Synopsis
Set amid the violent social upheaval of the Revolution of 1848, the novel tells of young Frederic Moreau's idealistic attraction to a married woman some years his senior. Smitten by his first sight of Madame Arnoux, Frederic idolizes her for many years, despite her refusal to encourage him and his own indecision. He befriends her husband, an art dealer, in order to be near her, and soon finds himself drawn first into Jacques Arnoux's heady social circle and then into his disastrous financial speculations.
Moreau's infatuation with Madame Arnoux is based on Flaubert's real-life infatuation. Moreau's cadre of friends run a gambit of the political and social classes of Revolutionary France. I found the relationship between Moreau and Jacques Arnoux to be rather weird. Not only does Moreau carry out an infatuation with Jacques's wife but also has an on-again-off-again relationship with Jacques's mistress.
Next up is Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ. Strangely enough I've never seen the movie. I had no idea it was based on a novel.
