Œuvres complètes de Gustave Flaubert, tome 3: L'éducation sentimentale, v. 1

The story opens in September 1840 as a steamship glides down the Seine, carrying the newly‑minted schoolboy Frédéric Moreau away from the provincial town of Nogent‑sur‑Seine. Fresh from his baccalauréat, he is headed back toward the capital, clutching an album of sketches and a head full of literary dreams. The river’s mist and the bustling dockside convey a world that feels both modern and timeless, hinting at the social currents that will soon pull him into Parisian life.

On board, Frédéric meets a flamboyant, well‑connected older man who dispenses witty anecdotes about women, politics, and the arts. Their conversation awakens the young man’s longing for love and recognition, while also exposing the gap between his romantic ideals and the pragmatic advice of the seasoned traveler. As the ship reaches the city’s banks, the narrator sets the stage for Frédéric’s entry into a world of salons, newspapers, and fleeting passions, framing the novel as an exploration of personal growth amid the shifting tides of mid‑nineteenth‑century France.