“ Ah! by Jove! 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 imposes upon us. ”
Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary (1856). copy citation
| Author | Gustave Flaubert |
|---|---|
| Source | Madame Bovary |
| Topic | beauty society duty conventions |
| Date | 1856 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by Eleanor Marx-Aveling |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2413/2413-h/2413-h.htm |
Context
“said Rodolphe. «Always 'duty.' I am sick of the word. They are a lot of old blockheads in flannel vests and of old women with foot-warmers and rosaries who constantly drone into our ears 'Duty, duty!' Ah! By Jove! 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 imposes upon us.»
«Yet—yet—» objected Madame Bovary.
«No, no! Why cry out against the passions? Are they not the one beautiful thing on the earth, the source of heroism, of enthusiasm, of poetry, music, the arts, of everything, in a word?»” source
«Yet—yet—» objected Madame Bovary.
«No, no! Why cry out against the passions? Are they not the one beautiful thing on the earth, the source of heroism, of enthusiasm, of poetry, music, the arts, of everything, in a word?»” source
Meaning and analysis
