Three Tales is a collection of three short works from Flaubert's last years. A Simple Heart tells of a humble servant in Normandy. The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitaller is a medieval-style story of a hunter whose life is shadowed by a prophecy. Herodias retells the biblical tale of John the Baptist at the court of Herod. Together they range from modern provincial life to the Middle Ages and the ancient world, and they show Flaubert's economy and polish at their finest. They are often recommended as an easy way into his work.