The thought of continuing with Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary is depressing. I started it last week, then stalled during the second part. It sounds like an appealing book--it features adultery, financial woes, and a heroine who commits suicide at the end. (I see shades of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina here.) And though Flaubert hasn't yet painted a full portrait of Emma Bovary, I'm already sick of her. I'm imagining her as a teenager--she seems restless, spiteful, and unsatisfied. Flaubert is called "The Father of Realism," and in that respect, maybe Madame Bovary is a success. Emma is selfish, and often complains about trite matters, and seems to believe that people exist to keep her entertained and happy. True, she isn't very compelling or interesting, but that's because she's a lot like most people you meet in real life.

Comments

[Pete]

If you've passed the 50-page barrier, do yourself a favor and abandon it now. Emma becomes even more deplorable as the novel goes on. You will truly hate her by the end, and not in the delicious villian-you-love-to-hate sort of way. And that's not a sexist comment either - my 24-year-old, politically progressive niece was the first to warn me away from the novel. I should have listened to her.