| Plot Summary of Madame Bovary |
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"
Emma Bovary certainly has to be one of the most tragic of the 19th century literary
characters. In Gustave Flaubert's “Madame Bovary,” Emma is a young woman set on
fulfilling her own romantic fantasies--and she does this through various love affairs
She happens to be married to Charles, the village doctor, at the same time, but she finds
him too dull, too mundane. She yearns for excitement. Unfortunately, her definition of
excitement and that of the villagers is quite different, and Emma declines from one
hopeless situation to the next, so much so that the novel ends quite tragically. Not before
Flaubert has woven into the world's literary fabric the word “realism” and fiction has
never been the same since."
Bill Hobbs, Resident Scholar
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"Madame Bovary is a simple story about a young woman who is hooked up on romance and happy ever after endings. She is the convent educated, only daughter of a farmer. When the local doctor proposes, she accepts and moves with him to a small town which is not the romantic outcome she anticipated. When she becomes so bored she can stand it no longer she takes a lover but he lets her down too and the novel draws to a dramatic end."
Penny , Resident Scholar
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"The novel, Madame Bovary, deals with the adulterous life led by Emma Bovary. Emma, the daughter of a country farmer, meets Charles when her father breaks his leg. Charles falls in love and the two decide to marry. Soon after they are married, Emma discovers that her marriage with Charles doesn't live up to her rather lofty expectations.
Emma, unhappy with the monotonous village life she has been tied to, eventually grows so miserable that she becomes ill. Charles decides to move away in hopes that a change in scenery will improve Emma's health. Emma ends up having two affairs in an attempt to separate herself from Charles, whom she begins to see as increasingly dull and incompetent. Emma is often indiscreet, and the townspeople all gossip about her. Charles, however, suspects nothing because he is so blinded by his love for Emma. Everything disappoints Emma and, because of her flawed ideals and materialistic values, she can never appreciate what she has. Even motherhood is a disappointment to her because, although she gave birth to a beautiful daughter, she had wanted a boy. Emma, through her own selfish actions, ends up destroying the lives of not only herself, but also her husband and daughter."
Lauren Ashley, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Madame Bovary |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story
- 19th century
Romance/Romance Problems
Yes
Kind of romance:
- playing footsy while inconveniently married
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Taboo sex story?
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- homemaker
Age:
- 20's-30's
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 2 ()
Europe
Yes
European country:
- France
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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