Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert, translated and annotated by Gustavo Baldick, Robert Wall, and Geoffrey INT Wall Geoffrey CON Wall Geoffrey, is one of the great French novels of the nineteenth century. Based on Flaubert’s own youthful passion for an older woman, the book describes the moral history of the men of his generation. The narrative follows Frederic Moreau, a law student who returns home to Normandy from Paris and notices Mme Arnoux, a slender dark woman several years older than himself. This infatuation lasts a lifetime as he befriends her husband, an influential businessman. Their paths cross and re-cross over the years amidst financial upheaval, political turmoil, and countless affairs. Mme Arnoux remains the constant, unattainable love of Moreau’s life. The novel blends elements of love story, historical authenticity, and satire, making it a profound exploration of human emotion and societal change.