I.

Introduction

Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880), French writer, known for his novels Madame Bovary (1857; translated 1886) and L’éducation sentimentale (1869; Sentimental Education, 1898). Considered by many to be the father of realistic fiction (see Realism), Flaubert consistently rejected membership in any school, asserting that he “strove only for beauty.” His works influenced the development of the modern novel, most notably in their detailed, objective observation of everyday life and their concern for form.