Œuvres complètes de Gustave Flaubert, tome 3: L'éducation sentimentale, v. 1

"L'éducation sentimentale, v. 1" by Gustave Flaubert is a novel published in 1869. Set against the backdrop of the 1848 revolution, it follows Frédéric Moreau, an eighteen-year-old provincial who comes to Paris for his studies. There he falls deeply in love with Marie Arnoux, a married woman, while navigating friendships, politics, and the changing tides of French society. Through this unrequited passion and life's contingencies, Frédéric gradually burns through his romantic illusions in what Flaubert conceived as a portrait of an entire generation.