stuck a label to H. Flaubert: a realist. However, the realism of the French writer has little to do with critical realism that flourished in pre-revolutionary Russia, and even more so, to socialist realism, which for seventy years frightened students of philology in the Soviet Union.
The second book of G. Flaubert came out five years later. It was historical novel"Salambo" ("Salammbô"). The action took place in Carthage after the first Punic War. That is, long before our era. Exotic, however. The writer's impressions of the trip to Tunisia had an effect. Carthage was in these parts. By the way, the novel was and remains a very fascinating reading matter. There is a lot of eroticism in it, which at that time could be considered pornography too.
The third novel, "Education of feelings" ("L "éducation sentimentale") was published in 1859. This is a story about a young man who lives in hard times another french revolution. The young man was brought up in a romantic spirit, but faced with real life. To be honest, this is a phenomenon that occurs with every generation of young men at any, even not very revolutionary, time. So the novel may seem interesting to many boys of the 1990s. (It was also a stormy time in modern history Russia) And yes, this story also has a sexual zest - love young man and an adult woman, fifteen years older than him.
In 1874, a book was published that Flaubert had been writing for almost twenty years, "The Temptation of St. Anthony" ("La Tentation de Saint-Antoine"). Flaubert does not so much describe the feat of the saint as broadly and generously, in a Brueghelian way, paints all existing and conceivable heresies, religions, philosophies and sins. It is interesting to write about sins, and it is not boring to read.
Reading all of these novels is still interesting. Flaubert is not a boring writer. Not Emile Zola, who fired up the firebox of his creative imagination for the full-length book series "Rougon-Macquarts" (21 "production" novels are no joke!). In terms of subject matter, it is closer to Maupassant, whose books in the days of my adolescence were not given to schoolchildren in the library. The only difference is that Flaubert wrote one novel on a topic about which Maupassant wrote a dozen. short stories. So if someone has not read Flaubert, we can advise you to fill this gap. At least the time spent on this will not be a pity. And the translations into Russian are good, making you feel the skill of the great stylist.
It is difficult to talk about the kind of life that G. Flaubert lived in his last years. No adventure, no love affairs. True, they say that he had love with Guy de Maupassant's mother. Death began to creep up on friends and relatives, in 1869 his friend, the poet Buye, died. During the Franco-Prussian War, the Croisset estate was occupied by the Germans. Criticism of his novels was treated with some suspicion. Both the plots and the language of his novels caused rejection. So the publication of Flaubert's novels did not bring commercial success. And the maintenance of the estate required more and more money, but incomes did not increase.
Flaubert died at his estate of Croisset on May 8, 1880. By that time, no one denied his influence on the development of the French novel. And since French literature at the end of the 19th century was exemplary for all writers of the enlightened community, it can be said without exaggeration: the work of Gustave Flaubert influenced the entire world literature. Including Russian. One way or another, Leo Tolstoy wrote with an eye on the French. And "Anna Karenina" is, in a sense, a Russian version of the story of Madame Bovary, a bad woman who chased the so-called "love".
The influence French literature on Soviet literature even more strongly and not at all beneficial. The point is that the union Soviet writers created by people for whom Flaubert, Maupassant, Zola were stars of the first magnitude. And, having begun to lead the Union, they wittingly or unwittingly pushed the seething literature of the Soviet 1920s into the already established and therefore boring frame of realism, knocked together by the great French novelists. At the same time, they understood realism in a completely different way than the great French. Therefore, this frame was significantly narrowed, wrapped in red cloth and called socialist realism. And since the leadership of the Union was united, and feeding came from one hand, practically none of the writers who declared themselves Soviet could resist the pressure. More talented sculpted, as best they could, epics about modern life, encrusting them to the best of their talent and non-conformism with pearls and diamonds. The untalented also achieved some success in composing according to the recipes of the great ones. They were published in mass circulation, but it was difficult to read this brew. Masochists can read Babaevsky, and suicides - M. Bubenov. Some of the sovpis already in the 1970s brought to life what was gossiped about A. Dumas the father a hundred years before. Huge "opupei" like "Eternal Call" scribbled "literary slaves." And how was the multinational Soviet literature- Separate crying.
However, Gustave Flaubert is not at all to blame for these “excesses on the ground”.
French writer often referred to as the creator of the modern novel. Born 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 big love to literature. He read not only the romantics fashionable at that time, but also Cervantes and Shakespeare. At school, he met the future poet L. Buie (1822-1869), who became his true friend for life.
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 Can (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 estate of Croisset near Rouen, took care of his mother and was mainly engaged in literature. Fortunately, he had a fortune that saved him from the need to earn a living with a pen or in other ways. In the same way, he was able to fulfill his dream of travel and devote many years to writing a single novel. He perfected his style with the utmost attention, being distracted only by professional conversations with the Goncourt brothers, I. Taine, E. Zola, G. Maupassant and I. S. Turgenev. Even his illustrious love story associated with the poetess Louise Colet, and in their extensive correspondence main theme there were literary problems.
Flaubert was brought up on the works of F. Chateaubriand and V. Hugo and gravitated toward the romantic way of depicting. All his life he sought to suppress the lyrical-romantic beginning in himself for the sake of the most objective image. everyday reality. Early in writing, he soon became aware of the conflict between his goal and the inclinations of his nature. The first of his published novels is Madame Bovary (1857).
A great work of literature, Madame Bovary marked a turning point in the development of the modern novel. Flaubert worked through each sentence in search of the famous "right word". His interest in the form of the novel, successfully realized in unique structure"Madam Bovary", had a strong influence on subsequent writers who set as their goal the creation of new forms and techniques - G. James, J. Conrad, J. Joyce, M. Proust and many others.
In 1862 Flaubert's historical novel "Salambo" appeared, in 1869 - the novel of morals "Education of the Senses", in 1874 - "The Temptation of St. Anthony", in 1877 - "Three Tales"; then Flaubert began to work hard on his long-conceived favorite work, the novel Bouvard and Pécuchet, but did not have time to finish it; of the proposed two volumes, Flaubert wrote only one, and that does not have the completeness of Flaubert's other works. The end of Flaubert's life was sad: he suffered from a severe nervous illness, was gloomy and irritable, broke off relations with his best friend, Maxime Ducan; his mother died financial situation his condition worsened, as he ceded a significant part of his fortune to poor relatives. Flaubert did not experience complete loneliness in his old age, thanks to the tender cares of his niece, Mme Commanville, as well as friendship with George Sand; Guy de Maupassant, the son of one of his childhood friends, also gave him great consolation; Flaubert took care of the development of his young talent and was for him a strict and attentive teacher. Illness and heavy literary work exhausted Flaubert's strength early; he died of apoplexy. In 1890, a monument was erected to him in Rouen, works famous sculptor Shapy.
FLAUBERT, GUSTAVE(Flaubert, Gustav) (1821-1880), French writer, who is often called the creator of the modern novel. Born 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 of literature. He read not only the romantics fashionable at that time, but also Cervantes and Shakespeare. At school, he met the future poet L. Buie (1822–1869), who became his true friend for life.
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 Kang (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 saved him from the need to earn a living with a pen or in other ways. In the same way, he was able to fulfill his dream of travel and devote many years to writing a single novel. He perfected his style with the utmost attention, being distracted only by professional conversations with the Goncourt brothers, I. Taine, E. Zola, G. Maupassant and I. S. Turgenev. Even his illustrious love story is associated with the poetess Louise Colet, and in their extensive correspondence, literary problems were the main theme.
Flaubert was brought up on the works of F. Chateaubriand and V. Hugo and gravitated toward the romantic way of depicting. All his life he sought to suppress the lyric-romantic beginning in himself for the sake of the most objective image of everyday reality. Early in writing, he soon became aware of the conflict between his goal and the inclinations of his nature. The first of his published novels is Madame Bovary (Madame Bovary, 1857.
Great work of literature Madame Bovary marked a turning point in the development of the modern novel. Flaubert worked through every sentence in search of the famous "mot juste". His interest in the form of the novel, successfully realized in a unique structure Madame Bovary, had a strong influence on subsequent writers who set as their goal the creation of new forms and techniques - G. James, J. Conrad, J. Joyce, M. Proust and many others.
main theme Madame Bovary there was an age-old conflict between illusion and reality, between fictional and real life. To reveal this theme, Flaubert did not use the heroic impulses of a noble personality, but pitiful dreams ordinary bourgeois. Flaubert gave his narrow-minded characters an exalted universal meaning. Madame Bovary was first published in the Revue de Paris magazine in 1856, however, despite the fact that the alarmed M.Du Kang and M.Pisha made serious corrections and reductions, the author and editors of the magazine were sued for insulting public morality. After sensational judicial 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 Salambo (Salammbo, 1862), was the result of a trip to Africa in 1858, as well as serious historical and archaeological studies. Obviously, the author's desire to renounce the ordinary, creating an epic canvas on the 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 Sense education (L "education sentimentale, 1859; Russian 1870 translation titled Sentimental upbringing), Flaubert writes the history of his generation, confused by romanticism and the generous promises of theorists of a humane social order, but forced to descend to earth after the catastrophe of 1848 and the collapse of idealism. Sense education is an unflattering portrait of a lost generation.
Started long before Madame Bovary and, on the advice of Bouillet and Du Camp, put aside Temptation of Saint Anthony (La Tentation de Saint-Antoine, 1874) owes its appearance to a painting by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, which Flaubert saw in Genoa in 1845. The idea of flaunting the temptations that besieged the saint occupied Flaubert for the rest of his life, and its embodiment in the novel-dialogue is an attempt to show all conceivable sins, heresies, religion and philosophy.
Three stories (Trois Contes, 1877) include plots of two types - deliberately ordinary and flowery-historical. A short and powerful story about the life of a village maid ( simple heart – Un Coeur simple) all consists of a chain of losses that left her at the end of her life only with a stuffed parrot, to which she becomes attached to such an extent that she unconsciously begins to relate to him as to the Holy Spirit. IN Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitable (La Legende de Saint-Jullien l "Hospitalier) a medieval righteous man, repenting 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, who raised him to heaven. Herodias (Herodias) tells of Salome demanding the head of John the Baptist.
Flaubert gave the last eight years of his life to his beloved brainchild - the novel Bouvard and Pécuchet (Bouvard et Pecuchet, 1881; Russian translation 1881), which was left unfinished. In the story of two small employees who decided to devote their leisure time and small income to the study of all industries human knowledge, the main target is the madness and inescapable stupidity of the human race. Flaubert classifies all examples of this kind with grim pleasure, forcing his heroes to dedicate their lives to creating an anthology of the absurdities they have discovered.
One of greatest creations Flaubert, continuing to arouse close interest, became his Letters (Correspondence, publ. 1887–1893). In casual communication with friends, he pours out his thoughts on paper, not caring about style and thus providing a unique opportunity to see the 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 era of the Second Empire.
IN last years Flaubert's life was haunted by misfortunes: the death of his friend Bouillet 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 by critics. Flaubert died at Croisset on May 8, 1880.
Gustave Flaubert - a famous French novelist, one of the creators of the modern novel genre - was a native of the city of Rouen, where he was born on December 12, 1821. His father was famous doctor, mother - a representative of an old Norman family. During the years 1823-1840. Gustave was a student of the city's Royal College. He did not shine with academic success, but already in those years his great love for literature and passion for history manifested itself.
In 1840 Flaubert became a student Faculty of Law Parisian Sorbonne. In 1743 he was diagnosed with a disease nervous system, resembling epilepsy and requiring a decrease in motor activity. Illness forced in 1844 to stop studying at the university. When his father died in 1846, Gustave moved to the Croisset estate near Rouen to his mother, and all his further biography was associated with this place. Flaubert led a secluded life and left here for a relatively long time only twice in his life, and on both occasions his companion was Maxime Ducan, his best friend.
The inheritance inherited from his father allowed him and his mother not to think about their daily bread, Flaubert could completely surrender literary work. His first stories - "Memoirs of a Madman" (1838), "November" (1842) - were composed in the spirit French romanticism, but already in the first edition of the novel "Education of the Senses" (1843 -1845, remained unpublished), a transition to realistic positions is noticeable.
In 1848-1851, the period after the defeat of the revolution, Flaubert, for ideological reasons, did not participate in public life, the Paris Commune was not understood and accepted by him. He lived in a completely different world, adhering to the concept of isolation and elitism of literature.
In 1856, a work was published that became a masterpiece of world literature and a new stage in the development of the modern novel - “Madam Bovary. provincial customs". The novel appeared on the pages of the Revue de Paris magazine with editorial cuts, however, even this did not save the book from being accused of immorality and bringing its author to trial. After the acquittal, the novel was released in its entirety in 1857 as a separate edition.
In 1858, Flaubert made a trip to Tunis and Algeria, where he collected factual material for the second novel, "Salambo" (published in 1862). In 1863, the third novel was published - "Education of the Senses", in 1874 the "Temptation of St. Anthony" was published, dramatic poem in prose philosophical content. Crown creative biography Flaubert was published in 1877 "Three stories" and the remaining unfinished novel "Bouvard and Pécuchet".
The last ten years of Flaubert turned out to be unhappy: illness deprived him of strength and optimism, the estate was occupied during the Franco-Prussian war by a foreign army, his mother and good friend Bouillet died, his friendship with Maxime Ducan was interrupted. Finally, he experienced financial difficulties, because. most fortune donated to less wealthy relatives, and the publication of books did not bring big money: critics did not favor his works. However, Flaubert was not completely alone, he was friends with George Sand, was mentor Guy de Maupassant, his niece took care of him. The writer's body was severely depleted, and he died on May 8, 1880 from a stroke.
Flaubert's work had a significant impact not only on national, but also on world literature. In addition, thanks to his mentorship, a number of gifted writers came to literature.
