The novel, Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert is greatly comic. When first informed that some might find this novel humorous, the reader may express severe disbelief. This is not because it is actually an incredibly serious and complex novel, it is because the reader just does not see the humor. When informed of this, the reader may be inclined to dig deeper into the novel and struggle vigorously to find this aspect of the novel they do not see. The reader may then analyze every paragraph and every chapter, reading between every word and line. When at last the reader exhausts his/her last reserves, he/she sits back and quietly broods about the novel, wondering just where that humor could be hiding. Finally, the realization dawns on some. .
When taken lightly, the novel is indeed quite comic. It is not comic in the way a man slipping on a banana or a man hit in the face with a pie is funny. It is funny in a different sense. The humor is subtle and skillfully hidden among the vast quantities of details Flaubert uses. However, analyzing each word or sentence will not help the reader because each word or line is taken out of context and displayed as a single idea. This comic aspect of Madame Bovary can only be appreciated when the novel is as a whole.
In this novel, Flaubert uses many techniques to create humor. The most obvious of these techniques can be seen in his intrusive narration. Flaubert constantly pokes fun at the people of France and of the Church and shares a small laugh with the reader. One example of this method is Flaubert's description of Lestiboudois, the Yonville gravedigger. .
"The watchman, who is also the gravedigger and the church sexton (thus deriving a double profit from the parish corpses) has utilized the vacant land [in the graveyard] to plant potatoes there. From year to year, however, his little field narrows, and when an epidemic strikes, he doesn't know whether he should be happy about the deaths or miserable about the burials.
A Critical Analysis of the Character "Madame Bovary- Of the Novel Madame Bovary By Gustave Flaubert The character of Madame Bovary consists of many different components. ... Madame Bovary's grows discontent. ... Madame Bovary grows shame of her husband. ... Madame Bovary rebels. ... Madame Bovary grows hard to please. ...
In the nineteenth century, Gustav Flaubert was brought to trial for his novel, "Madame Bovary." ... This view fails to observe Madame Bovary for its artistic intention and purpose. ... Henry James praises Madame Bovary for its perfection, claiming that it "both excites and defies judgment. ... Madame Bovary reveals a picture of a woman who is miserable in the boredom of her mundane everyday life, and turns to adultery. ... In Flaubert's "Madame Bovary," there is no moral of the story. ...
DENIZ SOKE TASK 3 Think about the title of Madame Bovary. ... One of the first questions that spring to mind when thinking about Madame Bovary as a title is; who is Madame Bovary? ... For instance, the novel could be about the older Madame Bovary; the mother. ... The actual word `Madame` brings a certain air of mystery to the title; much more sophisticated than `Emma Bovary` would be. ... The full title of the novel is actually Madame Bovary Moeurs de province which translates as Madame Bovary provincial manners . ...
In Madame Bovary, Emma has a certain romantic aspect similar to Flaubert that is a longing for things to be perfect. ... Flaubert is quoted as having said "Madame Bovary c"est moi", "I am Madame Bovary", meaning that he, himself was possessed the same romantic traits as Emma. ... Madame Bovary is written in the tradition of combining a realistic portrayal of society with a formalistic desire to create a new way of life in much the same way Degas and Manet attempted to paint the mediocrity of modern life without becoming vulgar themselves. ... A combination of naturalism and aestheticism, Ma...
Flaubert's Use of Irony in Madame Bovary Madame Bovary is the story of a young peasant woman who grew up in a convent, marries a dull man and commits adultery. ... In Madame Bovary Flaubert's use of irony is exceptionally vivid. Flaubert's use of irony contributes to the character development of Madame Bovary and other characters in the novel. ... Gustave Flaubert once said, "Madame Bovary c"est moi" ("Madame Bovary is me"). ... Now when I hear the quote, "Madame Bovary c"est moi" I will have a better understanding of what he meant. ...
One way that Flaubert asserts Realist values in Madame Bovary is through Charles Bovary's character. ... Flaubert's use of details in Madame Bovary is consistent with the characteristics of Realism. In addition, Flaubert shows Realist values in Madame Bovary through his style of writing. ... Flaubert uses themes such as corruption and prostitution in Madame Bovary. ... In Madame Bovary, Flaubert opposes Romantic values in many different ways. ...
A Response to Symbolic Elements in Madame Bovary According to author Francis Steegmuller, symbolic things are those which have an objective and limited function, but which can be interpreted to embody a wider more profound meaning in regard to things around them. Gustave Flaubert makes extensive use of symbolism in his 1857 novel, Madame Bovary. ... Perhaps, another significant and symbolic facet of this initial introduction of Charles is his name, Bovary, which means bovine. ... One of the most dramatic uses of symbolism in Madame Bovary was the blind beggar whom Emma encounters several ti...
A central theme in Flaubert's novel, Madame Bovary, is that of reality versus illusion. In this story, Emma Bovary attemptstoescape the mundane of normal life to fulfill her fantasies. ... Thus, through the course of her life, Madame Bovary changes from a woman content with her marriage to a women who rebels against the conventions of her society to a women whose life is so chaotic to the point that she commits suicide. Indeed, Madame Bovary's life is like a mirror that reflects upon her early childhood. Emma Bovary found pleasure in the things around her that quenched her boredom wh...
A central theme in Flaubert's novel, Madame Bovary, is that of reality versus illusion. In this story, Emma Bovary attempts to escape the mundane of normal life to fulfill her fantasies. ... Thus, through the course of her life, Madame Bovary changes from a woman content with her marriage to a women who rebels against the conventions of her society to a women whose life is so chaotic to the point that she commits suicide. Indeed, Madame Bovary's life is like a mirror that reflects upon her early childhood. Emma Bovary found pleasure in the things around her that quenched her boredom ...