The Perpetual Orgy

Vargas Llosa begins by explaining the special meaning Madame Bovary has for him. Then he deals with the story the novel tells and "the sources it uses, the way in which it transforms itself into time and language." Here he examines the "added element" Flaubert joined to his perceptions of realityfor example, his humanizing of objects, his obsession with pairs, and his manipulation of fictional time and narrative. Finally, focusing on such issues as the antihero and interior monologue, the author discusses the place of Madame Bovary in the development of the modern novel. This knowledgeable and highly readable book may not break any new scholarly ground but is valuable as an intelligent introduction and personal appreciation by an important novelist.