Flaubert critiques the values of the bourgeoisie, highlighting their materialism, shallowness, and hypocrisy through the lives of Emma and the people around her. 	“The world belonged to the mediocrities.”

The Critique of Bourgeois Society

Despite her numerous relationships and affairs, Emma remains emotionally isolated, unable to connect with others in a meaningful way. 	“She was the lover of every novel, the heroine of every play.”

Emotional Isolation in Relationships

1.	Illusion of Romance: Emma’s unrealistic expectations fuel her dissatisfaction.	2.	Dangers of Escapism: Her detachment from reality leads to ruin.	3.	Disillusionment with Marriage: Emma is unfulfilled by her husband and life.	4.	Unrealistic Expectations: The gap between dreams and reality devastates her.	5.	Influence of Literature: Romantic novels distort her view of life.	6.	Materialism and Debt: Her desire for luxury leads to financial disaster.	7.	Social Class: Class aspirations fuel her frustrations.	8.	Appearances: Emma obsesses over how others perceive her.

Emma frequently escapes reality through her daydreams, adultery, and material indulgence, which ultimately leads to her downfall. 	“Everything, even herself, was unbearable to her.”

The Dangers of Escapism

She quickly becomes bored with her marriage to Charles Bovary, a simple country doctor, whom she perceives as dull and uninspiring. 	“Marriage, she thought, should be the beginning of life, but it was the end.”

Emma’s Disillusionment with Marriage

Flaubert’s precise, detailed, and unsentimental style marks a significant shift towards literary realism, depicting life without idealization. 	“Madame Bovary, c’est moi.”

The Use of Realism in Literature

The novel constantly juxtaposes Emma’s lofty dreams with the harsh realities of her provincial life, emphasizing the gap between desire and reality. 	“In her soul she was waiting for something to happen.”

The Contrast Between Dream & Reality

Emma’s pursuit of idealized love and excitement creates a chasm between her fantasies and her actual experiences, causing constant dissatisfaction. 	“What would happen to all that future? What had become of all those dreams?”

The Impact of Unrealistic Expectation

Class divisions are explored as Emma aspires to a higher social standing than her humble origins and current status afford, fueling her dissatisfaction. 	“Her desires became more urgent, her dreams more impassioned.”

The Role of Social Class

“She wanted both to die and to live in Paris.”

Emma is obsessed with outward appearances, and much of her behavior is driven by the desire to appear sophisticated and affluent, even if it leads to deception. 	“Her whole life was a continual lie.”

The Importance of Appearences

Emma’s materialistic desires push her and her family into severe financial debt, showcasing the perils of living beyond one’s means in pursuit of status. 	“She owed money everywhere.”

Materialism & Debt

9.	Bourgeois Critique: Flaubert critiques middle-class values.	10.	Tragic Flaws: Emma’s selfishness and fantasies lead to her downfall.	11.	Adultery’s Consequences: Affairs bring no satisfaction, only ruin.	12.	Emotional Isolation: Emma fails to connect meaningfully with anyone.	13.	Dream vs. Reality: Her lofty dreams clash with her dull reality.	14.	Religion’s Role: The church offers no solace or meaning.	15.	Literary Realism: Flaubert’s style brings harsh reality to the forefront.	16.	Fate and Free Will: Emma’s downfall questions her control over her fate.

Emma’s inability to reconcile her fantasies with reality, her selfishness, and her refusal to take responsibility for her actions lead to her tragic demise. 	“She had been happy and now she wasn’t. That was all.”

The Tragic Flaws of Emma Bovary

Emma’s worldview is shaped by the romantic novels she reads, which distort her expectations of love and lead her to make disastrous choices. 	“She confused the love of luxury with the desire for happiness.”

The Influence of Literature on Reality

Emma’s affairs do not bring her the passion or fulfillment she desires but instead lead to greater disillusionment, guilt, and social ruin. 	“Passion seemed to her something vague, not an impulse of the heart.”

The Consequences of Adultery

1.	The Illusion of Romance	2.	The Dangers of Escapism	3.	Emma’s Disillusionment with Marriage	4.	The Impact of Unrealistic Expectations	5.	The Influence of Literature on Reality	6.	Materialism and Debt	7.	The Role of Social Class	8.	The Importance of Appearances	9.	The Critique of Bourgeois Society	10.	The Tragic Flaws of Emma Bovary	11.	The Consequences of Adultery	12.	Emotional Isolation in Relationships	13.	The Contrast between Dream and Reality	14.	The Role of Religion in Society	15.	The Use of Realism in Literature	16.	The Themes of Fate and Free Will

Topics Explained

Emma’s tragic fate is partly due to societal pressures and partly due to her own choices, raising questions about the extent of her agency in shaping her destiny. 	“She could see herself in her future life as in a picture painted on the wall.”

The Themes of Fate & Free Will

Emma Bovary is deeply influenced by romantic novels, leading her to expect a passionate and idealized life, which leaves her dissatisfied with the mundane reality of marriage. 	“She wanted both to die and to live in Paris.”

The Illusion of Romance

A tragic tale of desire, illusion, and disillusionment in the pursuit of an idealized life.

This exquisite novel tells the story of one of the most compelling heroines in modern literature--Emma Bovary. "Madame Bovary has a perfection that not only stamps it, but that makes it stand almost alone; it holds itself with such a supreme unapproachable assurance as both excites and defies judgement." - Henry James Unhappily married to a devoted, clumsy provincial doctor, Emma revolts against the ordinariness of her life by pursuing voluptuous dreams of ecstasy and love. But her sensuous and sentimental desires lead her only to suffering corruption and downfall. A brilliant psychological portrait, Madame Bovary searingly depicts the human mind in search of transcendence. Who is Madame Bovary? Flaubert's answer to this question was superb: "Madame Bovary, c'est moi." Acclaimed as a masterpiece upon its publication in 1857, the work catapulted Flaubert to the ranks of the world's greatest novelists. This volume, with its fine translation by Lowell Bair, a perceptive introduction by Leo Bersani, and a complete supplement of essays and critical comments, is the indispensable Madame Bovary.