<Madame Bovary> 小考

Abstract

Gustave Flaubert is a typical writer to set out to write realistic stories. Romantisme of his period was dashing to pieces and Realisme became the prevaling trend. In his work "Madame Bovary", realisme was the dominant literary trend to express the revolution in thought whitch accompanied the revolution in science, to apply scientific principles to story. In this sense, just as Gustave Flauvert expressed himself "Madame Boyary, C'est moi", so "Madame Bovary" is the real reflection and ultimate contradiction of Flaubert himself who was entangled. in a turmoil between ideal(romantisme) and reality (realisme). The purpose of this thesis is to examine his realisme as exemplified in "Madame Bovary", so far as it forges a link between "Madame Bovary" and Emma Bovary, leading character in "Madame Bovary, that is, Flaubert himself. In this thesis, the career of Emma Bovary can be divided into three parts; firstly, Emma's Fantastic World, secondly, Emma's Real World, and finally, Emma's catastrophe. Through the life of Emma we come to a conclusion that Gustave Flaubert or Emma Bovary is an archtype of woman. So far as modern woman's view is concerned, it is somewhat awkward to see Emma as an ideal type of woman. We agree that all the women have Emmatic aspects in themselves-- a tendency to escape at all costs from a suffocated and stuffy environment occupied in absurd illusion and a longing for the ideal world that cannot be accomplished. However, this factor cannot always directly lead. to a complete castrophe of Emma. Illusions and boredom in reality should not be avoided but be faced and overcome. In this respect it will be left undecided. whether Emma in "Madame Bovary" is really a prototype of universe. If any conclusion can be drawn from this study, it is this. One finds that the greatness of Gustave Flaubert does not consist in "He is Madame Bovary", but in writing "Madame Bovary" as well as in euphuism of his literature.