Home › European › The First Sentimental Education

The First Sentimental Education

by Gustave Flaubert

An early Flaubert novel of desire and disappointed ideals

Regular price $58.88 USD
Regular price $58.88 USD Sale price $58.88 USD

Paperback New English

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

AlbakiReads Editorial

An early Flaubert novel of desire and disappointed ideals

Flaubert traces Frédéric Moreau’s formative attachment to the married Mme Arnoux, a devotion shaped by youthful idealism and constrained by her loyalty to her husband. That initial disappointment sets a pattern for the novel’s wider examination of frustrated love, stalled ambition, and political hopes tested against lived reality. Presented as a classic of French literature, the book links private longing with a young man’s growing disenchantment in both personal and social spheres.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in classic French literature
  • Those drawn to novels of unfulfilled love and disillusionment
  • Readers exploring Flaubert’s early work

Themes

Idealized loveDisillusionmentYouthful ambitionSocial progress and reality

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

The protagonist, Frederic Moreau, and his beloved, Mme Arnoux, are based on Flaubert's youthful infatuation with an older married woman. Frederic's puppy love for Mme Arnoux is at first steadfast and idealistic, and she remains faithful to her rather frivolous husband. Frederic's love ends in disillusionment, as do the subsequent passions of his life. His youthful ambitions lead to failure and boredom, and his idealistic views of social progress are disappointed by reality.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1972.
Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews