The Special Touch.

Let’s say that someone tells you to the read the book A Simple Soul by Gustave Flaubert. You ask them what the book is about and they tell you it is the story of a girl named Felicite and her tragic life. Would you liked to read it? I wouldn’t, it seems boring but I had to read it and I was wrong. The story may be simple but thanks to the authors style it becomes entertaining to read.

He was called Loulou. His body was green, his head blue, the tips of
his wings were pink and his breast was golden. (chapter 4). The description of the parrot is simple and concise, nevertheless Flaubert is able to create a mental picture and we imagine the parrot as he is. There are various things that stand out about his style like the use of punctuation and pauses, the structure, and how quickly he changes from one topic to another but the most impressive is the way he describes. “Her death agony began. A rattle that grew more and more rapid shook
her body. Froth appeared at the corners of her mouth, and her whole
frame trembled. In a little while could be heard the music of the bass
horns, the clear voices of the children and the men's deeper notes. At
intervals all was still, and their shoes sounded like a herd of cattle
passing over the grass.” (Chapter 5). With simple words and in a paragraph that you read fast, Flaubert makes you experience what Felicite is going through. He does this all throughout the book giving the story as a special touch. Being the description the special touch giving each word importance, allows him to create the effect he’s writing had on the reader.

Taking of all this away from the story would leave it to be nothing in comparison, maybe just some words that are boring to read. With his description, Flaubert gives a meaning to the story creating images making it fun to read. The simple story of his Felicite is a way for him to show his style and for us to appreciate it.