Gustave Flaubert: The Dictionary of Accepted Ideas
OPTIMIST: Synonym for imbecile.
— Flaubert
In 1857, Gustave Flaubert, in one of his letters to the French writer Marie-Sophie Leroyer de Chantepie, mentioned:
“Ah! I accuse no one but myself! I have immersed myself in senseless emotional gymnastics. I took pleasure in battling my senses and tormenting my heart. I rejected the human intoxications that presented themselves. Ruthlessly against myself, I uprooted the man with both hands, two hands full of strength and pride. From this tree with its verdant foliage, I wanted to create a completely bare column to place at its top, like an altar, some celestial flame… That’s why, at the age of thirty-six, I find myself so empty and sometimes so weary! This story of mine that I am telling you, isn’t it a bit yours as well?”
The profound nihilism embraced by Baudelaire in his poetry and Flaubert in his novels is undeniably remarkable. Within Flaubert’s literary realm, optimism for humanity becomes elusive. Interestingly, Edmund Wilson once identified a socialist viewpoint in Flaubert’s writings, while Jean-Paul Sartre labeled him as bourgeois. However, Flaubert confessed to being neither in a letter to George Sand, acknowledging himself as a highly sensitive and cynical individual:
“Ah! How tired I am of the ignoble workmen, the incompetent bourgeois, the stupid peasant, and the odious priests!”
Indeed, it comes as no surprise that Flaubert would undertake the creation of a satirical work in the form of a dictionary, using it as a tool to highlight and underscore the folly and ignorance prevalent in society during his era.
The “Dictionary of Accepted Ideas” (in French, “Dictionnaire des idées reçues”) was not published during Flaubert’s lifetime (Died: 1880); it was posthumously published in 1913. The dictionary takes the form of a list of absurd, clichéd, and banal ideas that were commonly accepted or unquestioned in society.
Flaubert aimed to mock the prevalent and often thoughtless ideas and opinions that people held, highlighting the absurdity of conformity and unexamined beliefs. The entries in the dictionary cover a wide range of topics, from everyday habits and social norms to various professions and stereotypes. Flaubert used his wit and keen observation to reveal the shortcomings of society through this satirical work.
The “Dictionary of Accepted Ideas” remains a notable piece of literature, reflecting Flaubert’s satirical prowess and his criticism of the conventional thinking of his era. It continues to be appreciated for its humor and thought-provoking insights into human behavior and societal attitudes.
It will be most useful here to provide a few examples:
ABELARD: No need to have any notion of his philosophy, nor even to know the titles of his works. Just refer discreetly to his castration by Fulbert. The grave of Abelard and Heloïse: if someone tells you it is apocryphal, exclaim: “You rob me of my illusions!”
ARCHIMEDES: On hearing his name, shout “Eureka!” Or else — “Give me a fulcrum and I will move the world.”
BEETHOVEN: Do not pronounce Beathoven. Be sure to gush when one of his works is being played.
CHILDREN: Give signs of a passionate attachments to all children when others are looking in.
COUNTRY: People in the country better than those in the towns. Envy their lot. In the country, anything goes — sloppy clothes, practical jokes, etc.
CRITIC: Always “eminent.” Supposed to know everything, read everything, see everything. When you dislike him, call him a eunuch.
DARWIN: The fellow who says we’re sprung from monkeys.
DESCARTES: Cogito ergo sum.
DEVOTION: Complain of others’ lack of it. “We have far less than a dog.”
DICTIONARY: Say of it — “It’s only for ignorants!”
DISSECTION: An outrage upon the majesty of death.
DOG: Specially created to save it’s master’s life; man’s best friend.
DOUBT: Worse than outright negation.
EARLY RISER: To be one, a sign of good morals. If one goes to bed at four in the morning and rises at eight, one is lazy; but one goes to bed at nine in the evening and gets up the next day at five, one is a hardy type.
EARTH: Refer to its four corners since it is round.
ENGLISHWOMEN: Express surprise that they can have good-looking children.
FACE: The mirror of the soul. Hence some people’s souls must be rather ugly.
FAT: Fat people do not need to learn to swim. Are the despair of executioners owing to the difficulty they present.
FLAG: The sight of it makes the heart beat faster.
GIRAFFE: Polite word to avoid calling a woman an old cow.
IDOLATERS: Are cannibals too.
MACHIAVELLI: Though you have not read him, consider him a scoundrel
MAID (THE): Used only to refer to Joan of Arc by adding “of Orleans.”
MATHEMATICS: Dry up the emotions.
MELON: Nice topic for dinner-table conversation — is it a vegetable or a fruit? The English eat it for dessert, which is astounding.
MIDNIGHT: The farthest boundary for honest pleasures; beyond it, whatever is done is immoral.
NEGRESSES: Hotter than white women.
NEGROES: Express surprise that their saliva is white and that they can speak French.
OPTIMIST: Synonym for imbecile.
PARIS: The great whore. Heaven for women, hell for horses.
PIG: Its insides being “identical with those of man” should be used to teach anatomy.
PRACTICE: Superior to theory.
PRIESTS: Should be castrated. Sleep with their housekeepers and give them children whom they fob off as their nephews. “Never mind! There are honest ones too.”
PROSTITUTE: A necessary evil. A protection for our daughters and sisters, as long as we have bachelors. Should be harried without pity. It’s impossible to go out with one’s wife owing to the presence of these women on the boulevards. Are always poor girls seduced by wealthy bourgeois.
PYRAMID: Useless edifice.
RELIGION: Part of the foundation of society. Is necessary for the common people. Yet we mustn’t overdo it. “The religion of our fathers …” — this must be uttered with unction.
SIGH: Must be exhaled near a woman.
SUFFRAGE (UNIVERSAL): Highest reach of political science.
SYPHILIS: Everybody has it, more or less.
THIRTEEN: Avoid being thirteen at table; it brings bad luck. The strong-minded should not fail to crack jokes: “What is the difference? I’ll eat enough for two!” Or again, if there are ladies, ask if any is pregnant.
TOYS: Should always be scientific.
WORKMAN: Always honest — unless he is rioting.
YOUNG LADY: Utter these words with diffidence. All young ladies are pale, frail, and always pure. Prohibit, for their good, every kind of reading, all visits to museums, theaters, and especially to the monkey house at the zoo.
YOUTH: “What a wonderful thing it is!” Always quote the Italian lines, even if don’t know what they mean — “O Primavera! Gioventù dell’anno! O Gioventù! Primavera della vita!”
With no further elaboration necessary, it is difficult to envision anyone other than Flaubert capable of crafting such a comprehensive dictionary of human emotions and experiences!
NOTE: You can read it here in its entirety.
