Madame Bovary: Part 1

Setting up the thread for discussion of Madame Bovary, Part 1, which is about the first 60 pages.

I finished Part 1 last night. I was wholly unimpressed at first-- the first ~37 pages or so read almost like a synopsis of a story. The narrator is just dryly running through time, leaving out all detail, making no point (reminded me of Disney's "book" versions of its movies). Then Emma enters the picture and everything changes-- for me and of course for Charles. Ah, now I get it!

I am now loving it and can't imagine there is or ever was a woman who didn't see a bit of herself in Emma Bovary.

I thought I was in trouble with the first part of Madame Bovary which was dry as dust. Oh yeah, when Emma came on board things picked up quite a bit. Poor Charles has more woman than he can handle, I'm afraid.

What a piece of work she is. She's a dreamer who is easily bored, and Charles is certainly a dull boy. I loved the analogy of her ennui as a silent spider weaving its web in the darkness in every corner of her heart.

Okay, I'll admit, I can be a dreamer at times, but I'd hate to think that I would fall apart the way Emma has. We'll see how she reacts to her "change of air."