Bouvard et Pécuchet

"Bouvard et Pécuchet" by Gustave Flaubert is a novel written in the late 19th century. This satirical exploration follows two clerks, Bouvard and Pécuchet, who, after receiving an unexpected inheritance, retire from their mundane office jobs to pursue a life of agriculture. With unbridled enthusiasm but little knowledge, they dream of the pastoral life, cartoonishly navigating the complexities of farming and horticulture. The opening of the novel introduces Bouvard and Pécuchet on a hot Sunday afternoon in Paris, where they serendipitously meet and discover their similarities, bonding over nostalgia for the countryside and frustrations with urban life. Their subsequent friendship blossoms as they share discussions about topics ranging from politics to women, culminating in an impromptu dinner together. Both men are characterized by their peculiarities: Bouvard is jovial and somewhat bumbling, while Pécuchet is serious and contemplative. Their union sets the stage for an ambitious shift toward rural life, igniting a desire that will see them plunge into the challenges of farming, despite their evident lack of experience and understanding of agriculture. (This is an automatically generated summary.)