The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-08-25

of his day, had a strong literary edu-
cation. Even at an early hour his love
of literature had taken hold of his
very emotional nature. Fostered by a
glowing romanticiSm, it colored and
distorted his views of existence, intensi-
flying his predisposition for extraordi-
nary and exotic life. Hence his extern
sive travels in the Orient, in Corsica
and Tunis. The romantic literature
fired his enthusiasm for the unusual,
while his stay in Paris as law stu
dent put him in touch with art in its
highest forms. His devotion to litera-
ture and art came to assume the inten-
sity of a religion, yet in all periods the
scientific spirit kept a strong hold upon
him. Love of truth and of the beauti-
full was his all-absorbing passion. His
travels deepened. but did not change
the man. An early development of cpl
lepsy was probably the supreme deter
mining factor of his life and thought
and work. The great forces which
might have wrought his ethical saliva
ton were shut out. Henceforth he
lived a relatively secluded life among a
few friends and his books. The rest of
the world had no interest for him ex
cept as the butt of a Neronian con-
tempt The sufferings of his time and
the great problem of his age left him
found horror of the most legitimate
utilitarian aims, viewed the world as
pessimist and often in moments of in
dignant Juror hurled. like a maniac, the
daggers of his rage at the French
bourgeoisie. He could not have said
with Wordsworth. "a deep distress
hath humaniZed my soul" Possessed
of a sufficient income he labored with
remarkable patience. engrossed by his
49, IL IL, .f lit -
was Madame Bovary' in 1857. ''Sa-
lammbo" in 1862, Sentimental Educa-
ton" in 1869. 'St. Anthony's Tempta-
ton" in 1874, three short stories
"Herodias.' st. Julian the Hospitable"
and "A Simple Heart" in 1877, "Bou-
ward and Pecuchet" in 1881, though his
death had occurred in 1880.
Mime. Bovary'' is a study of provin-
cial life. 1t is the most perfect realistic
novel in French literature-the master
piece of poet, a stylist and a rare OBJ
server. all in one. Mgr Dupanloup said
of it: 1T is true like TRUTH Some
one asked how he knew that. We'll"
he answered, when l was a priest in
the country, l heard the confession of
many women" Flaubert's lynx-eyed
powers of observation were concentrat-
ed upon Nine. Bovary, whose life of
moral weakness and wickedness he
sketched with flawless accuracy and
literary perfection.
"Salammbo" takes us into another
world. Instead of portraiture of Nor
man life we are ushered into Cartha-
ginian antiquity. Carthage is repre-
scented with most minute details-fruits
of a tireless erudition-as it was at the
time of the War of Mercenaries. which
the first Punic war. Salamm-
DO, a young Carthaginian priestess,
plays the usual part of Flaubert's wo-
men amid the scenes of accumulated
horrors and cruelties with which that
war is associated. II is rather an arch
geological study than a novel. the ficti-
tious element being slight. The hero
inc is an exquisite charcoal design upon
a most able and most conscientious his
torical reconstruction.
The Sentimental Education" an in
named novel, is an attempt
to sketch the Partisan life of the last
half of Louis Philippe's reign. when
Flaubert was a student in the French
capital. Notwithstanding its great
qualities of observation. and. above all,
Of style and description, the personages
are lifeless. The book is poorly COM
posed, and yet one feels the touch of
strong hand 1t is interesting as
masters failure.
st Anthony's Temptation" is
novel of historical psychology. There
are those who have considered it an
lllegorical prose poem to be classified
next after Goethe's Faust" 1t is a
very great and very odd book. in which |
he author had accumulated descrip- |
lions of inner religious life and former |
beliefs which would do well in a vol |
Ime of historical theology, but not in a |