The Quest for Realism

        In addition to the obvious element of plot, Flaubert stylizes Madame Bovary in manner which subtly, yet undeniably gives his novel a realistic feel while concurrently condemning romanticism. Unlike the flowery, idyllic language which was common in books during his time, Flaubert wrote in a detached, unemotional tone, describing even the most powerful scenes in an indifferent and almost bored manner:

 One day, as she was straightening up a drawer in preparation for moving, she pricked her fingers on something. It was an iron wire from her wedding bouquet. The orange blossoms were yellow with dust and the silver-bordered satin ribbons were fraying at the edge. She threw it into the fire. It flared up faster than a dry straw. Then it looked like a red bush on the ashes, slowly disintegrating. She watched it burn. The little cardboard berries burst, the brass wires twisted, the braiding melted; and the shriveled paper petals fluttered on the grate like black butterflies, then flew up the chimney. (Flaubert 83-84)

This scene, which depicts Emma burning her wedding bouquet, is described in great detail, yet with almost no emotion. This shows a great deviation from romanticism, which is exactly what Flaubert is aiming for; by writing in a style which is nearly a complete opposite to it, Flaubert provides an alternate viewpoint which helps to point out the flaws in romanticism. Flaubert further deviates from romantic style by describing many scenes down to the most mundane details; even spending the first four pages of part two chapter one describing Yonville-l’Abbaye. Writing in this style provides a vivid picture of exactly what is occurring in the scene, while also mimicking the monotony of life, which holds importance, for despite being fairly boring in terms of storyline; this demonstrates Flaubert’s disgust with romanticism and his choice to go in the complete opposite direction of it. This meticulous and largely unbiased writing style provides a great amount of power to Flaubert through which to ridicule romanticism, and contributes to Madame Bovary’s status as an anti-romantic manifesto.

        While it would seem in the large scheme of things that Flaubert’s anti-romanticism and how he achieves it is unimportant, these actually hold a significant amount of importance; this holds especially true in the literary world, as they represent the beginning of a new style of writing, and provide some of the defining features of realism, essentially helping to lay the ground work for a new form of writing. Yet even beyond this, Madame Bovary provides more than just a defining example of realism, it provides a message, an idea that it is the duty of an author to depict truth, and not idyllic, unrealistic worlds; that romanticism is more than simply impracticable, but morally wrong. This revolutionary idea took hold in part because of Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, and the devices and styles used within it: Flaubert wrote more than just a book, he wrote a manifesto, and without it, writing would not be what it is today.