PART ONE

CHAPTER ONE

This story took place in the early 1800's in the French countryside. The book was originally in French, but was translated into English. Gustave Flaubert, the author, was sickened with the French middle class he was born into. He believed the French middle class to be lazy, unconcerned, and selfish. Madame Bovary is about a self-centered, envious, and dramatic middle class French woman. Flaubert decided that to write about something he so sincerely hated would show his true creative writing ability. Although he was sickened with the French middle class, he forced himself to show people talking, thinking and acting as people do talk, think and act. He spent over five years writing this book. At times, he would spend one week writing and rewriting two pages of the novel. He took great care in writing his novel, more care than any novelist before him. The main character is a woman called Madame Emma Bovary. She is unsatisfied with her life, and bored with reality. She is married to a country doctor, named Charles Bovary.

The students were sitting down in their seats, waiting to begin class when the headmaster came in, followed by a new boy, not dressed in the traditional school uniform. Those who were asleep woke up, and everyone stood up to greet the headmaster.

"Here is a boy for you, Monsieur Roger," the headmaster said in a quiet voice. "I'm putting him in the second grade to start, but if he improves in his studies, he can go up higher, where he should be at his age."

The new boy sat nervously in the corner of the room behind the door. He looked like a country boy of about fifteen years old, taller than all the students, wearing a jacket that was far too small.

Monsieur Roger soon began class. The new boy listened to the lesson carefully. He did not move once during the lesson. When class was over, the master had to tell him that he could go along with the rest of the class.

The next day, the country boy returned again. He sat again in the corner with his cap sitting on his lap, listening respectfully to the master.

"Stand up!" said the master.

He stood up, his cap fell down, and the students laughed.

He bent down to pick up his cap. Another student knocked it out of his hand. Again he picked it up.

The other students always put their caps in the back of the room at the beginning of class, which the new country boy had not noticed.

"Put your cap away quickly," said the master, annoyed.

The laughter from the class made the poor boy so uncomfortable that he didn't know whether to keep his cap in his hand, or put it on the floor or on his head. He sat down and put it back on his knees.

"Stand up and tell me your name."

The boy nervously said his name, but he spoke so quietly that no one could understand.

"Again!" the master said.

This time, the country boy opened his mouth widely and spoke with great courage the word, Charbovari.

The class began laughing loudly. Soon, the master quieted the students, and found out the country boy's name, Charles Bovary. The master then demanded that the boy sit next to his own desk.

"Now you will be quiet!" he shouted at the country boy. Then, more gently he said, "You shall have your cap back. It hasn't been stolen."

In the evening, when the students would study the lessons, Charles Bovary carefully worked on his lessons, looking up every word in the dictionary. His level in school was well below most children his age. He had only studied with the local priest in his village; his parents delayed sending him to school as long as possible because of the great expense of his education.

His father, Monsieur Charles Denis Bartholome Bovary, was previously a major in the military, but was forced to leave. The handsome, charming man soon met a young woman who fell in love with him immediately. She had a fortune of two thousand five hundred pounds, so he was satisfied and married her quickly. Once he was married, he lived on his wife's money for two or three years, dining well and waking late, never coming home at night until the theatre closed, and almost living in the pubs; he refused to work. His father-in-law died, and left the family no fortune. Monsieur Bovary was shocked and angry. He soon began working in business. He lost some money, and left for the countryside, to attempt farming, although he knew nothing of farming. He lost money at this, as well, because he rode his horses instead of using them for farming, drank his wine instead of selling it, ate his finest hens instead of selling them for meat. He soon realized that he would never make money.

At the age of forty-five, he moved to a village between Caux and Picardy. He made a home in a place not quite a farm and not quite a house. He envied the world and hated his life. He decided to attempt to live a quiet life.

He often paid no attention to his poor wife, although she loved him dearly. It seemed the more she gave him, the less he loved her. When they married, she was quite friendly and cheerful, but her character had changed with time. She suffered so much at first when they married, while he chased after other women and paid her no attention, but she did not complain. With age, however, her husband's behavior upset her, and she became angry at her life and her husband. Though, till her death, she never spoke a word about her displeasure. While her husband sat by the fire smoking, she paid the bills and visited the neighbors. The only time he would speak to her was to say something disagreeable or complain about her.

A baby came, and his mother gave him everything he desired. His father paid little attention to the poor boy. He would let the boy run around the house with no clothes on; he thought this would help his child grow up strong and independent. He sent the child to bed without a fire to warm him in the winter; he forced the boy to drink liquor, and to laugh at church marches. The child, although, was quite peaceful, and did not respond to his father's demands. His mother kept him nearby at all times. She told him stories and made him small toys cut out of cardboard. She dreamed that he would grow up to be a handsome, intelligent man. She taught him to read and to sing while she played the piano. Monsieur Bovary, however, thought music was a waste of time. How would they be able to pay for his education? Certainly not through teaching him how to sing, he told his wife. Madame Bovary did not speak, and the boy ran wild in the village.

The young boy followed the farmers to the fields, scaring away the birds as he ran. But, at the age of twelve, his mother was delighted when the local priest agreed to teach the boy. The lessons were quite short, however, and did not teach the boy too much. The lessons were given when the priest had spare moments, between a wedding and a burial. He would call for the boy, and then they would go up to the priest's room. It was an airless room. The boy fell asleep. Then, the old man would soon grow tired and fall asleep, as well. Other times, the priest would see the boy running through the fields and call him to the church for a short lesson before a passing friend or the rain interrupted the priest. But, he was always pleased with the young boy, and even said he had a good memory.

Time went by, and the mother and father realized the boy must attend formal schooling. Finally, Charles was put into school in Rouen. About the end of October, his father took him to the school.

He was a shy, respectful boy. He played during playtime, and worked in school time. He paid attention in class, slept well in the dormitory, and ate well in the dining-hall. Every Thursday evening, he wrote a long letter to his mother. On school walks, he talked to the servant, who came from the country, also.

He studied carefully, but was always in the middle of the class. At the end of his third year, he was taken away from the school to study medicine. His mother found a room for him in Paris, and arranged for him to move. She found some furniture—two chairs, a table, a stove and some firewood to keep her poor child warm, and a bed sent from home.

The boy was shocked to see the great number of classes he would have to take. He didn't understand a word of it. He listened carefully, but could not understand. Nonetheless, he worked, attended all the classes, and never missed a day at the hospital.

To save money, his mother sent him a piece of meat every week. He would lunch on this when he returned from the hospital in the morning. Afterwards, he had to hurry to his lessons or to the hospital. At night, he would return to eat a small meal with his landlord before he would return to his room to study.

On summer evenings, he would open his window to look in the direction of Rouen. He missed the country air smell. How good it would be there, now!

He became quite thin, and had no passion for anything. One day, however, he did not go to the hospital. The next day, he did not attend his classes. He enjoyed doing nothing. He soon left his studies entirely.

He went to the pubs, experienced forbidden pleasures, learned songs and dances, and made love, forgetting all his earlier worries. Choosing the pubs instead of classes, he failed to receive his diploma. And he was expected home on the very night of the examination, to celebrate his success!

He returned home and told his mother everything. She did not blame him, but blamed the examiners for his failure, and did not tell his father the terrible news. Five years later, however, Monsieur Bovary found out the truth, but was not concerned with the matter at that time. He could not believe that his own son could be a fool.

Charles again began his studies, and passed the exams. What a proud day it was for his mother! Now, where should he go to practice medicine? To Tostes. The only doctor there was an old man, and now Charles would become the new town doctor. It was not enough, however. She decided he must have a wife, as well. She found him one, a wealthy woman, forty-five years old, whose husband had just died, with fifty pounds of income.

Although his new wife, Madame Heloise Dubuc, was quite ugly, there were many other men wanting to marry her, given her great fortune. Madame Bovary knew this well, and cleverly found ways to attract Madame Dubuc to her son.

Charles believed that marriage would give him freedom. He could do what he wanted with his money. But his wife was master. She opened his letters, listened when he had female patients, and decided what he should wear. She was always complaining about her health. Every night when he returned, she would tell him about her miserable life. She often told him that he paid her no attention, or that he was in love with another woman.

(end of section)