Four talks by MICHAEL BLACK
2: Emma Bovary and the dream of self-fulfilment
Racine's Phaedra expresses the intransigent classical view aboutt love which goes against the norms of social conduct: the only credible course is re-nun.ciia.tion. It would make a neat contrast if Flaubent's Madame Bovary could simply be presented as a romantic counter-statement to the classical position. But Emma Bovary is in the deepest sense irresponsible,