Madame Bovary
Flaubert changed what novels could do with language.
“She wanted to die, but she also wanted to live in Paris.”
Why It Matters
Flaubert changed what novels could do with language. His obsessive pursuit of "le mot juste" — the exact right word — set the standard for prose style that every serious novelist since has had to reckon with. Emma Bovary's self-destruction through romantic fantasy is also the first great portrait of how consumer culture and unrealistic expectations ruin real lives.
The 
Take
Personal reviewI thought the degeneration of Emma to be so well done, because the yearning for something more is relatable despite her horrible means. The men all seemed relatively realistic, bailing at the last minute , or in monsiers case, just not wanting to think too hard. I thought the imagery and setting of scenes was great. Wasn’t too long. It was great
Notable Quotes
“Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we long to make music that will melt the stars.”
“One's duty is to feel what is great, cherish the beautiful, and not accept all the conventions of society with the ignominy that it forces upon us.”