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Literary Devices
Definition of Alliteration
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought the box of bricks to... read full definition
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought... read full definition
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the... read full definition
Part 1, Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Love, Lovers, Loving:
The novel uses abundant alliteration in the following passage from Part 1, Chapter 6 to match the poetic nature of the novels Emma was reading and to emphasize the importance of this passage in establishing the context of Emma’s worldview, especially her romantic behavior:
They were about love, lovers, loving, martyred maidens swooning in secluded lodges, postilions slain every other mile, horses ridden to death on every page, dark forests, aching hearts, promising, sobbing, kisses and tears, little boats by moonlight, nightingales in the grove, gentlemen brave as lions, tender as lambs, virtuous as a dream, always well dressed, and weeping pints.
The alliteration of “love, lovers, loving” at the start of the passage underlines the main subject of the various literature Emma reads and the repetitiveness of romantic plotlines, tropes, and themes. Through this alliteration, the reader can understand how Emma’s pursuit of love has become ingrained in her by literature repeatedly telling her that dramatic love is the height of happiness and being. The alliteration continues from image to image, such as “martyred maidens,” which builds the dramatics of these individual scenes to an almost comical degree, mocking the absurdity of some romantic ideals and how such specific and hyperbolic images have become tropes within this literature. Furthermore, the alliteration adds a rhythmic quality to the passage, which reflects the romantic and poetic style of these novels which have enticed Emma and led to her viewing her reality through a similarly poetic lens.
Related Themes:
Part 3, Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Everlastingly Entombs:
Madame Bovary uses alliteration to enhance the poetic rhythm and emphasize the romanticism of a passage for better or worse. For example, in Part 3, Chapter 1, when Emma is reunited with Léon and is beginning to rekindle their romance, the novel describes her as follows:
Emma held forth on the miseries of earthly love and the eternal isolation that everlastingly entombs the heart.
While Emma may be expressing some true unhappiness about her lot in life, especially as a woman, the novel's highly stylized alliteration emphasizes how much of Emma’s miserable expression is a calculated performance meant to entice Léon. She plays the role of a miserable wife who needs to be saved by a lover in mimicry of the romantic fantasies from her novels. The alliterative “e” paints the picture of her hopelessness, bringing Emma together with words relating to eternity ("eternal" and "everlastingly") and entrapment ("earthly" and "entombs"). By taking on a more romantic writing style through its alliteration and hyperbolic statements, the novel furthers the idea of Emma’s dalliances being incongruous with the real world and doomed to fail as a result. This change in style through alliteration highlights the constructed nature of the scene and how both characters are using each other to fulfill their romantic fantasies rather than living in undiluted reality. Emma and Léon see each other and themselves as characters rather than people, so the novel strips away its realist style in these moments to emphasize their distorted worldview.
Related Themes:
