Bedside Lamp English Learning Reader IV: Madame Bovary (Pure English Version)

Author: Wang Ruoping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880), born into a family of physicians, spent his childhood during the height of Romanticism in France. Hugo was once an idol in his eyes. However, what truly defined his creative style was the positivist science that began to flourish in France in the mid-19th century. He regarded the novel as a "scientific form of life"① and demanded that writers depict and dissect everything with the same cool, objective attitude as natural scientists toward nature. In Flaubert's view, "beauty means truth, though not everything true is beautiful, but everything beautiful is always true,"② and "once authenticity is lost, so is artistry."③ Therefore, he placed great importance on observation, analysis, and understanding. He believed that "thoroughly understanding reality and faithfully reflecting it through typicalization"③ is a fundamental principle that novelists should follow. This perspective led him to diverge from Hugo, whom he revered, and align himself with the successors of Balzac and Stendhal. However, Flaubert did not entirely follow the footsteps of others in art. He forged his own path, determined to innovate, and ultimately developed a unique artistic style, enriching and advancing 19th-century realism.