On page 136 Barnes states that Flaubert "did not believe art had a social purpous." In this I assume he meant a form of propaganda was not needed to be formed in the artwork, or did he simply mean that art can be personal? It can be done within the self, for the self, or possibly for someone close to the self. His relationship with Louise Colet existed with an artistic vibe. Louise herself was aware of the art they shared. Also, in the following chapter the section about louise refers to Flaubert's art for her.
Something else that caught my interest was the use of the word "transvestism" in the dictionary. This strikes me as interesting because of the numerous previous accounts given to the similarities between Flaubert and Emma. Whether he was truly like "a hysterical old woman" or not, Flaubert apparently found within himself something that was easy to relate to that of a woman...or was it more that Emma was similar to him, as a man?