Madame Bovary
Gustave Flaubert

Written by the father of the modern novel, Madame Bovary tells the story of Emma, a farm girl with unrelenting aspirations of rising above the social status she was born into. Published in France in 188X, this work of fiction marks the transition from Romanticism to Realism in French literature.

Major thematic elements: social class distinctions, the role of women in 19th century France, the dangers of Romanticizing any aspect of life, particularly marriage and motherhood.