study it, don't read it (Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert)

Name: the_grinder

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Product:	Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
Date:	28/06/01 (53 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: everything

Disadvantages: boring just to read

I have just read the other reviews of Madame Bovary, and all expressed disbelief that such a borng, cliched book could be regarded as one of the greatest works of all time. But without wishing to get all pretentious about it, that is the whole point.

First a word of warning. If you are looking for a good read, this is definitely not the book for you. It features the usual 19th century affairs, swooning, grand balls and melodrama, and it all too predictably follows a plot of affairs going wrong for a young naive woman. The characters are shallow, your sympathy for the main character mixed, and it is all so terribly frustrating.

Genius. The whole point about this book is to frustrate and disappoint by sticking to such a well-established formula. Emma is a tragic heroine who is caught up in whirlwind romances and betrayed by adultorous bastards. No she isn't - she would like to think of herself as that, but actually all she wants to do is emulate the tragic heroines of the pulp fiction she reads in her youth. Rodolph is an exciting and dangerous presence because she wants him to be. She commits suicide - the ultimate melodramatic gesture, but even this goes wrong, causing her great distress and leaving a horrible black inky stain on her lips.

The book works in the same way. The reader is expecting a superb romantic tale of unrequited love, and like Emma, finds the truth to be somewhat disappointing. This in turn raises questions about reader's expectations and applied meaning.

Oh lore, I could go on for hours about this. To those others who have reviewed the book, I would encourage them to have another go. They had exactly the reaction Flaubert intended to produce. This time, read it while studying you the reader, if you see what I mean. You will find that there are lots of instances of things crumbling in people's hands just when things were looking good. The book will do the same to the reader. Honestly, it would take p
ages to try and get across what I mean, but please have a go. It is a brilliant brilliant book. Flaubert is laughing at you.

And if you get it this time, have a go at Stendhal, another 19th century genius at having a laugh at his readers.

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