Madame Bovary
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Madame Bovary
Gustave Flaubert
Literature
James Mustich
Aug 11, 2018
Shallow, impetuous, dishonest, and shortsighted, Emma Bovary is not exactly a likeable heroine. She lies constantly, spends other people’s money without reservation, and has little to no affection even for her own child. Yet by the novel’s end she has become so real that we can almost feel her presence, and her brutal end is not just tragic but heart-rending. How does Flaubert do it? Through an unprecedented act of close observation, one that has mesmerized generations of readers even as it revolutionized the novel as an art form. Before Flaubert, novelists were moralists or entertainers. The creator of Madame Bovary, by contrast, was an examiner, one with the objectivity and detachment of a forensic scientist; le mot juste is “scrutiny.”
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Beth Powers
Nov 28, 2018
memories of French class.
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Kathryn McBarron
Feb 3, 2019
Another one of my all-time favourite books. Haunting story which beautifully captures romance, tragedy and betrayal.
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Debra Hanff
May 23, 2020
Again, it's a cultural touchstone, so you just can't miss it. Emma's story would be so different today!
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