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Madame Bovary
190 pages, 2014
fiction
1382 booksFrench writer Gustave Flaubert's debut novel (1856), called Madame Bovary, is about a doctor's wife whose adulterous affairs are meant to compensate for her banal life. However, this book truly shines through its minute details, and therein lies its true beauty.
Flaubert was very demanding in his work and spent a lot of time searching for the proper word. When it was published first as a serial in the periodical La Revue de Paris between 1 October 1856 and 15 December 1856, it became infamous, because of obscenity accusations by public prosecutors. The subsequent trial held in January 1857 made the story even more well-known.
In Madame Bovary, Gustave Flavert explores the dangers of romanticism. The main character, Emma Bovary, is obsessed with the romantic novels she reads, which leads her to have unrealistic expectations about life. This can be a warning for us not to get too caught up in fantasies and to appreciate the reality of our lives.
Emma Bovary's desire for a luxurious life leads her to live beyond her means. She gets into debt and this eventually leads to her downfall. This is a reminder for us to live within our means and to be content with what we have.
Emma's dreams of a glamorous life remain unfulfilled and this leads to her feeling dissatisfied and unhappy. This can encourage us to set realistic goals and to find happiness in the simple things in life.
Emma blames others for her unhappiness and fails to take responsibility for her actions. This can be a lesson for us to take responsibility for our actions and to understand that our happiness is in our own hands.
Flaubert shows us the power of literature through Emma's obsession with romantic novels. While it can be a source of escape, it can also distort our view of reality. This can inspire us to read widely but also to keep a balanced perspective on life.
Quotes 5
Madame Bovary has a perfection that not only stamps it, but that makes it stand almost alone; it holds itself with such a supreme unapproachable assurance as both excites and defies judgment.
Vladimir Nabokov - Novelist, ProfessorMadame Bovary has a narrow intensity of fatal truth.
Henry James - Author, CriticFlaubert was right when he said that Madame Bovary, c'est moi. A great artist, a real artist, has no social identity. He has only artistic identity.
Marcel Proust - Novelist, EssayistMadame Bovary is a work of genius, a work of art. It is the work of Flaubert.
F. R. Leavis - Literary CriticMadame Bovary, for me, is a central book. Flaubert indirectly influenced me in my writing.
Julian Barnes - Author, Critic
