Sentimental Education

The young Frederick Moreau sets out for Paris to start his career, holding a letter of recommendation to a banker and the address of a friend. But when his introduction is unsuccessful, he finds himself at the shop of the art dealer Jacques Arnoux, where he meets Arnoux’s wife. Thus begins Frederick’s romantic obsession with the older, unattainable Mme. Arnoux, an obsession that plays out against the backdrop of a colorful cast of characters and the Revolution of 1848. Though staying mostly in the shadow of Madame Bovary, Sentimental Education was praised by authors like George Sand and Émile Zola. Frederick, said to be based on Flaubert himself, is a kind of anti-hero in the sense that his character is unsympathetic and passive; thus, the novel is actually propelled more by the supporting characters, which are numerous and span a range of personalities and social classes. Flaubert uses them to illustrate how he viewed the character and moral fiber of his generation.