TENTATIVELY TOTAL: RE-EVALUATING FLAUBERT AFTER SARTRE, BOURDIEU AND THE 'DIGITAL TURN'

Gustave Flaubert's influence on the modern definition of literature, art and authorship is such that critics continue to explore new epistemological approaches to his work and life. These range from Sartre's all-encompassing biography L'Idiot de la famille (1971-72) and Pierre Bourdieu's socio-literary analysis of the author's autonomy within a field of relations in Les Règles de l'art (1992) to recent genetic studies, such as Pierre-Marc de Biasi's Une manière spéciale de vivre (2009). However, no major study has yet made use of the Digital Humanities as a new way of approaching Flaubert. The aim of this project is to use the Digital Humanities and resources unavailable to Sartre and Bourdieu (Big Data, digital archives and public catalogues) to extend their analysis of Flaubert, and to apply Digital Humanities methodologies to provide a fresh approach to Flaubert's context, life, work and critical reception. This new approach will offer a data-driven picture of Flaubert in the 21st century based on a digital mapping of the current areas of international Flaubertian scholarship.