George Eliot's "Silas Marner" and Gustave Flaubert's "Un Coeur Simple": a Comparative Study of the Theme of Simplicity

Abstract

This comparative study aims to investigate the realist theme of simplicity as it is conceived and applied by two well-known nineteenth-century European writers in two illustrative works, namely George Eliot’s "Silas Marner" and Gustave Flaubert’s "Un Coeur Simple". After having provided an introductory definition of realism and having presented the major modes and themes being employed by European realist authors, the first chapter will primarily focus on the culture of realism in Great Britain and France in order to trace the similarities and differences featuring George Eliot’s and Gustave Flaubert’s ideas of realism. As a matter of fact, in spite of their different aesthetic philosophies leading to the use of opposite literary devices, several connections will be identified in terms of thematic choices and characterization. These parallelisms will be further investigated in the second chapter, where the main social aspects of simplicity such as the depiction of rural settings, the role of the Industrial Revolution and the authors’ minute portrayal of humble characters will be significantly explored. Since the writers’ greatness also lies in their psychological portrayals of simplicity, the third chapter will be especially centred on the analysis of the two protagonists, namely Silas and Félicité, so that the psychological construction of their marginalization being dictated by the countless adversities to which they are subjected can lead to explain the pivotal role of Silas’ Eppie and Félicité’s parrot as sources of sympathy and subsequent redemption. All the aforementioned reasons will thus contribute to concluding that Eliot and Flaubert are properly regarded as pioneers of the modern novel.