Project Gutenberg 2014-09-20 Public domain in the USA. 431 Flaubert, Gustave 1821 1880 Bouvard and Pécuchet: A Tragi-comic Novel of Bourgeois Life, part 2 Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouvard_et_P%C3%A9cuchet Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images available at The Internet Archive) "Bouvard and Pécuchet: A Tragi-comic Novel of Bourgeois Life" by Gustave Flaubert is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story follows two middle-aged clerks, Bouvard and Pécuchet, who, after coming into an inheritance, abandon their previous lives to pursue a multitude of interests, ultimately leading them to the study of various aspects of knowledge, religion, and education. The book explores themes of ambition, the absurdity of attempts to acquire knowledge, and the futility of the bourgeois aspiration for self-improvement. The opening of the text introduces us to Bouvard and Pécuchet after they've experienced the mundane routines of their earlier lives. Both characters are depicted as somewhat hapless yet earnest as they navigate the complexities of newfound interests, including their dabbling in religious practices, art, and philosophy. Their initial attempts to engage with pious texts and rituals reflect their longing for meaning and fulfillment in life, revealing their character's deep desire for connection and understanding. The tone is a blend of tragedy and comedy as their earnest endeavors often come to comical failures, setting the stage for their exploration of both enlightenment and folly that will unfold throughout the novel. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 71.3 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en France -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction French fiction -- Translations into English Middle class -- France -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction Middle class -- France -- Retirement -- Fiction PQ Text Browsing: Culture/Civilization/Society Browsing: Literature Browsing: Fiction Category: Novels Category: French Literature 502926 2025-06-19T04:07:24.366728 text/html 488311 2024-10-24T10:54:18 text/html 1343895 2025-06-19T04:07:32.463679 application/epub+zip 1349682 2025-06-19T04:07:25.630705 application/epub+zip 259593 2025-06-19T04:07:24.930700 application/epub+zip 1509370 2025-06-19T04:07:37.703687 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1471460 2025-06-19T04:07:31.758691 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 384633 2022-09-21T10:20:57.395569 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 461244 2025-06-19T04:07:23.340762 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 480010 2024-11-28T10:48:33 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17783 2025-06-19T04:07:37.864653 application/rdf+xml 18247 2025-06-19T04:07:25.031723 image/jpeg 3152 2025-06-19T04:07:24.981701 image/jpeg 1243639 2025-06-19T04:07:24.434711 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog fr.wikipedia en.wikipedia