Gustave Flaubert died on 8 May 1880 in Croisset, aged 58. 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
- from c. 1880s to 1920sNew Imperialism
- from 1880 to 1910Rise of Arts and Crafts movement
- 26 January 1880Birth of Douglas MacArthur
- April 1880Founding of National Bank of Romania
- 8 May 1880Death of Gustave Flaubert
- 4 June 1880Introduction of Bulgarian lev
- 27 June 1880Birth of Helen Keller
- 6 October 1880Founding of University of Southern California
- 15 October 1880Construction of Cologne Cathedral
More in Art, literature & culture
- 10 August 1793Construction of Louvre Museum
- 1 November 1800Construction of White House
- 17 November 1869Construction of Suez Canal
- 1886Statue of Liberty
- 1894Radio
- c. 1900sRise of modernism
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.