Analysis of the agricultural fair scene in Flaubert's Madame BovarySay no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay While writing Madame Bovary, Flaubert often spent entire days searching for the “right word.” As a result, not only his sentences but also his scenes are beautifully realized. One such example is the agricultural fair scene in the novel where the town comes together to celebrate agricultural achievements. As a plot point, the fair is important because it helps bring Emma and Rodolphe closer together. It is during this scene that Rodolphe seduces Emma and they begin their unhappy affair. However, the importance of this scene extends far beyond its plot function. Flaubert creatively constructs the scene in such a way that the counselor's speech and that of Rodolphe juxtapose and mock each other. Flaubert also uses this scene to criticize Emma's romanticism and the stifling mediocrity of the French bourgeoisie. Overall, this scene contains many of the broader themes of the novel and is emblematic of Flaubert's brilliant use of irony. The first thing one may notice when reading this chapter is the way Flaubert places his characters in the scene to create three different courses of action. Far below, the faceless crowd gathered for the Fair: “the crowd entered the main street on both sides of the village. People were pouring in from alleys, alleys, houses…” (83). The animals mingled with the people: “the sleepy pigs dug the earth with their snouts, the calves bleated, the lambs baaing…” (86). Above the faceless crowd are the city officials, including the councilman giving the speech. And above them are Rodolphe and Emma who "had gone to the first floor of the town hall, to the 'council room'...[in order] to enjoy the view more comfortably" (89). The physical placement of the characters is interesting in this scene because usually when one character is placed above another it also suggests some sort of implicit moral superiority. But here, even if Emma and Rodolphe occupy the highest level, they cannot claim it since it is in this council room that they begin their adulterous affair. Not only between shots, but within each shot of action, Flaubert draws interesting contrasts and parallels. For example, at the lowest level, at street level, are the mass of people and animals. Flaubert describes the townspeople as "all... looked alike" (88), perhaps to signify that the monotony and meaninglessness of provincial bourgeois life made everyone indistinguishable from one another. Even more harshly, Flaubert draws parallels between the gathered mass of people and the gathered mass of animals by using similar language to describe both. For example, at the beginning of the scene, all the animals were herded into a small enclosure to feed, "and above the long undulation of these crowded animals, we saw a white mane rising in the wind like a wave..." . (86). Compare this with the end of the scene, when everyone was gathered for the feast, so crowded that "sweat ran down every forehead and a whitish vapor, like the vapor of a stream on an autumn morning, floated in the above the table. between the hanging lamps” (95). The “floating whitish vapor, like the vapor of a stream” recalls the earlier description of the “white mane of animals rising in the wind like a wave,” and the equivalence is complete. Although the action takes place over threedifferent levels, Flaubert integrates the stories in such a way as to be able to move from one to the other with complete fluidity. The best example of this would be the town councilor's speech at the fair, during which Flaubert constantly shifts his attention between the speaker and Rodolphe and Emma. The effect of such a parallel structure is heightened irony. As the speaker speaks of the greatness of agriculture: “you, farmers, farmer-workers! You… pioneers of a work which belongs entirely to civilization! (90), Emma and Rodolphe speak of “provincial mediocrity” (87) and the stifling nature of provincial life. While the speaker praises the townspeople, “you, men of progress and morality” (90), Rodolphe succeeds in seducing Emma and the two begin their affair. But more precisely, by cutting between the two scenes, Flaubert mocks both Rodolphe's lack of sincerity and the speaker's emphasis. The councilor's clichés on progress, morality and patriotism are matched only by those of Rodolphe on passion, love and the fact of being "born for each other" (92 ). As the scene continues, Flaubert quickens the pace by interspersing the two speeches more frequently until individual phrases contrast with each other. When Rodolphe asks Emma “why did we know each other?” (93), his speech is immediately followed by the president's exclamation: “for good agriculture in general!” » (93), suggesting that their relationship is one of animal instincts. Another example is when Rodolphe tries to convince Emma that destiny destines them together: “Just now, for example, when I went to your house. » “To Mr. Bizat de Quincampoix. » "Did I know I had to accompany you?" “Seventy francs.” (93) The juxtaposition of the two speeches suggests that Emma is seeking money for her favors, which is ultimately realized later in the novel when she attempts to win back Rodolphe in order to obtain money to repay his debts. Furthermore, this juxtaposition highlights the insincerity of Rodolphe's intentions, because every time he makes a declaration of love, his speech is mocked – here the money suggests that he has ulterior motives. Other examples of this include when he tells Emma "I will take the memory of you with me!" (94), immediately followed by the president's announcement: "For a merino ram!" (94). At the climax of Rodolphe's courtship, he says to Emma: "You are good!" You understand that I am yours! Let me look at you; let me look at you! (93), followed by “Flemish manure!” (94) – once again, Rodolphe’s intentions are mocked and shown as insincere by Flaubert. Thus, we can see, Flaubert's use of structure for satirical effect helps to highlight both the advisor's pomposity and Rodolphe's insincerity by placing their speeches side by side. This parallel structure is used by Flaubert not only for ironic contrasts, but it is also used in this scene to highlight some of the dominant themes that predominate throughout the novel. In the previous example of the manure, Flaubert mocks not only Rodolphe but also Emma and her very romanticized view of life. Emma yearns for the life she reads about in the novels and “tried to discover what exactly was meant in life by the words felicity, passion, rapture, which had seemed so beautiful to her in the books” (21). It is precisely this disparity between her romantic ideals and the realities of provincial life that leads her to Rodolphe who exploits her weakness by speaking to her in these romantic clichés. Flaubert criticizes this exaggerated emotionality and points out that romanticism is in decline by comparing romantic ideals., 1993