Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- What claims does Madame Bovary make for the role of women in the society of Flaubert’s time?
- How does the novel’s narrative voice contribute to its effectiveness?
- How sympathetic (or unsympathetic) are we to the novel’s main characters? How does this affect our reading of the novel?
- Is Emma believable as a real woman, rather than simply a literary character?
- What do you think Flaubert meant when he declared, "Madame Bovary, c’est moi" (I am Madame Bovary)?