hhh6's Full Review: Julian Barnes - Flaubert's Parrot
I just recently read Flaubert's Parrot in an English Comparative Literature course and the book ultimately received mixed reviews from the students in the class. I would venture to say that the appeal of this novel is an acquired taste. The novel examines the fine line between fact and fiction. The author uses an eclectic mix of historical accounts and fantastic situations to convey the theme.
What most students found perplexing about the novel is that it is an apparent account of Flaubert's life--complete with chronologies, diary entries, and excerpts from his book--yet the fictional narrator, Braithwaite, splices fact with a fiction.
Every chapter in the book is an incongruous attempt at uncovering a piece to the puzzle of truth and fiction. This exploration for the truth is ultimately tied into the title by a parrot. Braithwaite develops a seeming infatuation with finding the actual stuffed parrot that Flaubert describes in one of his books.
I don't want to give away the ending just in case you have an interest in reading the novel. However, pay special attention to the chapter entitled "Pure Story." For me, it captures the essence of the novel.Stylistically, I would have to say that Barnes is a rather quirky writer. I really enjoy is sarcastic flavor and tongue-in-cheek humor. Nevertheless, he runs into some trouble at the beginning of the novel when it isn't clear whether the book is a historical account of Flaubert's life or whether it is an account of the fictional narrator's life.
A kind of detective story, relating a cranky amateur scholar's search for the truth about Gustave Flaubert, and the obsession of this detective whose ...More at HotBookSale
A kind of detective story, relating a cranky amateur scholar's search for the truth about Gustave Flaubert, and the obsession of this detective whose ...More at HotBookSale
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