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A Question of Honoré

Published: April 30, 2006

To the Editor:

I was shocked to find that James Wood, in his review of Frederick Brown's ''Flaubert: A Biography'' (April 16), could posit the notion that the modern novel began with Gustave Flaubert. Flaubert's role in the development of realism was profound, to be sure, but he was without question a figure in the second generation of modern novelists, not the first. For my money, the first generation can be summed up in a single name: Honoré de Balzac. It saddens but doesn't surprise me to learn that young people and even many book lovers and serious literature students neglect the more than 100 interlocking novels and stories that make up Balzac's ''Comédie Humaine,'' but I certainly expected more from the Book Review. The idea that Balzac's work represents the beginning of the modern novel as we know it is admittedly a tough sell, but to claim that it began with Flaubert is simply absurd.

James Walling

Portland, Ore.

and James Wood's review of Frederick Brown's ''Flaubert: A Biography'' can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/16/books/review/16wood.html?ex=1158465600&en=5dbcb1c5989d0bbb&ei=5070