“ For six months, then, Emma, at fifteen years of age, made her hands dirty with books from old lending libraries. ”
Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary (1856). copy citation
| Author | Gustave Flaubert |
|---|---|
| Source | Madame Bovary |
| Topic | reading books libraries |
| Date | 1856 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by Eleanor Marx-Aveling |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2413/2413-h/2413-h.htm |
Context
“They were all love, lovers, sweethearts, persecuted ladies fainting in lonely pavilions, postilions killed at every stage, horses ridden to death on every page, sombre forests, heartaches, vows, sobs, tears and kisses, little skiffs by moonlight, nightingales in shady groves, «gentlemen» brave as lions, gentle as lambs, virtuous as no one ever was, always well dressed, and weeping like fountains. For six months, then, Emma, at fifteen years of age, made her hands dirty with books from old lending libraries.
Through Walter Scott, later on, she fell in love with historical events, dreamed of old chests, guard-rooms and minstrels. She would have liked to live in some old manor-house, like those long-waisted chatelaines who, in the shade of pointed arches, spent their days leaning on the stone, chin in hand, watching a cavalier with white plume galloping on his black horse from the distant fields.” source
Through Walter Scott, later on, she fell in love with historical events, dreamed of old chests, guard-rooms and minstrels. She would have liked to live in some old manor-house, like those long-waisted chatelaines who, in the shade of pointed arches, spent their days leaning on the stone, chin in hand, watching a cavalier with white plume galloping on his black horse from the distant fields.” source
Meaning and analysis
