The Lewd Character of Madame Bovary
The Lewd Character of Madame Bovary When Madame Bovary was finally published in April 1857, Gustave Flaubert was charged with insulting the public morality and offending decent manners. In fact, the novel went on trial. It caused such a debate that the trial is considered "a milestone in the history of freedom of expression" (Rozen 9). Madame Bovary's lewd character, sexual innuendoes, and glorification of adultery were considered voluptuous and lascivious. Flaubert was criticized for portraying French women as scandalous and immoral. There are certain examples throughout the novel that exemplify Flaubert's style as ludicrous and scandalous. He ventures deeper into certain sexual relations that occur between Emma, Madame Bovary, and her lovers. More importantly, he seems to glorify adultery and disgrace marriage. Flaubert's first alleged offense was the way he supposedly defaced public morals. He did this through his
depictions of Emma and her love affairs with Rodolphe Boulanger and Leon Dupuis. Even as a youth, Emma seems promiscuous. While living in a convent at age thirteen, she was enthralled with romantic novels that were forbidden for the girls to read. These fantasies that Emma had even crossed over into her everyday life at the convent. In fact, "the references to fiancÈ, husband, heavenly lover, and eternal marriage that occur in sermons awakened unexpected joys within her" (56). Her promiscuity carries over into her later life and entices her to have an affair and comment her first act of ...
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depictions of Emma and her love affairs with Rodolphe Boulanger and Leon Dupuis. Even as a youth, Emma seems promiscuous. While living in a convent at age thirteen, she was enthralled with romantic novels that were forbidden for the girls to read. These fantasies that Emma had even crossed over into her everyday life at the convent. In fact, "the references to fiancÈ, husband, heavenly lover, and eternal marriage that occur in sermons awakened unexpected joys within her" (56). Her promiscuity carries over into her later life and entices her to have an affair and comment her first act of adultery. Flaubert, however, was scorned for describing their "innumerable trysts at Rodolphe's chateau, or even more in the health officer's garden. The lovers attain the extreme limits of sensual pleasure" (328). Flaubert also allowed the reader into the bedroom of Emma and her lovers. This stressed the forbidden "open-door policy" (Downs 162). Usually the door remains closed and the reader is left to imagine what happened. An example of this "open-door policy" occurs when "he would go up, open the door and go in; and then, what a passionate embrace" (Flaubert 250). Emma, however, lost her composer and became wearied by passion. "She would undress savagely, tearing at the thin lacing of her corset, which fell down around her hips like a gliding snake" (Flaubert 265). Finally, Flaubert is criticized for the overall image of Emma Bovary. "The picture [of Madame Bovary] is primarily lascivious, the poses are voluptuous, the beauty of Madame Bovary is the beauty of enticement" (Flaubert 332). Gustave Flaubert was also attacked for the supposed glorification of adultery in Madame Bovary. In fact, the novel was unofficially was given the second title, "A History of the Adulteries of a Provincial Wife" (Flaubert 329). This sort of criticism obviously did not help in the trial of Madame Bovary. There are many instances in the novel that involve adultery and the sexual desires that accompany such an act. Such desires are revealed in a rendezvous with Leon. "The conjugal embraces evoked adulterous desires...she cursed herself for not having loved him. She thirsted for his lips" (Flaubert 131). However, Flaubert seemed to glorify adultery more in Emma's love affairs with Rodolphe. He tended to use more passion in his tone when writing of sexual encounters between Emma and him. For example, "she threw back her head, her white throat swelled in a sigh, and without resisting, tears streaming, with a long shudder and her face hidden, she gave herself to him" (Flaubert 162). The big controversy, however, was the way Emma showed no remorse for her sins. Through Emma and her feelings, the reader feels sympathetic and accepts the fact that she just committed adultery. She returned home, looked in the mirror, and said, "I have a lover! A lover!" "So she was finally going to possess those joys of love, that fever of happiness, of which she had so long despaired. She was entering into something marvelous where all would be passion, ecstasy, delirium..." (Flaubert 163). These thoughts by Flaubert obviously depict extra marital affairs as marvelous and erotically stimulating. Finally, Flaubert was heavily scolded for comparing adultery to marriage. "Emma was finding in adultery all the banalities of marriage" (Flaubert 272). When referring to marriage, Flaubert openly uses the terms banalities and defilements. On the other hand, he stresses poetry when it comes to adultery. These comparisons are what ignited the attack on Flaubert's views on marriage and adultery in Madame Bovary. All of the preceding issues sparked a great deal of discussion about morality and acceptability of certain topics. Flaubert's attitude towards adultery and sex were considered unacceptable and in need of censorship. However, the trial ended with the court voting on complete acquittal on the grounds that there were so few passages that questioned morality. Even though the novel was published, all of these issues mentioned were considered censurable material and were tried heavily and seriously.
