Œuvres complètes de Gustave Flaubert, tome 7: Bouvard et Pécuchet by Flaubert

Description

Bouvard et Pécuchet by Gustave Flaubert is a novel written in the late 19th century. This work follows the lives of two clerks, Bouvard and Pécuchet, who, after coming into a modest inheritance, leave their mundane lives in Paris to pursue various studies and ambitions in a rural setting. The central theme of the book appears to critique the folly of their endless pursuits across different fields of knowledge and the futility of human understanding. The opening of the novel sets the stage for a detailed exploration of Flaubert’s perspective on knowledge and the absurdity of human endeavors. Bouvard and Pécuchet, after forming a close friendship, decide to buy a farm and immerse themselves in rigorous intellectual curiosity. They embark on a whimsical journey through various fields of study—ranging from gardening to chemistry and philosophy—only to find that their attempts to grasp life’s complexities lead to disappointment and confusion. Flaubert’s detailed descriptions foreshadow a satirical critique of humanity’s relentless quest for knowledge and the many contradictions inherent in understanding science and life. (This is an automatically generated summary.)