Bovary

Bovary most often refers to Emma Bovary, the central character of Gustave Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary (1857). The Bovary surname belongs to a bourgeois provincial family in 19th‑century Normandy, with the narrative largely taking place in towns such as Yonville-l'Abbaye. The work is renowned for its meticulous realism and its critique of rural bourgeois society.

Emma Bovary, the daughter of a modest doctor, marries Charles Bovary, a conventional country physician. She seeks romance, luxury, and self‑translation into a more exciting life, but finds her expectations thwarted by domestic routine and social constraints. In an attempt to realize her fantasies, she engages in extramarital affairs and makes extravagant purchases, leading to financial ruin and social ruin for herself and those around her, including Charles.

The novel is celebrated for its realist style, including precise description, restrained narration, and an intense focus on inner life. Its themes encompass desire versus reality, the limits of social mobility, materialism, gender roles, and the critique of bourgeois values. When first published, Madame Bovary faced legal scrutiny for alleged obscenity, and Flaubert and his publisher were tried in 1857; they were ultimately acquitted, a verdict that amplified the work’s notoriety and influence.

Legacy: Madame Bovary is a foundational work of literary realism and has been the subject of extensive critical analysis across various theoretical perspectives, including feminist and psychoanalytic readings. It has inspired numerous adaptations for film, theater, radio, and opera, and the name Bovary has become associated with romantic illusion and its consequences in literary and cultural discourse.