{"id":8519,"date":"2021-11-07T10:51:34","date_gmt":"2021-11-07T09:51:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/?p=8519"},"modified":"2021-11-26T18:12:22","modified_gmt":"2021-11-26T17:12:22","slug":"memoiren-eines-irren-gustave-flaubert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/2021\/11\/memoirs-of-a-mad-gustave-flaubert\/","title":{"rendered":"Memoirs of a Madman \u2022 Gustave Flaubert"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

With Madame Bovary<\/a>, Gustave Flaubert created a literary masterpiece that I have devoured and enjoyed several times. The book is widely known and remains very popular today\u2014and rightly so, because the novel is fascinating in every respect: in its style, its wonderful sentences, and, of course, its protagonist. I read Madame Bovary<\/em> in the excellent translation by Elisabeth Edl, who has since gone on to translate several more of Flaubert\u2019s works into German. After spending so many delightful hours with Emma, it was clear to me that I wanted to own each of them. A few weeks ago, a new translation was released again: Memoirs of a Madman<\/em>, a story Flaubert wrote at the young age of just sixteen. What awaits the reader and whether it\u2019s worth reading, you\u2019ll find out in this post.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A young man spends his vacation at a seaside resort, where he meets a woman he immediately falls in love with. Unfortunately, she is ten years older and married\u2014though that does little to dampen his passion. In this early story, Flaubert processes an encounter that seemingly happened to him in real life, one that profoundly influenced him as a person and, even more, his literary work.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I admit, I only skimmed the blurb\u2014actually, I read just this part: \u201cA young boy among the summer guests in Trouville observes a woman who fascinates him. When he rescues her dressing gown from the tide and returns it, he falls in love instantly. Maria, however, is ten years older than he is…\u201d. Anyone who has read Madame Bovary<\/a> knows that\u2019s more than enough to make you want to read the book. Flaubert was a French author of the 19th century, so it\u2019s clear that things will get quite intense. Men weep, throw themselves at women\u2019s feet, and passions overflow. Indeed, that\u2019s very much the case here. From the very first page, Flaubert turns up the emotional intensity. You can count on the French for that\u2014and as a dry, prosaic, rational German, it\u2019s always a pleasure for me to read.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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However, the book ultimately left me a bit disappointed. Of course, it would be unrealistic to expect another novel of the same caliber as Madame Bovary<\/a>. The story is rather short, barely 95 pages, with the remainder of the volume filled with letters Flaubert wrote between 1830 and 1852. These letters help make both his creative process and his personality a bit more tangible. Accordingly, the story itself feels rather slight in terms of plot\u2014there isn\u2019t much that happens. I had hoped for passionate encounters, emotional turmoil, and feverish infatuation ending in scandal. Unfortunately, there\u2019s little of that here; instead, Flaubert focuses on introspection, describing his own emotions. These are, of course, fiery, and the young Flaubert already shines with beautiful sentences and a deeply disillusioned, misanthropic tone that\u2019s delightful to read. One can clearly sense, both in the language and the themes, the early flickers of Madame Bovary<\/em>. For instance, when he describes how, during his college years, he had already given himself over to romantic literature and how novels like The Sorrows of Young Werther<\/a> moved him emotionally. It\u2019s quite reminiscent of Emma: \u201cSo she let herself be carried away by the meanderings of Lamartine, listening to the harps on the lakes, to the songs of dying swans, to the falling leaves, to the pure maidens ascending to heaven, and to the voice of the Eternal resounding through the valleys.\u201d (Madame Bovary<\/em>).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In addition to the short story, the book contains numerous letters that Flaubert wrote to close friends, above all his friend Ernest Chevalier. I found the letters quite entertaining, and together with the excellent notes, they provide a vivid glimpse into Flaubert\u2019s artistic development as well as his personal relationships. After all, he was in good company, socializing with George Sand (with whom Balzac also corresponded extensively) and even meeting Victor Hugo.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Furthermore, the book includes an extensive afterword on Flaubert by Wolfgang Matz, the book\u2019s editor. I had already read his The Art of Adultery<\/a>, in which he analyzes and insightfully explains the great novels about adulterous women. I enjoyed the afterword\u2014it also provides a good overview of Flaubert\u2019s artistic evolution. Matz notes that Flaubert was one of the first writers to shape his stories through style rather than plot, and that this was precisely what he aimed for. Readers learn how Flaubert, beginning with Memoirs of a Madman<\/em>, repeatedly explored the theme of infatuation with a married woman, developing it throughout his later works. However, the afterword also suffers from the typical overanalysis that intellectuals often fall into after dwelling too long on a topic. Flaubert\u2019s first story was the product of a beautiful woman who left him dazzled. Even in his letters, I don\u2019t see a genius so much as someone who loved to write, perfected his craft, and delighted in sensuality. Flaubert\u2019s novels are wonderful, but to me, he\u2019s no Balzac or Dumas. While he is often called the founder of the modern novel, that doesn\u2019t particularly resonate with me\u2014after all, I\u2019m still happily stuck in the 19th century when it comes to literature.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The book itself once again impresses with the excellent production quality typical of the Hanser Classics series. The fine typography alone now evokes memories of so many wonderful novels I\u2019ve read that it feels like balm for the soul. Elisabeth Edl\u2019s notes are, as always, highly insightful, and it\u2019s a pleasure to read them and learn more about Flaubert and the background of the story. As a whole, the book leaves nothing to be desired, and I never tire of praising the Hanser Classics for that.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Conclusion:<\/strong> Flaubert\u2019s first short novel entertained me but didn\u2019t entirely captivate me. The language is beautiful, passionate, and typical of the emotional French authors of his era. The story itself, however, feels rather shallow\u2014and just as it begins to pick up, it\u2019s already over. The letters and afterword are informative, offering a strong insight into Flaubert\u2019s development as a writer and a fragmented glimpse into his life. The edition itself features the usual superb design that defines the Hanser Classics series, which I deeply appreciate. Overall, it\u2019s an enjoyable but brief read that will appeal mainly to Flaubert enthusiasts. Those new to Flaubert should definitely start with Madame Bovary<\/a>. If you\u2019ve already read his A Sentimental Education<\/em> and still can\u2019t get enough of Flaubert, this book is highly recommended. And if, like me, you own all of Elisabeth Edl\u2019s new Flaubert translations, you should absolutely get Memoirs of a Madman<\/em>\u2014it\u2019s a perfect addition to the collection.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Book Information:<\/strong> Memoirs of a Madman<\/em> \u2022 Gustave Flaubert \u2022 Hanser Verlag \u2022 240 pages \u2022 ISBN 9783446268456<\/p>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert created a literary masterpiece that I have devoured and enjoyed several times. The book is widely known and remains very popular today\u2014and rightly so, because the novel is fascinating in every respect: in its style, its wonderful sentences, and, of course, its protagonist. I read Madame Bovary in the excellent … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Memoirs of a Madman \u2022 Gustave Flaubert”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"slim_seo":{"title":"Memoiren eines Irren \u2022 Gustave Flaubert - lesestunden","description":"Mit Madame Bovary ist Gustave Flaubert ein literarisches Meisterwerk gelungen, das ich mehrfach verschlungen und sehr genossen habe. Das Buch ist weitl\u00e4ufig bek"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,20],"tags":[24],"class_list":["post-8519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-classics","category-reviews","tag-gustave-flaubert"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/memoiren_eines_irren_1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}