French Realism in Madame Bovary

Molinari, Isabella

Item

French Realism in Madame Bovary

Molinari, Isabella

Abstract

The purpose of my thesis is to analyse Madame Bovary in full depth in orderto see it through various angles, which are historical, stylistic or literary. The end ofthis analysis will give way to a discussion on the way Flaubert accomplishes his taskof writing an impersonal novel, in a majorly detached way and with a lack of mosttemporal or historical references. Realism will be a subject in question and manyscenes will be listed as proof and of evidence of the findings. Flaubert did not like tobe called a Realist, but most critics list him as a Realist, and Madame Bovary appearsto be a primary sample novel of what Realism is. It is often listed with Middlemarchby George Eliot, and Illusions Perdues by Honoré de Balzac.