French Stories Chapter Summary & Analysis - The Legend of St. Julian Hospitaler by Gustave Flaubert Summary

The Legend of St. Julian Hospitaler by Gustave Flaubert Summary

Julian is born to the lord and lady of a castle, owners of a wealthy estate. Almost immediately after his birth, prophecy surrounds him. His mother has a vision of a strange hermit who tells her that her Julian will be a saint. His father is told by a strange beggar that his son will be a great ruler and conqueror. Both are greatly pleased by these prophecies but decide to keep the prophecies a secret from one another.

As a young boy and a young man, Julian shows no immediate sign of fulfilling these prophecies. He is, indeed, decidedly wicked and his greatest source of amusement is in killing animals. As he grows older, his father teaches him how to hunt which opens up possibilities for his depravity he could not have imagined before. He takes great pleasure in riding through the...
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