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A review by andrew_russell
Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes
4.0
Julian Barnes' 1984 novel, Flaubert's Parrot, is one of his best known. Booker shortlisted, it relates the obsessive research of retired doctor, turned amateur literary academic Geoffrey Braithwaite, into the life of Gustave Flaubert. The fulcrum around which Barnes' work pivots is Braithwaite's discovery of two different stuffed parrots, each in different locations in Rouen. Their caretakers each also claim that their stuffed parrot is that which was loaned to Flaubert whilst he wrote Un Couer de Simple.
It's incredibly hard to pigeonhole this work, as it defies many common novelistic traits. There is next to no central plot and the same could equally be said regarding characters. Barnes' best works though, tend to use seemingly banal situations to force the reader to question their own thoughts and beliefs in an interesting fashion and this is no exception. The eponymous parrot really plays a minor role in the book, which is why it is described earlier in this review as a fulcrum, around which other aspects of the novel pivot. And they pivot beautifully and eloquently.
Braithwaite sees the parrot almost as a metaphor for the author themselves. Flaubert himself believed that the author should attempt to leave next to no trace of themselves in their work; that the novel should not be used to trumpet their political and personal beliefs, for example. This is an interesting belief to hold but one that is certainly rarely seen in practice, particularly on the modern literary scene.
More interestingly Flaubert's Parrot subverts our faith in what we believe to be true, particularly with regard to history. Reminiscent of the more recent work of Laurent Binet's HhHh, it employs meta-fiction as a literary device in order to achieve this. At one point in the novel, Braithwaite relates the example of Flaubert's description of the rising sun as resembling 'redcurrant jam' to ask the question of whether we have any firm concept of what exact hue redcurrant jam might have had in the nineteenth century and how this may have changed since.
Flaubert's Parrot is also extremely varied in style. One chapter titled Braithwaite's Dictionary of Accepted Ideas lists and defines in alphabetical order the main people, places and themes of Flaubert's life. Another chapter relates, using a first-person narrative from her point of view, the story of Louise Colet. Through all of these varied, shifting styles, we build a picture of who Flaubert was, what his thoughts and beliefs, as well as his flaws were. Who he loved, who loved him, what his vices were, his thoughts on writing and the places to which he travelled, who he trusted and who he despised. In Barnes's short novel he manages, simply through pure authorial prowess to allow the reader access to Flaubert's world.
So what didn't I like so much? There isn't a lot to answer this question with but the novel was slightly slow for my taste. I honestly think that's it. That's what held this back from being a firm favourite but it's still absolutely a book that was a valuable read and one that I would recommend to anyone with an interest in modern literary fiction.
It's incredibly hard to pigeonhole this work, as it defies many common novelistic traits. There is next to no central plot and the same could equally be said regarding characters. Barnes' best works though, tend to use seemingly banal situations to force the reader to question their own thoughts and beliefs in an interesting fashion and this is no exception. The eponymous parrot really plays a minor role in the book, which is why it is described earlier in this review as a fulcrum, around which other aspects of the novel pivot. And they pivot beautifully and eloquently.
Braithwaite sees the parrot almost as a metaphor for the author themselves. Flaubert himself believed that the author should attempt to leave next to no trace of themselves in their work; that the novel should not be used to trumpet their political and personal beliefs, for example. This is an interesting belief to hold but one that is certainly rarely seen in practice, particularly on the modern literary scene.
More interestingly Flaubert's Parrot subverts our faith in what we believe to be true, particularly with regard to history. Reminiscent of the more recent work of Laurent Binet's HhHh, it employs meta-fiction as a literary device in order to achieve this. At one point in the novel, Braithwaite relates the example of Flaubert's description of the rising sun as resembling 'redcurrant jam' to ask the question of whether we have any firm concept of what exact hue redcurrant jam might have had in the nineteenth century and how this may have changed since.
Flaubert's Parrot is also extremely varied in style. One chapter titled Braithwaite's Dictionary of Accepted Ideas lists and defines in alphabetical order the main people, places and themes of Flaubert's life. Another chapter relates, using a first-person narrative from her point of view, the story of Louise Colet. Through all of these varied, shifting styles, we build a picture of who Flaubert was, what his thoughts and beliefs, as well as his flaws were. Who he loved, who loved him, what his vices were, his thoughts on writing and the places to which he travelled, who he trusted and who he despised. In Barnes's short novel he manages, simply through pure authorial prowess to allow the reader access to Flaubert's world.
So what didn't I like so much? There isn't a lot to answer this question with but the novel was slightly slow for my taste. I honestly think that's it. That's what held this back from being a firm favourite but it's still absolutely a book that was a valuable read and one that I would recommend to anyone with an interest in modern literary fiction.