'A novel about nothing ' – Gustave Flaubert. This sentence, apparently simple, contains an extensive meaning. Flaubert wanted to create a masterpiece in which every topic was relevant regardless of its banality because he believed everyday affairs could be adressed thoughtfully.
According to Winders, J. (1991, p.74), 'Madame Bovary is the first great modern novel. Flaubert realized his objective of writing a book about nothing, …show more content…
(1975, p.6) 'Due to the maniacally materialistic style of Flaubert, the subjective reality in Madame Bovary has also consistency, as the objective reality. The fact that thoughts and feelings seem real, that they could almost be touched, not only dazzled me, I discovered a deep fondness '.
Acting against the convictions of his era, Flaubert preferred to write rationally instead of getting carried away by feelings. When Madame Bovary first came out critics rated it as 'strange becaue of the lack of compassion, generosity and love '. They said it excited adultery and they even attempted a process of charges against decencity. The publication of the novel aroused great controversy and the author was convicted for offenses against religion and morality. Finally, Flaubert was acquitted, and this process favoured the novel; it served as advertising and increased its public.
He was a really experienced writer because he spent almost all of his life writing. Athough he was very successful, he had to live on his family because it took him between five to ten years to write a book. He did not want to make money writing low quality books but was consistent and determined in his …show more content…
(1991, p.74) says that 'Madame Bovary ruthlessly dissects bourgeois stupidity and banality, introducing the first modern antihero in Emma Bovary. It achieves true novelistic formal perfection and clousure '. In general, the characters depiced in Madame Bovary do not infund feelings of piety and virtue because, as previously said, Flaubert 's ambition resides in being loyal to reality. He ignores the moral and educational factors as his objective was to create a modern and realistic novel. He shows us characters confronting a real society, with virtues and imperfections, avoiding Manichaeism 3.
Gustave Flaubert made a statement when he was asked who the character of Emma was based on: 'Madame Bovary, c 'est moi ' ( 'I am Madame Bovary '). According to Collas, I. K. (1985, p.17), 'In his famous review of Madame Bovary published in L 'Artiste (1857) Baudelare displays the greatest insight when he says that Flaubert has infused his virile blood <> '. Collas also says that 'the importance of the autobiographical element in Madame Bovary is revealed to us by Flaubert himself: <>, Emma is the figure in which dwells the soul of Gustave Flaubert '.
Perhaps, in his attempt to purify his literary style and creating a modern novel, Flaubert vanished any trace of himself on the novel, but looked for other way to remain on it through Emma 's