Flaubert's first novel

L{u2019}Éducation sentimentale, begun in 1843 and finished after two substantial interruptions in 1845, was Flaubert{u2019}s first attempt at a full-scale novel. Though overshadowed by the 1869 novel of the same title, it is a crucially important text in Flaubert{u2019}s literary development. Alan Raitt provides a controversial new reading of the book{u2019}s genesis and development, and addresses many of the misapprehensions that have grown up around this pivotal work. -- From publisher's website.