FLAUBERT GUSTAVE: (1821-1880) French Novelist. Widely considered the leading exponent of the literar...

FLAUBERT GUSTAVE: (1821-1880) French Novelist. Widely considered the leading exponent of the literar...

FLAUBERT GUSTAVE: (1821-1880) French Novelist. Widely considered the leading exponent of the literary realism. Best-known for his debut novel Madame Bovary (1857). An excellent and lengthy A.L.S., `Ton Gustave´, eight pages, 4to, Croisset, Wednesday 3h, 29th December 1852, to Louise Colet, the date is in her hand, in French. An exceptional literary content letter, where Flaubert expresses lengthy opinions and sends his literary advices to his muse and correspondent Louise Colet. At that time Flaubert is working on his Madame Bovary, and together with his friend Louis Bouilhet, makes a deep literary analyse of each verse of Paysanne, a feminist poem by Colet. Flaubert states in part `Always remember these great words of Vauvenargues ''the correction is the varnish of the masters''´, further explaining which parts he considers excellent, which he considers too long, and saying `I am going to be, as I use to, unmerciful. This way of working is making me succeed and won´t consider changing it. Do you know that you make me feel proud, my poor beloved heart, when I see you following my advices and creating beautiful things. Let´s work and leave tenderness aside..´ Flaubert lists 23 points, numbering them, including corrections, duplications, naivety to avoid, poetic expressions, etc.. and states in part `Make the corrections indicated previously and send us back a legible manuscript. Most probably we will still find things to say. But it will be the last revision. You will at least have a good thing, a written and touching work, durable and yours…´ further on and before concluding Flaubert states `We will not see it before the end of January, the earliest, my poor beloved. Ma B.[Madame Bovary] is progressing so slowly! I do not complete four pages per week, it is still a long way.. However, I want to progress and do not want to spend the next whole winter. What a pyramid to stir for me, such a 500 pages book! A boldly written letter of excellent content, with corrections. Accompanied by the original envelope addressed in Flaubert´s hand, with two post ink stamps and bearing to the verso a red wax seal. VG  £15000-20000

Louise Colet (1810-1876) French Poet. Lover of Victor Cousin, Alfred de Musset and Flaubert. At her salon used to meet contemporaries in the Parisian literary community, including Victor Hugo. When Louise broke with Flaubert, she was so angered that she wrote a novel, `Lui´, in an effort to target the French author. Flaubert's letters to her, especially between 1851 and 1855, are a precious source of information on the progress of the writing of Madame Bovary. In others, Flaubert gives lengthy appreciations and critical comments on the poems that Louise Colet sent to him for his judgment before offering them for publication. The present letter is a good example of this.