Complete Works of Gustave Flaubert, Volume 5: The Temptation of Saint Anthony

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

Rating 4.5
Word count
287K words
Chapters
29

Tags

Foreign Language Books Foreign Literature Temptation RedemptionComplex HumanitySpiritual PracticeSpiritual QuestMoral DilemmaAesthetic StyleReligious AllegoryExotic CultureFrench LiteratureSymbolism

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.Œuvres complètes de Gustave Flaubert, tome 5: La tentation de saint AntoineAuthor: Flaubert, Gustave, 1821-1880,Language: French, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Jun 22, 2018

Editor's review

This volume is the fifth in the complete works of Gustave Flaubert and contains The Temptation of Saint Anthony. It is an electronic edition of the French original, published by Project Gutenberg. Unlike Flaubert's novels on contemporary life, this work centers on the visions and spiritual trials Saint Anthony undergoes in the desert, blending religious, philosophical, and ancient pagan imagery, and its structure resembles an alternation of dramatic monologue and scenes. Reading it reveals Flaubert's extreme craftsmanship in style, sensory description, and intellectual struggle, and it is an important text for understanding his creative ambitions. The French original preserves the linguistic texture the author refined over many years and is suited to slow reading by readers with some French. As a public-domain e-book, it is convenient for searching and comparative study, but it lacks modern annotations and an introduction, so readers must supply the background knowledge themselves.

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Reading tips

  1. Read a biography of Flaubert or background on the work first, then enter the text, to reduce obstacles to understanding.
  2. Read section by section by scene, noting the intellectual threads and recurring images among the visions.
  3. Read it against realistic works such as Madame Bovary to appreciate the difference in the author's style.
  4. Readers with weaker French are advised to use a reliable Chinese translation alongside, advancing paragraph by paragraph.

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29

FAQ

How does this work differ from Flaubert's novels? The Temptation of Saint Anthony does not center on realistic plot but unfolds around the visions and spiritual trials Saint Anthony experiences in the desert, with religious, philosophical, and ancient pagan imagery; its structure approaches an alternation of scenes and monologues, reflecting another dimension of Flaubert's stylistic pursuit.
Can I read this book without knowing French? This electronic edition is the French original and contains no annotations or parallel translation. Readers without French will find it difficult to read directly; they are advised first to consult a reliable Chinese translation for the content and then study the original alongside it. French learners can use it as close-reading material.
Why choose this electronic edition? This edition is a public-domain e-book from Project Gutenberg, freely available, and its text is easy to copy, search, and use for comparative study. The drawback is the absence of a modern introduction and detailed annotations, so readers need to supply their own knowledge of Flaubert's life, the work's background, and religious culture.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

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.