Download or read book Bouvard and Pecuchet written by Gustave Flaubert and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-02-10 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book is widely read as a precursor to modern theories on semiotics and postmodernism. The relentless failure of Bouvard and Pecuchet to learn anything from their adventures raises the question of what is knowable. Whenever they achieve some small measure of success (a rare occurrence), it is the result of unknown external forces beyond their comprehension. The worldview that emerges from the work, one of human beings proceeding relentlessly forward without comprehending the results of their actions or the processes of the world around them, does not seem an optimistic one. But given that Bouvard and Pecuchet do gain some comprehension of humanity's ignorant state (as demonstrated by their composition of the Dictionary of Received Ideas), it could be argued that Flaubert allows for the possibility of relative enlightenment.