Masterpiece Workshop · Madame Bovary

Author: Flaubert
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: The novel Madame Bovary is Flaubert's masterpiece. With concise and delicate prose, the author recreates the social life of mid-19th century France through the passionate experiences of the protagonist Emma. The artistic form of Madame Bovary marked a new turning point in modern fiction. Since its publication, novelists have realized that even fiction requires meticulous craftsmanship. It is not only a model novel but also a model of prose. However, Madame Bovary also brought trouble to the author. Many people took it personally, criticizing Flaubert's book as "undermining social morality and religion," and he was even summoned to court: it was because someone accused him of "depravity." At that time, many readers expressed sympathy and support for Flaubert, even some romanticist writers who had always opposed him defended him. In court, after a fierce debate, the writer was declared innocent—this demonstrates the influence of Madame Bovary. Every book discussing French literature must mention Flaubert's Madame Bovary, praising it with the highest praise, calling it a book that can serve as a textbook and teacher for writers. A story of a "forbidden love ending in tragedy," Flaubert wrote it with the fervor of working twelve hours a day for four years and three months, without exaggeration, only aiming to portray people as they truly were. It impartially narrates a woman's loveliness and irritability, her dreams and madness. The story flows effortlessly, natural to the inevitable.