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First published in 1877, these three stories are dominated by questions of doubt, love, loneliness, and religious experiencetogether they confirm Flaubert as a master of the short story. A Simple Heart relates the story of Félicité, an uneducated serving-woman who retains her Catholic faith despite a life of desolation and loss. The Legend of Saint Julian Hospitator, inspired by a stained-glass window in Rouen cathedral, describes the fate of a sadistic hunter destined to murder his own parents. The blend of faith and cruelty that dominates this story may also be found in Herodias, a reworking of the tale of Salome and John the Baptist.