Bedside Lamp English Learning Reader IV (Madame Bovary) (English-Chinese Contrastive)

Author: Wang Ruoping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880), born into a family of doctors, spent his childhood during the height of Romanticism in France. Hugo was an idol in his eyes. However, what truly shaped 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 that natural scientists apply to nature. In Flaubert's view, "beauty means truth, though not everything true is beautiful, but everything beautiful is always true,"② and "losing authenticity means losing 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 made him the successor 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.
Madame Bovary was originally the daughter of a relatively wealthy farmer in a provincial French village. She received her education in a convent in Rouen and loved reading romantic novels, which led her to develop unrealistic ideas about love and marriage. Later, she married Charles Bovary, whom she considered mediocre and incapable of bringing her happiness. Consequently, she was seduced by Rodolphe, only to be deceived by this charming rogue. She then had an affair with Leon, though their relationship was based solely on fleeting pleasure, lacking genuine affection. Eventually, she fell into the trap of the merchant Loisel, accumulating debts she could not repay, and took her own life by poisoning herself. This is the tragedy of an ordinary woman.
Madame Bovary had her weaknesses, but the author clearly points out that the cause of this tragedy lies in the society she lived in. The vulgar and monotonous provincial environment, the hypocritical bourgeois morality, the deceitful bourgeoisie, and so on, all contributed to her gradual downfall, forcing her to take the ultimate path. The cunning and treacherous Loisel, the shrewd Omé, the opportunistic Guillaume, and the malicious wife of the mayor of Yonville—all bear responsibility for Madame Bovary's tragedy. Of course, Rodolphe and Leon, these shameless scoundrels, also played a role.
Dr. Bovary may lack refined tastes, and in his wife's eyes, he does not understand art, love, or opera—he is utterly vulgar, especially given his limited medical skills, which led to a ridiculous incident when treating Hippolyte's foot. However, objectively speaking, Dr. Bovary is an upright man. He works long hours, treating the people of the village, and loves his wife, family, and daughter. During her illness, he was deeply anxious. He believed her lies, sending her to Rouen to study piano, and rushed to the city when she did not return one night. By the time readers near the end of this book, they must notice that he died holding a long strand of black hair—cut from his wife's body. His love for her was truly profound! Was he not also a (a poor man)?
Flaubert mercilessly exposed the cold and ruthless nature of that society, making this novel deeply thought-provoking. As for its artistic impact, let the readers savor it for themselves.