Gustave Flaubert was born on 12 December 1821 in Rouen. A French novelist, Flaubert is best remembered for Madame Bovary, the story of a provincial doctor's wife whose romantic illusions lead to ruin. The book led to a trial for offending public morals in 1857, from which he was acquitted, and it became a landmark of literary realism. He was famous for his painstaking search for the exact word, and he also wrote Sentimental Education, Salammbo and the short stories of Three Tales. His methods and his insistence on style over message influenced writers such as Maupassant, Zola and Henry James.
Before and after
- 5 May 1821Founding of The Guardian
- 5 May 1821Death of Napoleon
- 12 August 1821Founding of University of Buenos Aires
- 30 October 1821Birth of Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- 12 December 1821Birth of Gustave Flaubert
- 1822Chios massacre
- 1822Invention of difference engine
- from 18 February 1822 to 8 March 1824Brazilian War of Independence
- from April 1822 to September 1823Royalist War
More in Art, literature & culture
- from 18th century to 19th centuryRomanticism
- 1830Publication of Book of Mormon
- 1890Rise of Art Nouveau
- c. 1900sRise of Expressionism
- 1907Rise of cubism
- c. 1910sRise of Dada
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.