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Gustave Flaubert: Madame Bovary

Stewart

Active Member
Due to unexpected interest, the book of the month for April 2008 is going to be Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.

Emma Bovary is beautiful and bored, trapped in her marriage to a mediocre doctor and stifled by the banality of provincial life. An ardent reader of sentimental novels, she longs for passion and seeks escape in fantasies of high romance, in voracious spending and, eventually, in adultery. But even her affairs bring her disappointment and the consequences are devastating.

Flaubert's erotically charged and psychologically acute portrayal of Emma Bovary caused a moral outcry on its publication in 1857. It was deemed so lifelike that many women claimed they were the model for his heroine; but Flaubert insisted: 'Madame Bovary, c'est moi'.

For more information on Madame Bovary, check out Wikipedia.
For more information on Gustave Flaubert, read this biography.

To get a copy online, consider the following sites:
You should be able to get even a second hand copy for a pound/euro/dollar or two. So no excuses!

And if you don't fancy parting with the money to join in, why not check it out of your local library? Assuming they have it, of course.

Discussion begins on 1st April 2008. And that's no joke!
 
I have no idea. The one I've linked to mostly above is Geoffrey Wall's 1992 translation, which comes under the Penguin Classics range.
 
Sounds great. My local book store has it(surprise) I just have to get to it as soon as possible:)
The following months should be decided soon too (no pressure,lol) because I have a harder timefinding books, being that I am in a French area. Otherwise I have to order them.
 
Bovary Geography

Here is the electronic version of Madam Bovary book.

And on this map one can easily find Yonville, where Bovary family moves - actually a bit further from Rouen than I understood from the text - or is it not the same Yonville ? (took me some time to get the geografic idea of the place - may be it will be also helpful for you guys!)

Enjoy!
 
I remember when I started reading the book in French, I was really amazed by Flaubert's word choice and use of French. I'm not sure that could be rendered into English, but I"ve heard that some translations are very good. With that said, is there anyone here who has/will read this book in French?
 
Here is the electronic version of Madam Bovary book.

And on this map one can easily find Yonville, where Bovary family moves - actually a bit further from Rouen than I understood from the text - or is it not the same Yonville ? (took me some time to get the geografic idea of the place - may be it will be also helpful for you guys!)

Enjoy!

The map is a good idea,It must be this Yonville because Bovary is taking piano lesson in Rouen(if my memorie does fail me)I don't remenber the name of the first village they lived in?
I found an interresting interview of Pierre Bourdieu about a book he wrote on Flaubert.I also found traces of his voyage in Egypte in Dark star Safari by Paul Theroux.The inspiration for is book Salambo ,maybe the first Fantasy book ever written?
 
Finished

Finished the Bovary.

There is a good reason, though, why I have not read it till now - not my thing! Horrible, horrible, woman! Pathetic! Stupid!

Thank God for the invention of D*I*V*O*R*C*E !!!!!!!!!!
 
I looked for this at the local library today, but they don't have any copies. :rolleyes: I'll have to try the library in the next town over. :rolleyes:
 
Ok, I am confused. If people don't have the book yet how are discussions going to start April 1st?



angerball , how about the electronic version?:)
 
^Good idea! I looked at the link someone posted earlier, but I've just realised that I should be able to find it on Project Gutenberg. I'll give it a go. :)
 
^Good idea! I looked at the link someone posted earlier, but I've just realised that I should be able to find it on Project Gutenberg. I'll give it a go. :)

I finished Madame Bovary over the weekend, and it's due 4-4, so I'll be relying on the electronic version to refresh my memory for the discussion.
 
Auch, I am flying to visit my parents in April...

I guess that on 1st of April I will post whatever I think about Bovary, and then on 30 of April, when I am back, I will read who posted what..

Not exactly a discussion... May be I will have a chance to sit by a computer there from time to time, but I don't know...
 
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