Madame Bovary

Vaughn’s Nutshell Presentation of the Novel

Introduction

Originally appeared in installments in a magazine called La Revue de Paris in 1856, which caught the eye of the censors.

As a result, Flaubert was put on trial in January of 1857 for obscenity; the novel seemed too risqué for the tastes of the government.

The trial actually had the opposite effect to the one the authorities had hoped for; after Flaubert was acquitted, the book became a smash hit.

What do women want??????

What do women want? What is a woman’s place? What should a woman with young

children do? How should a man treat a woman? Where should a woman get her

ideas?

What men say about women

“A man likes his wife to be just clever enough to comprehend his cleverness, and just stupid enough to admire.” –Isreal Zangwill

“Nature has given woman so much power that the law cannot afford to give her more.” – Samuel Johnson

“No trust is to be placed in women.” – Homer

“Nature intented women to be our slaves … What a mad idea to demand equality for women!” – Napoleon I

Why read it?

Realism: one of the best examples of a realist piece of literature

Emma Bovary feels like the women from Sex in the City might feel in the middle of Kansas. Out of place and cramping her style.

Emma’s focus: fashion, sex, and excitement BUT she feels trapped by polite society rules & a mundane marriage (wrong town, wrong marriage, wrong century)

The Ending?

Ironic twist Frustrating ending Flaubert cruelly underlines the series of

depressing UNROMANTIC (hence, the realism) points in the book: Life is not fair! People are lame! Society is, more often than not, just flat-out

wrong!

Literary Devices: Writing Style

Alternately ironic and descriptive A mish-mash (sometimes straightforward,

sometimes descriptive) Great one-liners pointing out human flaws (“He

has just been awarded the Cross of the Legion of Honor”)

Intimate detail / Emma (“her heart beating again, and the blood flowing through her flesh like a river of milk”)

Totals: we are human and therefore flawed

Literary Devices: Tone

Intimate yet detached We intimately feel what Emma is

feeling – but Flaubert does not force us to sympathize with her (or any other character)

Example: Emma’s death scene – we know what she is thinking and feeling, and we are affected in some way, but not exactly crying our hearts out

Literary Devices: Point of View

Third Person Omnisicent Ch 1: nameless, faceless narrator;

former classmate of Charles Ch 2: 3rd person omniscient

Literary Devices: Symbols, Imagery, Allegory

Emma’s appearance As Emma changes, she gets more beautiful:

Intense connection to her physicality The blind beggar

Emma first feels pity, but mostly disgust He shows up more at end (representing

Emma’s corrupt soul) His ugliness is described with same level of

detail as her beauty, linking them in the readers’ minds

Literary Devices: Genre

Realism Flaubert actually wrote his fair share of

romantic novels – his friends challenged him to write a realist piece

Literary Devices: Setting

Tostes, Yonville-l’Abbaye, and Rouen, France NOT the booming, romantic, magical

metropolis of Paris French provinces (Emma is stuck here) The setting makes her feel even more

trapped in her unhappy marriage What? Just tending to a husband and

kids, that’s it? Yup. That’s it. Paris represents Emma’s dreams

The “Dedication”

Note from Flaubert Senard was a big-shot lawyer who

successfully defended Flaubert when he was put on trial for this racy, sassy novel

Emma Bovary, the woman

A fascinating, complicated woman She is NOT romanticized (petty tirades,

irrational changes of mood, deep dislike for her husband)

Ennui and frustration fill her life Seeks outlets that fail to make her happy Fights and unwinnable battle (social

codes) Searches for romances yet ironically sees

real world

Part I: Chapter 1

Recounting of young Charles at school A rube, of sorts (and a total fashion nightmare) Gets mocked – tragically ugly hat Attacked by spitballs His dad is a mediocre businessman His mom (whose money has sustained them) is

embittered – and obsessed with her son Despite the lackluster upbringing, his parents had

high hopes for him Doesn’t make it in med school, but does become

a health officer (kind of like a mall cop)

Part 1: Chapter 2

Charles the “doctor” gets a call to help a patient with broken leg

He’s not confident at all (and neither are we) Les Bertaux is nice estate / daughter (Emma) lets him in Charles takes care of Rouault’s injury (a clean break) Charles taken by Emma’s beauty (even though she can’t sew) Emma: not content, hates country living – he notices only her

beauty So, he keeps visiting (pretending to check on the broken leg) Meanwhile, Charles’ wife finds out and forbids him to visit

again However, we find out wifey didn’t have the $ she said she had

so Charles’ parents freak, which causes wife to collapse and die

So Charles is free…

Part I: Chapter 3

Charles halfway mourns, receives a visit/payment from Roualt, gets invited back to Les Bertaux

Gets over wife’s death quickly (likes his freedom and business picks up)

On a vist to LB, Charles and Emma share a drink (ex of sultry Emma)

Emma talks A LOT about herself and Charles is infatuated

Rouault finds Emma useless on the farm, notices Charles’ interest in her, and gives his blessing

Emma really has no say and a traditional wedding is planned

Part I: Chapter 4

Wedding day (small town, no big city elegance) Big after-wedding feast with country fare, gorging,

and raucous Some whiny guests complain about how

unsatisfactory the wedding was (Flaubert is showing ironies and flaws of human beings)

Charles enamored, Emma not Rouault remembers his marriage (first happy,

then overcome by sadness) They go to his (now their) house in Tostes

Part I: Chapter 5

House – nothing fancy, but nice Emma notices wife #1’s preserved

bouquet and this doesn’t go down well – she totally renovates

Charles is so in love and gives her anything she wants – he was never happier

Emma, however, is not really feeling it

Part I: Chapter 6

Emma flashback: a dreamy, romantic child. Sent to convent at 13 and fell in love with mystical ideals (not God and faith themselves, but rather ideas like “betrothed” and “heavenly lover”)

An old lady introduced Emma to books, giving her more romantic fodder (God out, historical romance in)

She rebelled against the nuns attempt to reel her back in and left (“no one was sorry to see her go”)

Home: “plays house” until Charles comes along Did she fall in love with Charles or was she in love

with the idea of being in love??

Part I: Chapter 7

Emma starts thinking she would be happier somewhere else with someone else

She wants/needs to talk to someone. Every day he grows more unappealing to her.

She has a very romantic ideal of what a man should be and Charles is NOT it.

She turns to drawing and music and she’s not a bad wife when she tries

Charles is proud and thinks everything is just dandy (a simple creature)

Charles’ mom is skeptical of Emma (spends too much, plus mom is now no longer #1)

Emma tries (in her way) by singing songs, reciting poetry – but it does nothing

Part I: Chapter 7 (cont’d)

The only good thing: puppy (Djali) – woman’s best friend

She is convinced she could have married better

Then, an invitation arrives to big-shot party (Marquis d’Andervilliers)

Chapter ends with couple arriving at the Marquis’ chateau

Part I: Chapter 8

Chateau is the stuff dreams are made of – for Emma

Wine at dinner, the Duc de Laverdiere (rumored Marie Antoinette’s lover), champagne, pomegranates, pineapple: everything is better here than home

Charles and Emma fight over Charles wanting to dance (Emma insists he’ll be laughed at)

Emma looks better than ever. Charles is like a puppy dog, Emma shoos him away

The Ball: wealth, jewels, clothing, secret love notes, gourmet meal, card games

Part I: Chapter 8 (cont’d)

Peasants look in the window, reminding Emma of her country roots

Witnesses secret love note exchange Last dance w/ the Viscount Emma goes to her room, stays up longing for this

exciting world Next day, on way home Emma notices the

Viscount Back home, Emma is frustrated – fires maid out of

anger / Charles is perfectly happy Charles tries to act sophisticated by smoking a

cigar, but gets sick from it

Part I: Chapter 9

Emma’s imagination runs wild, fantasizing about this other world (e.g. imagines herself as Viscount’s mistress)

Is obsessed with Paris, begins reading up on “couture” (always disappointed when she snaps back to reality)

Charles still clueless Emma gets more depressed (gives up all her hobbies;

disgusted by meals; no care in house or self; violent; mood swings)

Monseiur Rouault comes to visit, which sets her off further b/c he reminds her of past

Charles finally starts to see something is bothering her and suggests moving away

Go to Yonville-l’Abbaye Rediscovers bridal bouquet and disgustedly throws it into the

fire Uh oh… Emma is pregnant

May 31, 2011: Emma as Wife and Mother

Make a 2-column chart “Good Wife” and “Bad Wife” – fill in with examples from text.

What specifically makes marriage a disappointment to her? What does she have instead of happiness? Give examples.

In chapter 7, is her evaluation of Charles accurate? Fair? Why/why not?

Emma’s moods are highly changeable, affecting her behavior towards Charles and toward her whole way of life. What causes the extreme moods?

If you were Emma’s therapist, how would you guide her?