First published in 1877, these three stories are dominated by questions of doubt, love, loneliness, and religious experienceatogether they confirm Flaubert as a master of the short story. aA Simple Hearta relates the story of FA(c)licitA(c), an uneducated serving-woman who retains her Catholic faith despite a life of desolation and loss. aThe Legend of Saint Julian Hospitator, a inspired by a stained-glass window in Rouen cathedral, describes the fate of a sadistic hunter destined to murder his own parents. The blend of faith and cruelty that dominates this story may also be found in aHerodias, a a reworking of the tale of Salome and John the Baptist.
