Upon its release, "Madame Bovary" was considered a controversial text that reflected the downfall of moral women. As a story about a chaste lady giving into carnal desire, it reflected a shift towards a more independent era that was uncommon for the 19th century. As a story that revels in realism and modernist technique, it explores the interiority of its character while placing her in a series of situations that conveys the emotional depths of a figure in desperate need of connection. The results are not without tragedy, though the journey does a fantastic job of showing the highs and lows of frivolous lifestyles. Thanks to Gustave Flaubert's prose, it never strays too far into seediness and instead works as a commentary on why the unexamined life is ultimately meaningless. There has to be risks and failure to appreciate its larger purpose, and nobody achieves it quite like Madame Bovary.
Flaubert begins the text by exploring his subject from a distance. The first few pages don't even reference her existence, finding men in a classroom following rules and looking for meaning in their studies. While this may seem indirect, it shows the perspective that most literature of the time had outside of very few known authors. This is ultimately a story about a man viewing a woman's life as being much more complicated than what the romance novels would have them believe. They aren't helpless nor entirely driven by the conventional wants and needs of the feminine. There is a desire to push into the voyeuristic perversion of her mind. While this perspective is ultimately limited, Flaubert's approach thankfully overcomes the shortcomings by having insight that is closer to a larger human experience.
This is a story about exploring loneliness and desperation for freedom. In a time where everybody was limited by the larger system, having a woman divorce men and date around was a concept that was difficlt to process. The fact that she could also sometimes be unlikable only reflected a desire to paint a woman who felt honest. The idea of having her exist against the judgmental public whose freedoms are more readily handed out is a great subversive take that allows every small development to feel richer. The reader is left contemplating why they don't feel she is deserving of the pleasures she indulges in. Why can't she go about life when it's clearly not hurting anyone? She is flawed, yes, but that is Flaubert's master stroke as he finds the human nature being more important than gender. The tenderness clashing with the crass is so provocative that the reader can't help but feel compulsary.
The text by itself is brilliant and finds a perfect character study in fiction. However, it's the third act that ultimately turns Flaubert's novel into a one of a kind experience. Following Bovary's death, the audience returns to being distanced from her humanity by reflecting on the exhumation of her body. The details are uncomfortably graphic, showing on a deep level that she's no different than anyone else. The reassemblage of Bovary as a person for her funeral reveals an effort to see her not only from a distance, but on a metaphysical level that few writers would think to do. It's a big swing, but by understanding every inch of Bovary, including her own mind, the reader forms a unique kind of sympathy that returns her to the public. In death, she is once again more object than subject. Even then, Flaubert hopes that something will cause the judgmental public to maybe change their view a little bit.
"Madame Bovary" remains one of the heights of fiction because of how risky it is within the grounds of conventional fiction. While some would consider the hedonistic nature to be the real shock, Flaubert's emphasis on making her flawed allowed her to also resonate with readers who maybe had their own private story of similar shame. Everyone has their secrets, and it's only through fiction that the taboos lose their sting. While a lot of the text is tame by contemporary standards, the implicit passion is still something that jumps off the page, making reason of situations that are still commonplace. Maybe the reader won't have the life of Bovary, but they'll have the fantasy of the life unlived. There is a need to not feel imprisoned by one's environment. Flaubert's compassion is what shined through the centuries and keeps her story alive. It's encouraging everyone to reconsider the people in their lives and know that those they gossip about have lives too. It's best to accept that knowing someone completely is unachievable. The best that can be asked for is sympathy and a willing ear to listen.
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