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Motifs
Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis:
Madame Bovary is set in various provincial towns in mid-19th-century France: Tostes, Yonville, and Rouen. These smaller settings contrast with Emma’s dreams of adventurous travels and the lavish city of Paris. The realistic depiction of these towns heightens how dull and confining Emma views her real life, especially as she finds herself isolated among the residents of the small town. Emma has very specific and high standards as to where she believes love can be produced, none of which the provincial towns meet, highlighting her growing frustration with the seeming unattainability of love.
Furthermore, the novel is written as contemporary at the time of publishing. This allows Flaubert to make more minute commentary on the social issues he’s observed, primarily his distaste for bourgeois culture. The bourgeoisie refers loosely to the middle class—made up of people such as business owners, merchants, and artisans—which was growing in influence in the middle of the 19th century. However, Flaubert was not so much critiquing these people's station in life as what he saw as their shallowness, conservatism, hypocrisy, and overall lack of culture. In establishing its setting, the novel references real-life regional newspapers, literature, and events which would have connected with Flaubert’s audience and enhanced the realistic feeling of the novel.
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