
Three Tales: A Simple Heart, Saint Julian the Hospitalier and Herodias (Complete Edition) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. From Normandy to Judea: Realist and Biblical Tales of FateBy Gustave FlaubertLength5h 14m
About this audiobook
In Three Tales, Gustave Flaubert gathers three compact masterpieces that display the extraordinary range of his late art: "A Simple Heart," the luminous yet unsentimental life of the servant Félicité; "Saint Julian the Hospitalier," a medieval legend rendered with jewel-like precision; and "Herodias," a severe, sensuous reconstruction of the world of John the Baptist. Written in Flaubert's exacting prose, the tales unite realism, hagiography, and historical imagination, standing at the crossroads of nineteenth-century realism, symbolism, and modern short fiction. Flaubert, best known for Madame Bovary and his lifelong pursuit of le mot juste, composed these stories in the 1870s, after years of artistic struggle, personal loss, and historical disillusionment following the Franco-Prussian War. His fascination with faith, violence, exotic antiquity, and ordinary devotion finds here a distilled form, shaped by immense research and disciplined impersonality. This complete edition is ideal for readers seeking Flaubert beyond the novel: concise, varied, and profound. It rewards lovers of literary craftsmanship, moral ambiguity, and prose that transforms humble lives and ancient legends into enduring art.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- The Author Biography highlights personal milestones and literary influences that shape the entire body of writing.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
GenreGeneral Fiction, Literary Classics
Length5 hrs 14 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateMay 11, 2015
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
6Three Tales: A Simple Heart, Saint Julian the Hospitalier and Herodias (Complete Edition) (pt. 1)
2Introduction
7Three Tales: A Simple Heart, Saint Julian the Hospitalier and Herodias (Complete Edition) (pt. 2)
3Author Biography
8Analysis
4Historical Context
9Reflection
5Synopsis (Selection)
10Memorable Quotes