In this, his final book, Erich Auerbach writes, "My purpose is always to write history." Tracing the transformations of classical Latin rhetoric from late antiquity to the modern era, he explores major concerns raised in his Mimesis: the historical and social contexts in which writings were received, and issues of aesthetics, semantics, stylistics, and sociology that anticipate the concerns of the new historicism.

A study of Flaubert's refinement of symbolism and realism as stylistic techniques in the novel. Eminent writers analyze Madame Bovary, Salammbo, and L'Education Sentimentale for insight into Flaubert's impact on modern literature.