Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - Book Review Artwork

Banned Book Club

Welcome to Banned Book Club where we believe that the most controversial books are often the best books. Join us as we dive into literature that has been good enough to raise the ire of governments, school-boards, and concerned parents all over the world. We hope that by the end of each episode you will agree with us on this point, if a book is banned its worth reading.

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Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - Book Review

October 20, 2022 • Banned Book Club • Season 3 • Episode 1

In this episode, we review “Madame Bovary” by Gustave Flaubert. Published in 1856 - the novel was deemed a threat to morality and caused Flaubert to face charges in the French court - because of the searingly detailed account it gives of protagonist Emma Bovary’s romantic affairs. But the book is anything but romantic - widely considered to be the first ‘modern novel’- Madame Bovary ushered in a new era in fiction by handling its controversial subject matter with a camera like neutrality. The infrequent good, the overwhelmingly banal, and the repulsively ugly details of life are on full display here, - presented in a distanced ‘coolness’ that shaped the mold for modern fiction. Join us as we discuss one of the most influential banned books in history.

Links:

Atlantic Article on Flaubert:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1882/08/a-note-on-flaubert/633293/

James Woods - How Fiction Works
https://slate.com/culture/2008/07/james-wood-s-how-fiction-works.html

It’s Too Late to Apologize - Book Review on Madame Bovary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNZCSodyvQQ&ab_channel=It%27sTooLatetoApologize

A note on Flaubert
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1882/08/a-note-on-flaubert/633293/

0:00 Intro
3:10 About the Novel
7:10 Why it’s banned/style of writing
9:10 Who is Emma Bovary?
13:10 Gustave Flaubert’s Realism/ Style of Writing
22:10 More on realism/Best scenes
27:30 Message of the novel
31:50 Analysis of Emma Bovary
36:20 Charles Bovary / Leon & Rodolphe
43:00 Final Thoughts

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