Few novels have so decisively impacted the shape and content of modern literature as Gustave Flaubert's debut novel Madame Bovary. This story of an unhappy young woman overreaching and self-destructing in her search for happiness is one that has provided material for countless other writers since, and been remarked upon by many a critic.
The immediate reaction to Madame Bovary upon its publication in 1856 was less than positive, and embroiled its author in scandal. The allegations that the book undermined public decency and did not do enough to censure its protagonist for her excesses shows the power that the novel was presumed to have.
Well over 100 years later, Madame Bovary is not...
