Three Tales

First published in 1877, these three stories are dominated by questions of doubt, love, loneliness and religious experience, and together form a triumphant conclusion to Flauberts literary career. With elegant simplicity, A Simple Heart relates the story of Filiciti - an uneducated serving-woman who retains her Catholic faith despite a life of desolation and loss. Inspired by a stained-glass window in Rouen cathedral, The Legend of Saint Julian Hospitator describes the fate of Julian, a sadistic hunter destined to murder his own parents. The blend of faith and cruelty that dominates this story may also be found in Herodias - a reworking of the tale of Salomi and John the Baptist.