Sentimental Education (Flaubert) summary

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Summary of Flaubert's Sentimental Education

Jorn Barger October 2002

novel's internal timeline

1 franc in 1850 was equal to about $4 today (20 sous, 100 centimes)

1787-1874: Francois Guizot (took leading role 1840-1848) [bio] [extract] [pic] [bust]

1818: Captain Deslauriers leaves infantry, marries at Nogent

1819: birth of Charles Deslauriers
1822: birth of Frederic Moreau

1833: CD's father sells position as magistrate's clerk; CD's mother dies; move to Dijon, then Troyes (30 miles ese of Nogent)

c1834: 50yo Roque lives with Eleonore, Louise born, R marries E
1834: 12yo FM meets 15yo CD at Sens school
1837: FM takes CD home for holidays; CD studies law in Paris
no-date: CD's allowance cut off by father, takes clerking job at Troyes

1840: calendar
1840: 13Jan: death by poisoning of Charles Lefarge (trial lasted 22 months: info)

1840: Sep: 18yo FM matriculates
1840: 10Sep? FM visits uncle in Le Havre

part one

ch1:
1840: 15Sep: Tue: 6am: FM aboard Ville-de-Montereau steamship at Quai St-Bernard in Paris; FM meets Arnoux family

1840: 15Sep-15Nov? FM stays at Nogent-sur-Seine
1840: 29Oct: Guizot achieves power

[French] [tr]

ch3:
1840: 15Nov? FM returns to Paris, attends classes for two weeks
1841: calendar
1841: 01Jan: Fri: FM's card ignored by Arnoux
1841: winter: FM starts (but abandons) novel 'Sylvio'
1841: spring: FM passes exams, takes different rooms

[French] [tr]

ch4:
1841: Dec: FM meets Hussonet at demonstration
1842: calendar
1842: Jan? Hussonet re-introduces FM to Arnoux and Pellerin
1842: CD returns to Paris with inheritance; FM dines with Arnoux

[French] [tr]

ch5:
FM and CD roommates
1842: Aug: FM fails exams
1842: Aug-Nov: FM tedium
1842: late Nov: FM walks with MA, resumes Thursday dinners at Arnoux's

Alhambra party; FM considers suicide

1842: Dec: FM exam?
1842: 24Dec: Sat: Arnoux name-day dinner party in St-Cloud
1843: calendar
1843: Jan?-Aug: FM studies harder
1843: Feb: FM exam?
1843: Aug: CD passes oral for doctorate; FM passes exam, meets Dambreuse
1843: Aug: FM visits mother, learns of reduced means

[French] [tr]

ch6:
1843: Nov? FM takes job in Nogent (6 hateful months), flirts w/9yo Louise

"She... stretched out on the bed and lay there at full length, with her eyes open. 'I'm pretending I'm your wife,' she said."

CD takes Senecal as roommate
CD fails teachers' exam

1844: calendar

CD's legal obsession, quits clerking job
Arnoux's fall, pottery business

FM's uncle visits; FM refuses Roque's invitation to Dambreuse's

1845: calendar

1845: 12Dec: FM inherits uncle's fortune (27k francs/yr), leaves immediately for Paris

[French] [tr]

part two

ch1:
1845: 13Dec: FM arrives Paris, spends day looking for Arnoux
1845: 14Dec: FM spends day looking for Regimbart, visits Arnoux
1845: 15Dec: FM lunches with CD, buys clothes
1845: 16Dec-18Dec: FM to Le Havre
1845: 18Dec: Arnoux takes FM to Rosanette's

"An old buck, dressed as a Doge of Venice in a long cassock of purple silk, was dancing with Mme Rosanette, who wore a green tunic, knitted breeches, and soft top boots with gold spurs."

[French] [tr]

ch2:
FM rents house, spends 40k francs ($160k); visits Dambreuse but unimpressed by wealthy chat; visits Rosanette in her dressing-room

"...in a melodramatic tone, and rolling the r, she added: 'Do not tr-r-r-ust her!'" [Rosanette of Mlle Vatnaz]

visits Arnoux

Sunday house-warming party, generosity fails to win respect of acquaintances

Monday visits Mme Arnoux

1846: calendar

frequent visits to Rosanette's; also to Mme Arnoux

"On Sunday there were charades-- and Rosanette, wilder than the rest, excelled in comic invention: she would go on all fours, or put a comic night-cap on her head."

FM almost gets Arnoux to hire Senecal

FM decides to pursue Rosanette seriously, plots portrait-sittings, brings RB to 1st sitting some days later; walking home FM remembers walking with MA (Nov42), Hus and Des convince FM to promise 15k francs for 'Art' paper (income down to 23k/yr)

FM approaches Dambreuse, invited to party; Dam hints at business, Mme Dam flirts, Martinon serious

RB throws out Oudry but refuses to see FM, Vatnaz tells FM she's with Delmar, incites him to tell JA, JA and MA are fighting about RB's shawl, FM defends JA to MA, also RB to JA

                                x                            x
                                x                            x
              xxxx              x                            x
              xxxx  Nogent-poor x                            x
              xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  xxxxx                     x
0 1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     0     1     2
|     part one                  |  part two  |   part three
12333334444455555566666666666666123333344566611122222222223333444445

[French] [tr]

ch3
Dam offers FM shares, but FM stays away, pursues MA (and JA)
JA financial scandal

JA tells MA that RB is FM's mistress
FM gives JA 15k

FM dives into history of Renaissance

1847: calendar

1847: early Apr: MA visits FM to ask help with Dam

[French] [tr]

ch4: FM takes RB to races, seen by MA and Mme Dam, Cisy takes RB home

Pellerin trying to find taker for portrait of RB; JA fires Senecal

mention of king's birthday (06Oct)

dinner with Cisy, duel

ch4:
1847: late Jun: FM goes to party at Dambreuses', rages against conservatives

FM reconciled with CD

1847: late Jul: FM loses 60k on coal, returns to Nogent to see Louise

[French] [tr]

ch5:
CD flirts with MA; FM flirts with Louise

[French] [tr]

ch6:
1847: late Aug:

1848: calendar
1848: Jan: rising at Palermo
1848: 23Feb: change of government

[French] [tr]

part three

ch1

1848: 23Jun: Sat:

24Jun-26Jun: June Days, suppressed by Cavaignac [info]

ch2:

1849: calendar

1850: calendar

[French] [tr]

ch3

FM seeks MA, RB interrupts, pregnant

FM begins to court Mme Dam

1850: May: Martinon marries Dam's niece

FM meets CD

1851: calendar

[French] [tr]

ch4:
1851: winter: Mme Dam introduces FM to society
1851: 12Feb: Dam dies, Mme Dam proposes to FM
1851: 13Feb: FM arranges funeral
1851: 14Feb: funeral
1851: 15Feb: Mme Dam discovers will gone, FM accepts; son born to RB

1851: mid-Jun: RB financial troubles

death of son

JA financial troubles

[French] [tr]

ch5

1851: late-Nov: MA's furniture to be sold

1851: 02Dec: Louis Napoleon's coup

[French] [tr]

ch6:
1867: Mar: MA visits FM for last time

[French] [tr]

ch7:
1867: winter: FM and CD nostalgia

[French] [tr]

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Flaubert: intro timeline map prices
Madame Bovary: intro bilingual metaphors Byatt
Salammbo: intro Polybius
Sentimental Education: intro summary
St Anthony: intro history bilingual
Three Tales: intro Julian Simple Soul Herodias
Bouvard and Pecuchet: intro
Dictionary of Received Ideas: English analysis bilingual French

History pages:
Master timeline: universal
Graphing human history: lifelines
Internet Timelines Project: XML-theory
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