English Literature (Classic and Modern).Gustave Flaubert's 'Madame Bovary' - Research Paper Example

? English Literature ic and Modern) Gustave Flaubert's 'Madame Bovary' Exploring historical, political, social, and artistic contexts that gave rise to the creation of this novel, 'Madame Bovary' (1857), we will be focusing on such issues: firstly, how the text was perceived at the time of its publication and how it is perceived now --- as having modernized some aspects in culture, or having reflected a modernization in progress; secondly, what was the writer's intention; thirdly, has critical opinion about the text's importance to the development of modernity changed over time; then, how have literary theorists and historians explained the writer's decision to create the text, to forge a particular style, and to treat upon a particular subject. Historical context In this part of the paper we will discuss both how the text was perceived at the time of its publication and how it is perceived now --- as having modernized some aspects in culture, or having reflected a modernization in progress, and also has critical opinion about the text's importance to the development of modernity changed over time. Flaubert's first and the most important novel was serialized in the Revue de Paris, led by Maxime Du Camp, author's lifelong friend, 1856. Soon after author and publisher were accused of text's immorality, but they were acquitted later, 1857, and after the lawsuit 'Madame Bovary' was perceived positively in Paris. So, this deal only helped the author to gain extraordinary success with a help of his novel, and, as we have seen, its perception changed polarly, from accusation in immorality to its classical status in French literature and worldwide. Furthermore, unlike to its perception at the time of its publication, it is now viewed both as having modernized some aspects in culture and as having reflected a modernization in progress. 'Madame Bovary' became a landmark within the whole literary tradition of the French Realism in time of the July Monarchy, 1830-1848 [Breut, 1994, p. 28], because it reflected modernity in terms of literary naturalism and with an assistance of Flaubert's method of 'just the right word'. While close (in-depth) reading, such traits of the narration are evident: firstly, it was a monumental / epic history about common people (from the middle class); secondly, in time of commercialization they tried to survive, thinking only about their own 'self'; thirdly, times were rude and routine, and full of absurd / nonsense, with a constanct success for the immoral people; fourthly, that is why literary naturalism of provincial, especially female, immporality was accused so strongly soon after the publishing --- ironism / naturalism / realism was a right stylistic method to picture common life in the agrarian province, Normandy, without prettification. Similarly, when speaking about 'some aspects in culture' that were modernized with a help of this text, it should be stated that: not only naturalistic, if not negative (from the conservative point of view), image of M-me Bovary herself, but also a very type of realistic novel without positive protagonists, given as they were critically, with all their 'cons', was perceived by the wider public as rather strange and eccentric; additionally, last but not least, author's homosexual lifestyle determined such accusation of the narration, along with a fact that Flaubert, as a rule, did not want to hide his sexual adventures, presenting them openly in public. So, he was right when told that 'M-me Bovary was me', and it was also a new trend in the literary modernism in France. Also, answering on 'has critical opinion about the text's importance to the development of modernity changed over time', it could be stated that 'M-me Bovary', as a classical narration, was perceived negatively (in time of the July Monarchy, 1830-1848) as a critical review of corresponding society, and afterwords it became perceived favorably / congenially, as a literary product of one of the most influential French writers among the greatests, so, tradition of realism began to defend and promote its prominent member. But, nevertheless, this novel of Gustave Flaubert must be viewed as a classical example of permanence in literature, due to a fact that his narrative form preserved its constant actuality for the readers, demonstrating an eternal life of this plot about routine, dull, rude, and unpredictable lifestyle of raising burgeausy of the middle class (in the remote province), especially in developing countries of the third world nowadays. Presumably, one contradictive line of this plote, protagonist's, may be viewed as being eternal in the classic literature, because it is an old truth that all time there would be a person who fights with an obsessive character of the mass culture for his / her own ideals (for example, of free love, joy, pleasures, etcetera). Artistic context This part of the paper will be dedicated to how have literary theorists and historians explained the writer's decision to create the text, to forge a particular style, and to treat upon a particular subject. Thus, our discussion will contain three elements: firstly, writer's decision to create the novel; then, his forging a particular style; ultimately, his treating of publicly contradictory subjects. Primarily, author's decision to create 'M-me Bovary' was determined by two factors. It was Flaubert's first attempt to gain success as a professional writer, therefore, he wanted to promote himself in public and also he tried to present his prominent stylistic features, unlike to those from his 'The Temptation of Saint Antony' (1874). Secondly, his 'forging a particular style' is presumably the most interesting and influential element, due to a well-known fact that English Victorian critic Walter Pater [Wood, 2008, p. 134] recognized Flaubert as a 'martyre of style'. Accordingly, he tried to find out the only adequate word for given context, therefore, his method is widely known as one of 'just the right word'. Also, after his early experiments with the poetic prose, his stylistic characteristics in 'M-me Bovary' must be presented as those: narration is given from the point of distant observer; there is factual and detailed narration; narrator takes an indifferent meta-position outside the text; there is descriptive (sometimes, ironical) language with laconic characteristics and brief metaphorical passages; author introduces himself as a respectable bourgeois, which tone (being focused on contradictory subjects) perhaps was the main point for the attacks of disturbed defenders of moral ethics. Thirdly, Flaubert's treating of publicly contradictory subjects is the last element within the artistic context. In 'M-me Bovary' they are: rules / principles for normative gender behavior [Collas, 1986, p. 17]; class inequality; poor spiritual world, or 'inner dimension' (for example, their aesthetics), of the characters; political criticism of the ruling regime in France; prohibited themes and sexual taboos (without fictional prettification). In general, narrator's tone in the novel was transparent and at the same time hard-core, which contradiction, along with strongly satirical / humor passages, gave an overall effect of ironism for the contemporaries. Political / social context In this part of the paper, ultimate one, we will discuss what was the writer's intention when publishing the novel. Presumably, his primordial aim was to criticise and to become famous with a means of his oustanding stylism. Thus, objects for his critisicm were from different spheres of individual and public activity of the time: political, social, and economic matters. Politically, he disliked clericalism, ultra-conservatism of the Restauration, and socialistic radicalism, but ordinariness and priapism in power --- perhaps, even a lot more. That is why middle class / bourgeois regime of the July Monarchy, with its leader Louis Philippe I, accused him so unambiguously. His overall ironism and systematic parody in the novel was a powerful weapon against liberal constitutional monarchy, which euphonic name, in fact, concealed reality of the primordial capitalism, when everyone sought to collect big monies in order to become politically in power to earn a lot more. In social / economic dimension, Flaubert's text invented that: stage of collecting monies of the primordial capitalism was very dangerous not only because majority of working population were forced to work all their time for pences, but also due to a fact that when people were constantly thinking about their earnings as the only matter in life, they became deprived from their natural morality in the upper sense; and those who wanted more from the dull reality were forced to use sometimes unfair methods to face a better life in the society, but in fact unsuccessfully, because unfair debts were extremely difficult for the natural / spiritual life of the counter-cultural individuum, like M-me Bovary, protagonist. References Breut, M. (1994). Le Haut et le bas: essai sur le grotesque dans Madame Bovary de Gustave Flaubert. Amsterdam: Rodopi. p. 23---31. Collas, I. K. (1986). Madame Bovary, a Psychoanalytic Study. Geneve: Droz. p. 17---55. Wood, J. (2008). How Fiction Works. Paris: Picador. p. 33---134. Read More