«Three Tales» in French with a Parallel Translation

First published in 1877, three tales raise issues of doubt, love, loneliness, and religion. When you read them, you once again realize that Flaubert is a great narrator terrific at short stories. A Simple Heart is a story about an uneducated servant girl who preserves her Catholic faith despite losses and poverty. The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitalier - this story was inspired by a stained-glass window in the Rouen Cathedral, it tells about a sadistic hunter fated to kill his parents. The mixture of faith and cruelty prevalent in this tale can also be traced in Herodias, a revision of the story of Salome and John the Baptist.