Read about "A Simple Heart"
Class Discussion Questions:
- Given the fairly simple plot structure of this work, the narrative reads almost like a summary of what could have been a much more elaborate and detailed string of events. What is the effect of reading a story that does not, apparently, stop very long on any particular event?
- What about the details we DO get? Do they carry symbolic value, or are we expected to take the story at face value, the way would the unremarkable life of an average person?
- Is there a spiritual reality that Felicite can access or experience more than the other characters, or does the narrator merely suggest that she "sees" reality that way?
- Can we be interested in the life and struggles of Felicite? Is she interesting? If not, what are the implications of Flaubert's choice of protagonist?
