A Gustave Flaubert Encyclopedia

(Hardback)

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Description

Gustave Flaubert is probably the most famous novelist of nineteenth-century France, and his best known work, Madame Bovary, is read in numerous comparative literature and French courses. His fiction set the standard to which other authors turned to learn their craft, and his cult of art and his unrelenting search for stylistic perfection inspired many later writers, such as Maupassant, Proust, Conrad, Faulkner, and Joyce. His denunciation of materialistic, corrupt society; his fascination with altered states of consciousness; his oscillation between metaphysical longings and a radical nihilism; and his deep-seated mistrust of the adequacy of words themselves anticipate the works of contemporary authors. This reference is a convenient guide to his life and writings. Included in this volume are several hundred alphabetically arranged entries on Flaubert's individual works and major characters; historical persons and events that shaped his life; the themes that run throughout his writings; the critical approaches employed by scholars studying his works; and related topics of interest. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and most close with a brief bibliography. All of his major works are treated at length, and the volume mentions nearly every unpublished project of his that has a title. The book concludes with a selected, general bibliography of major studies.

Reviews

Anyone interested in Flaubert will enjoy reading the articles in this well-edited encyclopedia. They are engagingly written and thorough and reflect an intimate acquaintance with Flaubert's life and work ...belongs in all institutions with programs in French and world literature-Choice
Porter's solic contribution deserves a place in all academic libraries supporting serious literary scholarship.-Catholic Library World
"Porter's solic contribution deserves a place in all academic libraries supporting serious literary scholarship."-Catholic Library World
"Anyone interested in Flaubert will enjoy reading the articles in this well-edited encyclopedia. They are engagingly written and thorough and reflect an intimate acquaintance with Flaubert's life and work ...belongs in all institutions with programs in French and world literature"-Choice

Author Bio

LAURENCE M. PORTER is Professor of French, Comparative Literature, and African Studies at Michigan State University. His previous books include Critical Essays on Gustave Flaubert (1986), The Crisis of French Symbolism (1990), and Approaches to Teaching Flaubert's Madame Bovary (1995). His articles have appeared in numerous journals, such as Nineteenth-Century French Studies, Studies in Romanticism, Comparative Literature Studies, and French Review.