Madame Bovary
One of my least favorite novels (not only of those given to us for summer reading), Madame Bovary simply wasn't written in a style where I could relate to the characters/events, or enjoy the general plot. Quite the opposite of Pride and Prejudice, Flaubert seemed to create a darker world filled with evil, tragedy and unhappiness when he wrote Madame Bovary. Despite my personal dislike of this story, however, it must be praised for its obvious strong points, such as its staunch attention to detail, realism, and character development. Throughout the novel, one can see that Flaubert's attention to detail is great. Unlike Austen, Flaubert does include much of the outside world in his novel, and all of the pain and evil that comes along with it. This detailed style of writing certainly allows the reader to become immersed in Flaubert's world; and even to feel sympathy towards the characters, but it leaves you with less interaction between individuals (less dialogue, primarily) than Austen provides in her novel. Characters are indeed developed in Madame Bovary, but to no where near
Although possible, it seemed unlikely that such a tale of woe could ever take place (and maybe I shouldn't be judging it in this manner), or that such unhappiness and human cruelty could be possible (thought I realize this is quite realistic). When he meets his love, Emma, he attempts to carry her with him, but his way of living proves to be simply too dull for her. It is by no means poorly written (though, when reading from more than one copy I saw that translations vary greatly!), but simply portrays a world I think we would all rather believe didn't exist. Emma, the confused, and terribly unfaithful wife of Charles is often confronted with fears that her life isn't what it should be. Emma's discontent quickly leads to infidelity, and her own demise. It was truly at the opposite end of the literary spectrum from Pride and Prejudice, and, I believe made an excellent second novel assignment for the summer. It is with the main characters, Emma and Charles, that the reader spends the most time with, and therefore get to know best. such an extent as they were in Pride and Prejudice. From the beginning, the novel chronicled the life of Charles Bovary, a young man who lives a relatively ordinary life. Again, this strongly contrasts with Austen's novel, and can be looked upon as either positive fact, or a flaw. Flaubert's use of such great detail is certainly praiseworthy, but also leaves much to be desired in the way of his characters and plot. His quiet and naive attitude leave him vulnerable, and Emma is able to take advantage of this fact when she has relationships with other men. Having not enjoyed this novel nearly as much as I did Austen's, I also found it much harder to write about objectively, or at all. She dreams of a relationship filled with romance and intrigue, and is bored by her life with Charles. I myself did not enjoy, in this case, the dark world created by Flaubert, or the plot which unfolded within it.
Common topics in this essay:
Charles Bovary,
Pride Prejudice,
Charles Day,
Austen Flaubert,
Madame Bovary,
Emma Charles,
Bovary Despite,
Prejudice Flaubert,
madame bovary,
life charles,
pride prejudice,
attention detail,
style writing,
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Acceptance Essays
