Stirling Haig, in his article on Flaubert in Dictionary of Literary Biography, suggests that Flaubert, who was exposed to pain and suffering at the hospital throughout his childhood, developed a 'gloomy perspective on life and death' that he would later weave into the fabric of his works.įlaubert began writing in his childhood.

Flaubert lived with his family in an apartment in the hospital where his father served as chief surgeon and professor. Gustave Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821, in Rouen, France, to Achille Cleophas (a physician) and Caroline (Fleuriot) Flaubert. Flaubert's realistic portrait of the tragic fate of this complex woman has earned him the reputation as one of the most celebrated and influential novelists of the nineteenth century. The result of his painstaking creativity was a penetrating psychological study of its heroine, Emma Bovary, as she struggles to find fulfillment through a realization of her romantic fantasies of love and wealth. Madame Bovary immediately gained a wide readership, due not only to its notoriety but also to its celebrated artistry.įlaubert worked on the novel from September 1851 to April 1856, during which time he rewrote the manuscript several times, often spending days perfecting a single page or paragraph. Charges were soon dropped, however, and the novel was published in two volumes in April 1857. Yet, even after the offending passages were edited, the government soon banned the novel and charged Flaubert with obscenity due to its detailed depiction of the heroine's adulterous relationships. Flaubert was understandably furious over the loss of control over his work. Madame Bovary Gustave Flaubert 1857 Introduction Author Biography Plot Summary Characters Themes Style Historical Context Critical Overview Criticism Sources For Further Reading IntroductionĪfter Revue de Paris published several installments of Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary, the editor decided to remove from the novel several passages he determined would be offensive to France's conservative Second Empire (1852–1870), ruled by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte III.

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