The Awakening, penned by Kate Chopin at the turn of the century, is a literary gem often likened to Madame Bovary. This concise novel addresses several themes also explored in Flaubert's work.

Candide (1759), authored by the French writer Voltaire, serves as an earlier example of literature where a naive character's experiences and viewpoints provide an ironic critique of society.

Winston Groom's 1986 novel Forrest Gump similarly employs the life of an innocent and kind-hearted protagonist to reflect on the societal landscape of the late twentieth-century United States. Its film adaptation, featuring Tom Hanks, premiered in 1994.

The Letters of Gustave Flaubert, compiled by translator and critic Francis Steegmuller, showcases Flaubert's correspondence from his later years. These letters are both engaging and enlightening, offering a captivating glimpse into the author's life and era.

Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert's most famous and provocative novel, faced an obscenity trial in 1857. The characters Emma Bovary and Félicité provide intriguing points of comparison.

Three Tales, the collection that includes ''A Simple Heart,'' also features the stories ‘‘The Legend of St. Julien l'Hospitalier’’ and "Herodias." It was Flaubert's final published work during his lifetime and was written quickly. The collection is notable as a trilogy, with each tale having a sequential relationship to the others.