1 / 6

Exploring Romanticism and Realism in "Madame Bovary": Emma's Illusions and Disillusionments

This analysis delves into the contrasting themes of romanticism and realism in the first part of "Madame Bovary." It examines Emma Bovary's idealized views of love and marriage in light of her mundane reality, focusing on her formative years and the influences that shape her desires. The narrative’s structure, employing free indirect discourse, highlights the disparity between her romantic dreams and lived experiences. Key elements, such as Charles's perspective and the provincial setting, serve as a backdrop for Emma's internal struggles, culminating in a critical view of societal norms.

fausta
Télécharger la présentation

Exploring Romanticism and Realism in "Madame Bovary": Emma's Illusions and Disillusionments

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Part I, Ch. 1-3 • Charles – impressions? • Hat (2), “Ridiculus Sum” (3) • Examples of mediocrity? • “officier de santé” • 1st two “Madame Bovarys”? (controlling, domineering) • Emma – impressions? • Sensual details (12-14, 18-19) – ethereal images mix with realistic details • Seen largely from outside (Charles’s perspective), but … • Ideas re: romantic escape begin to emerge (19, 22) • “Free Indirect Discourse” (9, 15) • V. Nabokov on “bourgeois” (126-7)

  2. Part I, Ch. 4-7 • Portrayal of provincial wedding: • Scathing indictment of ridiculous peasants? • Sympathetic, comic portrayal of simple, honest folk? • Charles vs. Emma “the morning after” (26) • Following the wedding, Ch. 5 shows us Emma’s new life … hints of trouble to come? (29-30)

  3. Now we are primed to learn about Emma’s own formative years at convent (Ch. 6) • Emma’s Romanticism: • Sentimental romanticism, dreamy idealism, and exaggerated emotion • Emma’s version of Rom lacks depth, artistry, & abstractness (31, 34) • Nabokov 132 & 136 • “Honeymoon Days” (Ch. 7): Romance vs. Reality (34-5, 37) • Use of “would” to suggest: • A continual experience (22) • A hypothetical experience (34)

  4. Like Don Quixote, Emma immerses herself in fantasy/romance literature. However, DQ “actively transforms the reality he encounters,” whereas Emma remains passive; she “expects the men on whom she pins her hopes to act them out for her” (Eric Gans 72). • (Also, read Michelle G.’s comment)

  5. Part I, Ch. 8-9 • “Emma would have preferred to be married at midnight, by torchlight, but this idea seemed senseless to her father” (22). “They arrived at nightfall, just as the lanterns in the park were being lit to enable the carriages to find their way” (40). • Ball serves as a confirmation of her romantic dreams • “Contact with wealth” (48) • Wedding vs. Ball? • Momentary “shattering” of glass/illusion (44-5) • Charles (from top 43 to middle 45) • Cigar case = “impregnated” (mot juste!)

  6. Idealization of Paris • “layer of golden dust” (52) – decorations, trinkets, & growing capriciousness (confusing external and internal) • Emma on Charles? Shame, frustration, annoyance … HOPE turns to DESPAIR: • Ironically, spring proves suffocating! • ¾ of a year in a few ¶s (54) • Change in garden (55) • Bridal bouquet • End of Part I: new location, Emma pregnant

More Related