Today in History
What went down and why you should care.
oct 01 Learn More Madame Bovary Published
The first installment of Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary was published on this day in 1856. The public was scandalized: not only did Emma Bovary engage in extramarital affairs, but the book also suggested that she might have good reason to. (Exhibit A: her doofus husband.) Flaubert was charged with insulting morality and put on trial, but he was ultimately cleared, all of which just made Bovary even more popular than it already was. His lawyer's main argument—that we need exposure to vice in order to learn about virtue—is reprinted in many editions of the book.
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