Thursday, December 3, 2009

Gustave Flaubert; Style in His Writing


In Gustave Flaubert's novel, A Simple Soul, he incorporates personification in his frequent and elaborate descriptions. "The sleepy waves lapping the sand unfurled themselves along the shore that extended as far as the eye could see, but where the land began, it was limited by the downs which separated it from the "Swamp," a large meadow shaped like a hippodrome" (chapter 2). This sentence uses "sleepy", "lapping", and "unfurled", to describe a beach, clearly personifying it, while giving the text life and a more meaningful description.

Flaubert's descriptions are so clear, that he makes a mental picture for the reader, often using more than one of the five senses. "When the heat was too oppressive....dazzling sunlight....not a sound in the village..." (chapter 2).

Flaubert also has a habit of jumping from one topic quickly to another, for example, he was describing the beach, and then suddenly Felicite has found one of her sisters, and then Paul is going to a college.

His chapters also start with the last idea or event that took place in the end of the last chapter. This makes his thoughts run together, creating one long story, instead of a separate event in each section.

He gives his main character, Felicite, a personality that builds each chapter. He develops the character with each new event that takes place, and seems to bring her to life with his realistic and simple descriptions.

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