Gustav Flaubert (1821-1880)
You can revisit the quiz on "A Simple Heart" here.
Two things to remember about Flaubert. One is his revolutionary (for the time)
to write purely objectively--with no trace of the author in the work.
The other is his incessant search for le mot juste, the exact right word
for each exquisitely sculpted sentence.
A couple of signs of the Realist aesthetic in
"A Simple Heart." One is the unheroic, unremarkable status of the
protagonist. Another is the accretion of details used to describe, for instance,
the house of Madame Aubain. We see objectivity when Flaubert describes the most
intense emotions of Félicité through describing her reaction,
rather than describing what she might be feeling
Realism can be quite useful in allowing the reader to actively decide on the
thematic content of a work. Look at some of the major themes in "A Simple
Heart."
------Love (and how many kinds)
------ Identity (who really is Felicite? Does she simply live through others?)
------ Religion. Her religious identity predates her catechism.
------ Class.
At the heart of a profitable reading, I would suggest, is the question of whether
this life led by Felicite is commendable (likened to a saint’s life) or
simply very close to bestial—a kind of substitute for life.
943 —the end of her love affair.
946 —hears again of Theodore, but is deafened to the truth of the matter.
952 —the death of Victor and the long grasses like the hair of corpses.
953 —the death of Virginie. The tableau of bed, curtain, light, whiteness.
955 —the look and embrace shared with Aubain. The subsequent flowering
of her heart’s kindness.
949 —the story of her religious education and of the communion.
In the long run, what does the parrot represent? One could see the use value for Félicité in having LouLou as a simplification of the mysterious notion of the Holy Spirit in Catholic theology. In the reading that sees Félicité abdicating her right/responsibility to live, it also becomes a recipient of her love that doesn't carry with it any sense of risk.