Abstract:
Gustave Flaubert’s novel Madame Bovary (1856) and Guy De Maupassant’s short story
“The Necklace” (1884), both are two French masterpieces of world literature that tell us the
stories of two young women who have lived a life full of fantasy and let their fantasy get the best
of them. These two stories reveal the economic and societal situation from their time to the time
of our own. The protagonists Emma and Mathilde portray the victims of society who face
downfalls due to their extreme materialism. The characters’ imagination and fascination of
luxury life made them forget about the reality. They could not differentiate between what is
fantasy and what is the real necessity of life. Throughout the three chapters I have tried to
explain the smallest details of these two characters that correspond with their excessive need for
desire, thus losing the essence that really matter in life; and also tried to show a covert picture of
psychology, society and economy alongside it. I believe this dissertation will illuminate the
unaware people about the deepest facts of psychology and the hidden agendas of society and
economy.
Description:
This thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MA in English Language and Literature of East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh