Three short works The Dance of Death, the Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitaller, a Simple Soul.

"Three Short Works" by Gustave Flaubert is a compilation of three separate stories written in the 1800s, revealing Flaubert's skill in storytelling and creating characters. The collection features "The Dance of Death," "The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitaller," and "A Simple Soul." These stories look at ideas of death, destiny, how people get along in society, and what it means to be human, all through interesting tales and detailed writing. "The Dance of Death" starts by showing death as a philosophical character that reflects on how it always exists, its part in both life and decay, and how it relates to people. Death speaks with strong images, showing how it has seen human victories and losses forever, often feeling alone and tired. This leads to a meeting with Satan, showing a big fight between the cycles of life and death. Through a mix of poetic language and deep thoughts about existence, Flaubert creates a setting for thinking seriously about death and how unavoidable fate is, suggesting ideas that will be important in the other stories in the collection.