who will stop me?

Ladies shall not live by the words of Flaubert alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of nearly every good writer.

I am getting tired of reading all of these essays.

I have my “vision” for the project entirely done, and I’m at least 70% done with each section, so that’s swell. It’s mostly the last few finishing touches that are killing me.

So, I came across a site made by an AP English class devoted to studying Madame Bovary. The drawing posted on the site is pretty lame and really irks me, actually.

So, on Sunday, once again I go back to the OU library to study. I’m embracing the feminist perspective of the novel in terms of my critical file, and for the sections of the book, I highlight Bovary’s vices and illusions she immerses herself in. So far, I like it. Hopefully Kreinbring will as well.

Before playing D & D with John and Robbie this past weekend, John logged me in to the U of M site and I had access to their articles and such. I found an entire book dedicated to Madame Bovary, and I’ve been reading it these past few days.

One thing about the book itself that has been frustrating me ever since I finished it is that it feels somewhat incomplete. I actually discovered an article that explained how Flaubert took out thousands of pages from the book mostly because of their controversial material. This made sense. Another thing that has been irritating me since completion of the book is that fact that it doesn’t read like Wilde. I suppose I expected a little more decadent and “sparkly” writing. Instead, Flaubert’s realism struck me as harsh, and was a bit challenging for me.

On an unrelated note, I’ve been really excited about our upcoming poetry assignment. I’m examining my favorite poem – “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath, and I listened to it at least five times last night before going to sleep.

Breakfast is ready.

Filed by lizsilverman at 9:27 am under Uncategorized  Tagged Bovary, Breakfast, Daddy, Flaubert
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So, I had been putting off reading the book for a day or so. Not going to lie, the book really kills me. It makes me almost too introspective, and if I’m not in the mood for self-analysis, I really can’t read it. So, last night as I watched television [I don't do it very often, so I didn't feel guilty] I saw Frasier was on and at one point, Niles tries to impress everyone with an affair …

“Frasier: Come on, Niles, I’ve heard your stories. They’re not the steamiest stuff.

Niles: Obviously you’ve forgotten the semester I spent living in Paris. I’ll
have you know I had a torrid affair with a married woman.

Roz: Really?

Frasier: Well, I’m sorry, Niles. I had no idea.

Niles: It’s not something I boast about. The attraction was simply
overpowering. Every Thursday, two o’clock, the Hotel De Boulogne. We’d arrive separately, climb the stairs, open the door… Ooh-la-la. Oh, what an embrace! Afterwards, she’d whisper to me, “There’s something so sweet in your eyes, and it”—

Frasier: “Does me so much good!” said Emma Bovary! If you’re going to steal a love life, don’t steal from the classics, you imbecile!”

So, I took this as a sign that I needed to finish Bovary. I went to the OCC library on Tuesday and didn’t find much after hours of searching but then I went to the Troy Public Library and found some interesting stuff. I came upon a few Flaubert biographies, rented the 1949 version of “Madame Bovary” with Jennifer Jones and I rented a little cd of popular French songs, just to set the mood.

So far, I actually like the character of Rodolphe. He reminds me of a Lord Henry type, always grabbing the people’s interest by making them believe he is a deep intellectual.

I’ve been sort of sympathetic to Emma from the start. For instance, I felt for her when she wanted to mother a son as opposed to a daughter so he could be free and make his own decisions. Her hate for her daughter is really a hatred towards the confinements of her gender, but still – when she pushes her daughter down because she cries – I felt very upset. Emma is really very childish and addicted to this ideal of love that no sincere man is able to provide for her.

For the next entry, I plan on including all of my favorite quotes and trying to dig deeper in the feminist perspective of the novel. Hopefully, by today I will finish the book. That is the plan.

[On an unrelated note, I keep jumping from "Watchmen" - which is possibly one of the best - and to be honest - only graphic novels I have ever read - to Madame Bovary. The shift in style is actually pretty funny.]

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I like stories about dissatisfied women seeking something grander in life.

Esther. Emma. Alice.

It’s weird, but I don’t like any of the artist portrayals of Emma. I have her set in my head as looking a certain way, and whenever I feel some sort of attachment or great love for work I’m very picky about artist interpretations.       

Yesterday I went to the DIA for a college lecture [Four hours of pure joy - honestly, I adored it!]  I collect little art books, and I’m a fan of Matta, Dali, Klimt and Artemisia [Klimt is #1] so I was very excited. At a certain point, I found myself trying to find a face suitable for Emma’s in the paintings.

I do this sometimes.

Sadly, the only one that came close was my favorite portrait of Mary – which is somewhat ironic. The professor pointed out that this artist used the subjects as the sources of light in the painting as opposed to outside sources illuminating the characters. I loved this idea. My big art book upstairs has the picture in it as well, and it was one of my favorites then. I originally was not about to get up, but I figure it would be beneficial to post a link.

Immaculate Conception

The one that’s in my book is of better quality and it’s a different pose, but you get the gist.                       

Anyways, the art trip made me think about art as a possible career choice. It was my first visit to the DIA, and I was enamored. So now I add art to the list of degrees.

Art, English or Law. Fantastic.

I really wish I could skip all the education and just be a critic of arts, films or literature. I had a dream about it once, and it was fantastic. I just read all day and critiqued and visited France. It was a pretty neato dream.

Tangents tangents tangents. Lo siento.

By the way, if you haven’t heard of Artemisia Gentileschi, you should look her up. She was in my big art book, and she had these great paintings of Judith [Judith is my heroine] slicing off Holoferne’s head. Yesterday, the professor focused on one of the paintings [I was literally grinning ear to ear because the painting was at the DIA, so I just looked high the entire time he lectured about it] of Judith, and he started explaining Artemisia’s history – and she is one of the most inspiring women ever. Like Jordan, I hate posting links to wikipedia, but she has a decent article.

I need to stay on topic, but the unseen gods of art forced me to write this.

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Every time I pick up “Madame Bovary” I figure out exactly what I’m going to say in a post. I formulate these really great ideas in my head, and I only wish I carried around a tape recorder so that I could remember all of my blog post ideas. Sadly, I don’t.

Needless to say, I’ve been reading the novel quite a bit and I absolutely adore it.

Emma is a discontent dreamer/lover. She’s selfish and in some ways, a little shallow – but, like the devil in “Paradise Lost” she just wants something more. This is a trait I generally associate with myself [I find myself easily discontent with things], but, like it was said before in class, I consider this positive in certain areas. Of course, Emma has reminded me that this could be a possible outcome if I don’t learn to find some sort of contentedness.

I know, I know, this is not “THE BIG THEME”, but it’s a side-theme that I’ve been focusing on.

Walking around in Barnes and Noble the other night, I brought up the fact that I was in love with my AP English book.

“I love Madame Bovary. I absolutely adore it. The writing style is just delectable and the characters are a little Wildean.”

“I thought you’d like it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Emma Bovary seemed like your sort of character.”

“What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know. I read the book and I just was pretty sure you’d enjoy it.”

So, I’ve been thinking about my future and the fact that I am a perpetual dreamer [reading is about finding yourself, which is why I decided to include all of this pondering] and along with the natural teenager-looking-for-meaning-in-life that is always present in me, I’ve obtained a peculiar obsession with figuring out how to find out what I want in life. After all, that’s what Emma really fails at, and I’m in the process of finding all of these terrible similarities between myself and the character. So many, that sometimes I’m a little fearful of reading on so that I find more. After some big life-thoughts tonight, Emma Bovary looms large. I like having my life come together with themes and ideas intertwining, so this idea of being consumed by big dreams just ties everything up with a pretty bow.

And this quote just struck me:

“She remembered the heroines of novels she had read, and the lyrical legion of those adulterous women began to sing in her memory with sisterly voices that enchanted her.  Now she saw herself as one of those amoureuses whom she had so envied:  she was becoming, in reality, one of that gallery of fictional figures; the long dream of her youth was coming true.  She was full of a delicious sense of vengeance.  How she had suffered!  But now her hour of triumph had come; and love, so long repressed was gushing forth in joyful effervescence.  She savored it without remorse, without anxiety, without distress.” 

I love the language that is used [French, haha] and I love that this is where Bovary finds herself as the heroine in her great story. She’s journeying for something far greater than what she has and for something almost unreachable.

I’d like to mention that a yellow spider I have decided to name “Vladmir” has been on the wall in front of me for the past two hours I have been on the computer without moving at all.

And I’m going to the library to research on Wednesday or Thursday, depending on my schedule.

Filed by lizsilverman at 8:00 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged Emma, heroine, Vladamir
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Here you go.

Filed by lizsilverman at 9:58 am under Uncategorized
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HEY. MY BLOG IS A LITTLE BIT DEFECTIVE, SO PLEASE CLICK VIEW ALL ENTRIES TO SEE ALL OF MY OTHER ENTRIES THAT YOU’RE OBVIOUSLY NOT ABLE TO SEE AT THE MOMENT.

gracias.

 

 

I have been wondering exactly what book to choose for the big AP project Robbie once warned me about.

I was deciding between Madame Bovary and The Bell Jar.

I’ve read The Bell Jar, I love Sylvia Plath and I already have several of her works of poetry. Additionally, when I first read the book I was only in ninth grade – and since I’ve started rereading it, I feel that it has a much more powerful impact due to the continuation of my high school experience.

Despite all of that, the struggle of Mrs. Bovary always enticed me – I must admit, I had promised myself that I would read the book over the summer, but I was caught up in other reading and decided against it. I’m also really interested in the use of sexuality in literature, and I know Bovary was – and is – a very controversial French novel.

I have read poems about our disputed heroine, and they really struck me.

You know how you see a book and the only thing that goes through your head is “I MUST READ THIS”?  Well, I feel like that is exactly what I need to do. Also, Bovary possesses a more difficult writing style that I hope will challenge me.

I’m looking for a challenge … in an AP English class … I am silly indeed.

So, today I just decided to go for the challenge. I feel like whenever I make a decision through writing, it is much more solid – and just the fact that I wrote it feels empowering.

So – hello Mr. Flaubert – and Ms. Plath?

No worries. I’m still going to be reading your work nonstop. It’s just too good to ignore.  

Filed by lizsilverman at 8:33 am under Uncategorized  Tagged Gustav Flaubert, Madame Bovary, Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
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