Flaubert's Parrot is a novel by Julian Barnes that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1984. The novel recites amateur Flaubert expert Geoffrey Braithwaite's musings on his subject's life, and his own, as he tracks a stuffed parrot that once inspired the great author. Barnes as Francophile and Francophone in Bernard Pivots Double je (France 2, March 2005) Julian Patrick Barnes (born January 19, 1946 in Leicester) is a contemporary British writer whose novels and short stories have been seen as examples of postmodernism in literature. ... The Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known as the Man Booker Prize, or simply the Man Booker, is one of the worlds most important literary prizes, and awarded each year for the best original novel written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland in... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV in Roman) is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert (December 12, 1821 – Croisset, May 8, 1880) is counted among the greatest Western novelists. ... A taxidermied bandicoot Taxidermic bird (detail) at the Lightner Museum. ... Genera A parrot is a bird belonging to the family Psittacidae. ...

Plot Summary

The novel follows Geoffrey Braithwaite, a widowed, retired Englishman, visiting France and the Flaubert landmarks therein. While visiting various small museums related to Flaubert, Geoffrey encounters two incidences of people claiming to have the stuffed parrot which sat atop Flaubert's writing desk for a brief period. While trying to differentiate which is authentic Geoffrey ultimately learns that, in fact, neither could be genuine, and Flaubert's parrot could be one of hundreds stored away in a major French museum. Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Official language None; English is de facto Capital London Capitals coordinates 51° 30 N, 0° 10 W Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831... A museum is typically a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment. ...

Although the "main focus" of the narrative is tracking down the parrot, many chapters exist independently of this plotline, consisting of Geoffrey's reflections eg. Flaubert's love life and how it was affected by trains, animal imagery in Flaubert's works and the animal with which he himself was identified (usually a bear). The heart, a frequent modern symbol of love Love has several different meanings in the English language, from something that gives a little pleasure (I loved that meal) to something one would die for (patriotism, pair-bonding). ... In rail transport, a train consists of a single or several connected rail vehicles that are capable of being moved together along a guideway to transport freight or passengers from one place to another along a planned route. ... Imagery--words that create a picture. ... Genera Ailuropoda Ursus Tremarctos Arctodus (extinct) A bear is a large mammal of the order Carnivora, family Ursidae. ...

Themes

One of the central themes of the novel is a figurehead of Postmodernism: subjectivism. For example, the novel provides three sequential chronologies of Flaubert's life: the first is optimistic (citing his successes, conquests, etc), the second is negative (citing the deaths of his friends/lovers, his failures, illnesses etc.) and the third compiles quotations written by Flaubert in his journal at various points in his life. The attempts to find the real Flaubert mirror the attempt to find his parrot, ie. apparent futility. This theme recurs when addressing Emma Bovary's eyes, which are assigned three different colours by Flaubert. In literature (as well as many works of nonfiction), a theme is a main idea of a story, or the message the author is conveying. ... The literature which arose as a series of styles and ideas in the post-World War II period which reacted against the perceived norms of modernist literature has been termed postmodern literature, even as it extended many of the fundamental techniques and assumptions of modern literature (see modernism, postmodernism). ... Chronology is the science of locating events in time. ... Half full or half empty? Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Optimism Optimism, the opposite of pessimism, exemplifies a lifeview where one looks upon the world as a positive place. ... Half full or half empty? Pessimism describes a general belief that things are bad, and tend to become worse; or that looks to the eventual triumph of evil over good; it contrasts with optimism, the contrary belief in the goodness and betterment of things generally. ... Death is the cessation of physical life in a living organism, or the state of the organism after that event. ... This article is about quoting. ... A journal (through French from late Latin diurnalis, daily) is a daily record of events or business. ... Madame Bovary book cover Madame Bovary is a novel by Gustave Flaubert that raised a scandal when it was first published in 1857 and is now seen as one of the first modern realistic novels. ... This article refers to the sight organ. ...

External links

• Julian Barnes Website (Flaubert's Parrot): http://www.julianbarnes.com/bib/fp.html, with extensive bibliography of translations and scholarly articles.