Salammbo

Flaubert, Gustave, 1821-1880Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.2

Word count: 611K words
Chapters: 62

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Salammbo by Gustave FlaubertAuthor: Flaubert, Gustave, 1821-1880,Language: English, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Feb 11, 2006

Editor's review

Salammbo is Flaubert's bold turn to ancient subject matter after Madame Bovary, set against the Mercenary War of Carthage and unfurling a canvas of pagan ritual, siege bloodshed, and entangled desire. The novel's value lies not in smooth plotting but in Flaubert's extreme refinement of color, objects, rituals, and crowd scenes: like an archaeologist and a painter at once, he pushes a strange ancient city before the reader's eyes. It demands patience, because the narrative is often interrupted by elaborate description and unfamiliar historical terms, yet precisely these details constitute the novel's distinctive aesthetic power. For readers wanting to understand how Flaubert moved from modern manners to ancient imagination, this book offers a key sample; for those who prefer tight storytelling, it may be a challenge. Treat it as a mural to be viewed slowly rather than a plot-driven drama to be raced through.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the full range of Flaubert's work and his non-manners subjects
Literature lovers who enjoy ancient historical settings and exotic atmosphere
Classic-literature readers who accept elaborate description and are willing to read slowly
Students studying how nineteenth-century French fiction imagined the ancient world

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking tight plotting and fast-moving narrative
Those with little patience for ancient place names and ritual descriptions
Readers hoping for realist material like Madame Bovary

Reading tips

Gain a rough background on Carthage and the Mercenary War before entering the text.
Don't try to memorize every unfamiliar term; first feel how scenes and colors are organized.
Read one chapter at a time and revisit key ritual or siege passages afterward.
Read with a map or historical overview to help locate spaces and power relations.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this novel hard to read?

There is a threshold. Flaubert uses abundant descriptions of ancient objects, rituals, and place names, and the narrative pace is not driven by tight plotting. If you are used to fast-paced fiction, the first few dozen pages may feel strange and slow. Accept its mural-like approach rather than trying to grasp every historical detail at once.

Can I read this without having read other Flaubert works?

Yes. Its subject differs greatly from Madame Bovary and does not depend on prior works. But if you have first read one of Flaubert's modern-subject works, it will be easier to appreciate why he turned to ancient imagination and how extreme his care in description is.

What should I note when reading the Gutenberg edition?

This is a free electronic text without modern annotations or maps. When encountering unfamiliar place names or ritual terms, skip them first rather than interrupting your reading; if you want to go deeper, find a historical overview as support. Use a reader with adjustable font size and read in segments to avoid being worn down by dense description.

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About the author

Flaubert, Gustave, 1821-1880 Author

Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880) was a French novelist known for his precise, restrained narrative style. His masterpiece Madame Bovary, through the tragedy of Emma, a provincial woman, examines the conflict between ordinary life and romantic illusion; controversial upon publication, it later became a classic of realist literature. Another important work, Trois contes, includes A Simple Heart and other stories, displaying his refined craft and devotion to style and detail. The novel L'Éducation sentimentale uses the experiences of a young man, Frédéric, to reflect the spirit of the era. The library holds thirty-three of his works, including multiple editions of Madame Bovary and portions of his collected works, showing his enduring value for reading and research. Public information is limited, so biographical details are omitted; the above focuses on subject matter, writing style, and literary influence.