By drawing on an existing study on existentialist engagement in David Foster Wallace’s œuvre to make a connection to "Madame Bovary", this essay will argue for and examine the similarity of the problems illuminated in the two works as they both deal with the relation between the sense of self and the acknowledgment of a transcendent reality. The focus will be on "Madame Bovary". At first sight, the ironic character of "Madame Bovary" appears to be susceptible to Wallace’s criticism of irony. I will show that, despite his use of irony, Flaubert is ultimately as committed to recognizing a transcendent reality through his writing.
Gustave Flaubert’s "Madame Bovary" and David Foster Wallace’s "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" were written nearly 150 years apart. Flaubert, on the one hand, is often categorized within the tradition of realism – a label that he himself rejected – which followed a literary period of romanticism. On the other hand, Wallace, as a contemporary writer, enters a stage that is dominated by postmodern thinking. Both their writings are shaped by their critical engagement with the literary movement and social reality of their time and the protagonists of their writings are created as prototypes of the mind-set they seek to criticize through literary reflection.
Due to the differences in their literary context, however, it seems natural to assume that the two writers have very different literary agendas. Flaubert appears to propose through his writings a radical dissociation in face of and opposition to both the escapist tendencies of romantic novels and the reality of bourgeois society of his time, whereas Wallace criticizes the exact tendency of ironic dissociation as they have become rife in post-modern literature.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
a. Self-reflection
b. Experiential Mediated-ness
II. The Self
III. Solipsism
IV. Subjectivity
a. Erasure of the Other
b. Lack and Loss of Self
V. Transcendence
a. Irony
b. Impersonality
c. Truth
VI. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This essay explores the thematic intersections between Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary and David Foster Wallace's Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, specifically focusing on how both authors utilize literary techniques to critique solipsistic subjectivity. The primary objective is to demonstrate that despite the vast temporal and cultural gap between the works, both writers address the conflict between an illusory sense of self and the necessity of acknowledging a transcendent reality, ultimately arguing that Flaubert's use of irony aligns with Wallace's existential concerns.
- The role of irony and hyper-reflexivity in literary character construction.
- The relationship between solipsism, self-alienation, and mediated experiences.
- A comparative analysis of Flaubert's style indirect libre and Wallace's postmodern critiques.
- The movement from subjective ideality toward the recognition of an independent, transcendent world.
Excerpt from the Book
b. Experiential Mediated-ness
Experiences are mediated when objects are not experienced first-hand but indirectly through a medium that brings them to the consciousness, e.g. books.9
In Think10, the narrative includes thoughts of the male character. He has difficulties to respond immediately to what is happening and instead finds himself reflectively observing his situation. In order to distance himself from it, he begins to relate his perception of the woman to various forms of media: The woman’s smile becomes clichéd through his comparison with the impersonal display of a magazine photo, her act of closing the doors loses its specific significance as a mere replay of a movie, and her seductiveness becomes less threatening in this specific situation by viewing it as an image (photo).
According to Wallace, “mediated experiences become an enormous frame of reference, on the basis of which individuals watch, compare and direct their own, personal experience”. The prevalence of mediated experience is partly a cause for reflexivity since people start to experience experiences.11
The case with Emma seems to be significantly different. Her mediated experience of herself and the outside world can hardly be described as “conscious”, as she does not seem to waste any thoughts on the way she perceives herself. If introspection is characterized as leading to regard of oneself as consisting of unique and private contents (Sartre)12, then Emma’s problem is that she is not capable of introspection. She is unable “of believing in anything that did not present itself in the accepted forms” 13. For her, the very words are the reality of experience.14 She has no means of interpreting them in an individual way; similarly, she cannot relate to her concrete desires but through clichés. Semiotically speaking, the connection between the literary signifiers and the significants in reality are arbitrary, but Emma understands them as natural, so that she is unable to recognize love, for instance, if it does not appear to her with all the conventional signs that constitute it in fiction.15
Emma is therefore constantly impositioning fictional images over the external world, even over the most natural things as love. In her relationship with Léon, both are incapable of perceiving the other except through clichés and literary templates.16
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: This chapter introduces the comparative focus on Flaubert and Wallace, establishing the core problem of irony and its relation to transcendent reality.
II. The Self: This section defines the individual self as a construct of values and consciousness, highlighting the danger of self-alienation through hyper-reflection.
III. Solipsism: This chapter analyzes the pathological nature of self-reflection and how characters become trapped in their own consciousness, losing connection with the external world.
IV. Subjectivity: This chapter examines how subjective perception leads to the erasure of the 'Other' and the disintegration of the self when it lacks grounding in reality.
V. Transcendence: This chapter investigates how irony and impersonality function as mechanisms that either hinder or facilitate the acknowledgment of a reality outside the self.
VI. Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes the arguments to show how Flaubert’s "moderate irony" serves as a bridge toward recognizing a transcendent reality, aligning him with Wallace's existential goals.
Keywords
Irony, Solipsism, Hyper-reflexivity, Transcendence, Madame Bovary, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, Subjectivity, Existentialism, Literary Realism, Postmodernism, Self-alienation, Style indirect libre, Narrative, Emma Bovary, Consciousness.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this academic essay?
The essay explores the relationship between the sense of self, the tendency toward solipsistic subjectivity, and the acknowledgment of transcendent reality in the works of Flaubert and Wallace.
Which two literary works are primarily analyzed?
The analysis focuses on Gustave Flaubert's "Madame Bovary" and David Foster Wallace's "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men".
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to demonstrate that despite their stylistic differences, both authors critique ironic dissociation and encourage the reader to recognize a reality that transcends purely subjective fantasies.
Which scientific or theoretical framework is utilized?
The paper draws on existentialist philosophy, specifically engaging with concepts from Sartre, Kierkegaard, and contemporary studies on Wallace by scholars like Clare Hayes-Brady.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body treats self-reflection, solipsism, the erasure of the other, the role of language, irony as an existential attitude, and the concept of impersonality.
Which keywords best describe the analytical focus?
Key terms include irony, solipsism, hyper-reflexivity, transcendence, and subjective alienation.
How does the author define "hyper-reflexivity"?
Hyper-reflexivity is described as a pathological form of self-consciousness where the individual is trapped in constant thinking about themselves, effectively distancing them from the actual experience of the world.
Why does the author argue that Flaubert's use of irony is positive?
The author argues that Flaubert uses a "moderate" irony through "style indirect libre" to dismantle the illusions of his characters, thereby steering the reader toward a reality that exists independently of literary clichés.
What role does silence play in the interpretation of Emma Bovary's relationships?
Silence is presented as a space where a more genuine connection can exist, contrasting with the superficial and clichéd dialogue that defines Emma’s failed attempts at meaningful communication.
- Quote paper
- Céline Sun (Author), 2018, The Role of Irony in Literature. A Joint Interpretation of Wallace's "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" and Flaubert's "Madame Bovary", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/449128
