Madame Bovary

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. When have you encountered gaps between expectations and reality similar to Emma’s disconnect between romantic fantasies and everyday life?

2. Charles loves Emma unconditionally despite her flaws and betrayals. What are your thoughts on this kind of devotion in relationships?

3. Which character in the novel did you find yourself most sympathetic toward, and why?

4. What role has reading played in your life during difficult or monotonous periods?

5. In what ways have you witnessed or experienced constraints similar to Emma’s in modern life?

6. Emma often neglects her daughter, Berthe, because she represents another anchor in a life Emma finds suffocating. Have you observed situations where personal dissatisfaction affected parent-child relationships?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. In what ways do you see the legacy of 19th-century limitations on women’s options continuing to affect women’s choices today?

2. The novel criticizes the bourgeoisie’s preoccupation with appearances and material goods. What parallels do you see with current consumer culture?

3. Flaubert was put on trial for obscenity after publishing Madame Bovary. What kinds of literary content provoke moral outrage in our society today? You might consider works that frequently feature on banned books lists, such as Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, E. L. James’s Fifty Shades of Grey, Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer, and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. What distinct patterns do you notice in Emma’s relationships with Rodolphe versus Léon? What commentary do these patterns offer, either on Emma or society as a whole?

2. In what ways does Charles’s mediocrity serve as a foil to highlight Emma’s romantic fantasies?

3. What commentary is Flaubert offering through the novel’s consideration of finances and debt?

4. Flaubert uses an objective, non-judgmental narrative voice throughout the novel. How does this technique influence your perception of Emma’s actions?

5. Flaubert famously identified with Madame Bovary. Which aspects of Emma might reflect the author’s own perspectives?

6. What societal criticisms do secondary characters like Monsieur Homais and Monsieur Lheureux embody?