F's P

I feel like if I had read even just the chronologies first, I wouldn't have despised Madame Bovary as much as I did. Chronology II gives the reader a better understanding of where Flaubert is coming from and perhaps why he is so against the romanticism style of writing. All of the deaths, failing relationships, and other issues that he has to deal with lets me see perhaps where Flaubert is coming from and why he writes in such a dry, bitter style. I enjoyed reading Chronology III because I was able to hear Flaubert's true voice (comical and cynical), that which you don't get from reading Madame Bovary. With the chronologies next to eachother, I can relate his quotes to what was going on in his life. I think my attention span will last longer than it did in Madame Bovary.