Modern-day research on Flaubert has placed particular emphasis on the bibliotheques de savoir ( libraries of knowledge ) integrated into his literary work. Their status and function, however, have not yet been fully understood. In this volume, members of the Franco-German research group Fractal present their analyses of Flaubert s intertextual work in the context of psychology, art, philosophy, and religious history, illustrating its theoretical aspects as well as its contemporary impact, both largely unnoticed to date."