A Matter of Taste: The Political Catastrophe of 1848 in Flaubert’s L’éducation sentimentale as an Aesthetic Fiasco

Abstract: Flaubert’s famous novel L’éducation sentimentale describes the bitter collapse of all values in 1848 and the equally perplexing aftermath, the coup d’état of 1851. This article argues that the role of taste in this novel is crucial, as the concept of taste is based on the ability to make subtle judgments. Flaubert’s preoccupation with theories of art (the painter Pellerin) is used to show that Flaubert not only criticizes what he considers to be erroneous theories of art (socially engaged art, the fusion of socialism and Christianity, Arnoux’s oxymoronic Art industriel ), but also argues for intelligent judgment in political and public life.