MODL 5304 Postings

One of Flaubert’s friends commented on Sentimental Education that it is “a book with a non-existent subject, no plot at all and featureless characters. It’s rather interesting” (xxvi). After reading this quote the first thought that came to mind was George’s, on Seinfeld’s “The Pitch”, response to Jerry’s question “Well what’s the show about?” George emphatically states: “It’s about nothing.” There does seem to be a lot of similarity in the outline and overall worldview of Seinfeld and Sentimental Education, specifically in the idea that despite all the “somethings” that are happening it feels as if “nothing” really matters nor is anything being accomplished.
Just as Flaubert set out to record the morality of his generation, Seinfeld appears to be doing the same thing. There is a point where one asks oneself “what really matters?” For Flaubert’s protagonist, Frederic, it is his almost self-destructive love of an older married woman. From the outside his actions and thoughts are pitiful and illogical, but then one thinks of the odd and seemingly pointless things one does on a daily basis and it is easier to relate to Frederic.
By the end of the novel all Frederic and his friend Deslauriers have are memories. Deslauriers states that they both failed to realize their dreams because, “I was too logical, and you were too sentimental” (458). There was always a reason why Frederic could not be fulfilled. Always an “if” such as: “If I’d had a woman who loved me, I might have achieved great things” (20). He is never fully contented, except in fleeting moments of rapture when she pays a bit of attention to him. Instead he is continually disgusted with others’ happiness because he sees them as settling for so little when he can never obtain his ambitions.
It seems that Frederic needs a lesson from Candide on being content and striving for achievable goals. Of course the fact that he can never truly be with his love, similar to Sab perhaps in some ways, is not only the tragic drama of the book, but also what makes it appealing.
Because of his money, Frederic had time for this ridiculous passion that led to immense times of ennui. At the costume party where everyone appears to be enjoying the pleasures of life, Frederic “caught sight of whole worlds of misery and despair” as a woman dressed as a Sphinx commented that “Life isn’t much fun” (137). As is apparent in the novel, life is not fun because everyone is focused on their own selfish ambitions. There is nothing in the novel to bring people into a truly happy communal setting.
To tell the truth I prefer Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables to Flaubert’s Sentimental Education. Hugo offers hope and sacrificial love whereas Flaubert offers ennui and infatuation. Flaubert can be complimented perhaps on bringing to light the morality of his generation, but if anything it is an example not to follow. Like Seinfeld, Sentimental Education may reflect the day-to-day reality that we can all relate to, but truly there has got to be more to life than that.