Wednesday, February 20, 2019

How does Flaubert use the Agricultural fair at Rouen to further his satire of 19th century French society?

Gustave Flaubert wrote his novel Madame Bovary in the mid-nineteenth century as a satirical note on the upper middle class, those who were just rich enough to construct to be rich. Flaubert loathed them and wrote his novel to make them appear as the fools that he notion them to be. His loathing for the upper middle class of 1850s France stemmed from the judgementls which they held. Flaubert saw his fellows as a generation confused to the meritless and frivolous dreams of the cut wild-eyed movement.French wild-eyedism was a movement through each the germinal arts towards idealising the world which artists constructed. Although equally present in music and optic art, Flaubert focused both his hatred and his satire on the literature of the measure, this extreme right-winger nature earned him the title of a naturalist. This was however close tothing that Flaubert detested the Naturalistic movement was one that focused on specifics and on realism in a snip, whereas Flaubert sought to make his story one that was relevant to any setting. Though his attention to detail in places mirrors that of a realist or naturalist writer, this is not his essential purpose.Flaubert defies any assay to fit his work to a particular movement or path in French literature, though there is little doubt that his work Madame Bovary is a right satire of French romanticism and of the bourgeois society that regurgitated the clichs of the movement. separately word in the novel is c atomic number 18fully chosen, so the book becomes a painstakingly constructed trap which ensnares the thoughts of the commentator and guides them to the conclusions that Flaubert wants us to make. Although every word in the novel is vital to Flauberts purpose, there are certain key passages that are particularly pivotal to the book. Among these is his description of the agricultural clear at Rouen in Part II Chapter 8. One constituent of this describes a conversation that occurs between Rodolp he and Emma in the provincial fair that surrounds it.The passage begins with a monologue from Rodolphe what he expresses in the passage is a fairly clich set of ideals from the romantic movement. He talks of Striving souls and beating hearts . Particularly typical is the idea of two souls matched by fate that cannot be drawn apart. However contempt the talk to of the text the tone is not one of romance. Flaubert intentionally marrs Rodolphes words by introducing them with the sentenceRodolphe had moved in closer to Emma, he was talking in a low vox, speaking rapidlyThis has the effect that Rodolphe appears to be fashioning a clumsy attempt to seduce Emma, rather than replete(p)ly expressing noble sentiments. Another tool that Flaubert uses to make the entire situation assuage more comedic, is by consistently contrasting the everyday provinciality of the agricultural fair with the frivolous fantasies in which the two star crossed lovers engage. This is used consistently thro ughout the passage, moreover it makes its first appearance in introduction to this section Flaubert talks of bleating lambs and cattle, then suddenly Rodolphe saysDont you find this social conspiracy cheating(a)? Is there one sacred feeling that they do not castigate?.This adds to the readers feeling that Rodolphe and Emma are completely in a world of their take in with little or no connection to the reality of the bovine conspirators. The reader should note the over-punctuation which creates a disjointed toneOh Come what may, sooner or later, in six months, ten years, they will be together, will be lovers, because Fate ordains it, because they were born for one another.Flaubert runs the entire monologue into a single(a) split up. This has the effect that we are left with the impression of a clumsy attempt at seduction muttered quickly under the breath.In the next carve up Flaubert describes the sensations that Emma feels. He writes of Emmas observations of Rodolphe. Ironical ly much of the passage is devoted to describing the smell of Rodolphes neaten and to the fresh scent of the ivy climbing a nearby house, but one can only imagine the onslaught of odours that would campaign against ones nostrils in a rural agricultural fair. Flauberts writing here mimics that of French romanticistism, his style is an exaggeration of the literary genre that he seeks to mock. This is perhaps also a reflection of the feelings that Emma wants to have as much as the feelings that she does have.The next paragraph contains the concluding section of the Councillors pitch. One should note the immediate change Emma has been lost to the scent of Rodolphes hair, and then suddenly the councillor shouts out Endurance exertion, ideals which are in stark contrast to Emmas thoughts of desire. This serves to make Emma appear petty, touch on only with those matters that are emotive and frivolous.Flaubert makes another sly stab here, this time at the church.Endurance Perseverance H eed uncomplete the voice of habit, nor the over-hasty teachings of rash empiricism Dedicate yourselves above all to the improvement of the soil, to good manure, to the phylogenesis of the various breeds, equine, bovine, ovine and porcine.If one reads the opening sentences from the Councillors speech it becomes clear that his expressive style of oration is based on the stereotype of a hellfire and damnation preacher the resemblance can perhaps be most all the way seen in the way he cries out virtues, and in Heed neither the voice of habit, nor the over-hasty teachings of rash empiricism a sentence that is quite scriptural in its construction if not in its subjects. This is certainly a exaggeration of an evangelical preacher. This impression is aided by the Councillors introductionshe could hear the voice of the councillor psalming out his phrasesMimicking the style of a over-zealous padre serves to mock the church by imitation. Applying this same manner of speech to such a mun dane topic as agriculture rather than religion serves to demystify it, making it appear comical. Lieuvain then dismounts his pulpit and is replaced by another speaker.Flaubert takes the opportunity of introducing the spick-and-span orator to contrast the trivial nature of Rodolphe and Emmas discourse with the profound speech of Monsieur Derozerays. This is done by contrasting pairs of sentences throughout the paragraph, alternating between describing the lovers conversation, and describing the speech. This proficiency begins thusAccordingly, praise of the government played a lesser graphic symbol religion and agriculture were rather more in evidence Rodolphe, with Madame Bovary, was talking dreams, premonitions, magnetism.We now move a little lower on the scalawag and find a similar contrastCincinnatus at his plough, Diocletian planting his cabbages and the emperors of china bringing in the New Year by planting seeds, the two-year-old man was explaining to the young woman that these irresistible attractions had their origin in some previous existenceFlaubert clearly wants to make a mockery of the upstanding situation. He is trivialising these matters of the heart by comparing them to the hardworking people of the fields, where the labourers are planting seeds for the New Year. Flaubert continues to alternate between describing the speech and describing the seduction. The contrasts between the two begin subtly but as we continue down the scalawag they grow less and less so. By the time we reach the infiltrate of the page Flaubert has begun to intermingle the words of Rodolphe, speaking of love and destiny and of all the ideals of French romanticism and Derozerays, who talks of money of work and of that which is concrete and material Did you know that I would be escorting you? Seventy francs3 A cardinal times I wanted to leave, and I followed you, I stayed. Manures As I shall stay this evening, tomorrow and the day after, all my life.Flauberts purpose in this entire extract is to satirise the seduction. More importantly, it is to show that the ideals that are shared by the Bourgeoisie and the Church concern matters that are emotive and are indeed trivial compared to those things concrete such as land, money and food. Flaubert trivialises the entire Romantic genre by setting a clichd romantic conversation, that proliferates with the vocabulary and metaphors that permeate the literature that he is satirising. He then places this exaggeration of the Romantic movement into a situation that is overwhelmingly provincial and agricultural. This serves his purpose of taunting the petty bourgeoisie and the Romantic movement.

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