Gustave Flaubert, born on December 12, 1821, in Rouen, France, was a highly influential figure in 19th-century literature. His meticulous approach to writing and storytelling set new standards for Realism and eventually Modernism, influencing the likes of Marcel Proust and James Joyce. Flaubert’s most famous work, Madame Bovary, is often cited as a landmark in 19th-century fiction, but his contribution extends beyond this novel. A Simple Heart is one of the most famous examples of his work in the medium of short stories.

Gustave Flaubert was born into an affluent bourgeois family. His father, Achille Cléophas Flaubert, was the chief surgeon at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Rouen. Flaubert’s mother, Anne Justine Caroline Fleuriot, came from a prosperous family of physicians. Despite the family’s financial stability, Flaubert experienced a difficult childhood marked by health issues and a sense of detachment from his surroundings. Flaubert’s early education was eclectic. He attended the Collège Royal in Rouen, where he developed an interest in literature and formed lifelong friendships with like-minded individuals, including future writer Ernest Feydeau. Later, he studied law in Paris but found it unfulfilling, leading him to dedicate himself to literature. Flaubert embarked on a journey to become a writer, a decision supported by his family’s financial backing.