Hello,


This is the first time that the quote from the word of the day has interested me to a degree such that I felt I had to share my thoughts. Namely, disregarding whether or not James actually thought as much, what do you think of Flaubert's characters lacking a "sufficiently deep consciousness"? For my part, I think it is true, but not pejoratively. Flaubert's characters, it seems to me, are surrounded by a certain halo of drama such that their depth becomes the surface--or something like the surface--of that which happens around them and that which they determine. Still life, will, will leading into still life: these are the characteristics which I love about Flaubert, especially 'A Simple Heart"...and, especially in French.

I can only welcome something I can heartily agree with. Maybe mr. James was mostly referring to Mme Bovary, the novel that has been transformed into too many movies.(where depth of character is a standing issue)
I must say I read "Trois contes" of which "Un Coeur Simple"is the first, a long time ago.
But I remember how "Un coeur simple" was very moving and beautiful.Beauty creates deep consiousness (I think) independent from the depth of conciousness of characters. I think you verbalized it better than I can.I went through my French books and saw I got two copies. The first, and my first read from
1956. The second from 1983, where I must have bought it again thinking the first one was lost.

Added: Edit:Thinking on, do you mean (I suppose you mean)a writer can describe a character in such way that the character of that person becomes sufficiently clear from the surrounding events/ atmosphere, surrounding details?