Gustave Flaubert wrote Madame Bovary in 1856, set in rural Normandy, France between 1827-1846. It follows Emma Bovary, who is bored by her dull husband Charles and seeks passion through adulterous affairs. Despite warnings from her lover Rodolphe and friend Leon, Emma spends herself into debt trying to fund a lifestyle of luxury. Overcome by shame and despair, she poisons herself. The novel examines themes of inadequacy of language to capture emotion, the powerlessness of women, and the dissatisfaction of the middle class.

1. Madame
Bovary
Gustave Flaubert
Prepared by:
Ringgit Espiritu Aguilar
BSEd-III English

3. Gustave Flaubert
• Born December 12, 1821
• Died May 08, 1880(age 58)
• Began writing at age 16
•Studied law, but failed the
exam
•Devoted life to writing after
suffering a nervous
breakdown from failed law
exam

4. Type of Novel
•Collective Novel
•Psychological Novel

5. Setting
• France (Yonville, Tostes, Rouen)
• October 1827 and ends in August
1846
• This is the time of the "July
Monarchy", or the rule of King Louis
Philippe.

6. Characters
• Emma Bovary: Madame Bovary, the protagonist
• Charles Bovary: Emma’s dull, trusting husband
who finds her faultless
• Rodolphe Boulanger Emma’s first affair (wealthy man)
• Leon Dupuis: Emma’s second affair
( law student, full of himself )
• Monsieur Lheureux: Merchant causing
Emma’s financial ruin
• Monsieur Homais: Atheist pharmacist

7. Plot
• Exposition
Charles Bovary, the only son of a
middle-class family, became a doctor
and set up his practice in a rural village.
He made a marriage of convenience
with a woman older than himself.

8. • Rising Action
One night, he receives a call to set a man’s
broken leg. During his visit, Charles is
enchanted by the man’s daughter, a beautiful,
elegant girl named Emma. Not long after,
Charles’s wife dies of a nervous ailment, and
within a year Charles and Emma are married.
Charles adores his new wife, but Emma is soon
bored and disappointed. She does not feel
anything like the love described in her favorite
romance novels, and she blames Charles’s bad
looks and dull conversation.

9. • Climax
Emma had an adulterous affair with
Rodolphe, a local landowner. When he
abandoned her, she became seriously ill.
After her recovery Emma encountered
Leon in Rouen and began to carry on an
affair with him. In order to afford weekly
trips to the city to see Leon and to satisfy
her other whims, Emma spent her husband's
money freely and incurred many debts.

10. • Falling Action
Eventually her unpaid bills went long overdue
and a judgment was obtained against her by
her creditors. She owed a vast sum of money,
and the sheriff's officers arrived to confiscate
the family property. Emma tried frantically to
raise the money and finally turned to both
Rodolphe and Leon, but neither was willing or
able to help. Out of shame and despair, she
poisoned herself.

11. • Ending
Charles cannot pay these debts. He
becomes bankrupt and eventually
withdraws from social life. One night he
discovers proof of his wife's infidelity,
but he is not angry. He spends time with
his daughter, whom he loves. It is she
who finds him dead in the garden one
day. And Berthe is sent off to work in a
cotton mill.

12. Conflict
•Man Vs. Himself
•Man Vs. Society

13. Point of View
•First Person
•Third Person Omniscient

14. Theme• Inadequacy of language *
> Words try but fail to capture the depth of
emotion throughout the piece
• Powerlessness of women*
> Seemingly only men have the power to change Emma’s life
> Emma wishes for a male child because “ a woman is
always hampered” *
• Failure of the bourgeoisie ( middle class) *
> The middle class has dissatisfaction with material things and
aspirations for “more” in life
> Mockery is made of middle class pretense and knowledge

15. Moral/Lesson
•Be Contented of What you have.
•Lessen your Fantasies.

16. Images/Symbol
• The blind Beggar
• Dried Flowers
• The Lathe

17. Sources
http://www.google.com/images
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/bovary/summary.html
http://www.wikipedia.org/wik/Madame_Bovary
http://pinkmonkey.com
http://www.cliffsnotes.com
http://www.shmoop.com