Objectives

• Analyse how Flaubert uses free indirect discourse to construct Emma's interiority and expose the gap between illusion and reality.
• Trace the motif of romantic disillusionment across the novel's three parts, citing specific moments in Chapters 5–6, 8, 17, and 22.
• Evaluate how the Agricultural Show scene (Chapter 14) uses structural irony to satirise both romantic desire and bourgeois society simultaneously.
• Explain how Lheureux's manipulation in Chapters 20–21 functions as a material embodiment of Emma's self-destructive desire.
• Write a fully evidenced analytical paragraph that embeds quotation, identifies technique, and sustains an argument about Flaubert's narrative method.
• Assess the significance of Emma's death scene (Chapter 22) and Charles's discovery (Chapter 23) as Flaubert's final verdict on romanticism and marriage.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: Free Indirect Discourse and Emma's Inner World (Chapters 5–6)

   60 min · ch. 5, 6

   Do now

   Read the passage in Chapter 5 that starts with 'Before her marriage she had thought she was in love' and ends with '…she could not imagine what was meant by the words felicity, passion, intoxication.' In one sentence, describe what Emma hopes to gain from marriage, and in another sentence, explain what she truly experiences. You have five minutes — hold off on any discussion for now.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the sentence 'She thought of the cats with their arched backs, the moonlight on the roof, the nightingales in the garden' from Chapter 6. This demonstrates how free indirect discourse blurs the line between the narrator and the character. The images stem from Emma's convent reading rather than Flaubert's narrator, yet the absence of speech marks indicates this shift. On the board, annotate: (1) the missing reporting clause, (2) the sensory buildup that reflects romantic excess, and (3) how the narrator's irony functions specifically because he does not intervene editorially. Students should copy the annotation scaffold.

   Independent task

   Using the annotation scaffold provided by the teacher, students should choose one additional sentence or short passage from Chapter 5 or Chapter 6 where Emma's romantic fantasies are expressed through free indirect discourse. For instance, they might look at the excerpt in Chapter 6 that starts with "She had read Paul et Virginie" or the part describing her convent watercolours. Each student will write an analytical paragraph of 150–200 words that: (a) accurately incorporates the selected quotation, (b) identifies and explains how free indirect discourse functions in this particular sentence, and (c) discusses the impact this technique has on how sympathetic or distant the reader feels towards Emma. The paragraph should conclude with a sentence that links the passage to the novel's overarching theme regarding the divide between illusion and reality.

   Exit ticket

   In one or two sentences, explain the difference between free indirect discourse and a first-person interior monologue — use the word 'narrator' in your answer.

2. Lesson 2: Structural Irony and Social Satire at the Agricultural Show (Chapter 14)

   60 min · ch. 13, 14

   Do now

   Take a look at the chapter heading for Chapter 14 in your text. Before diving into today’s extract, jot down your thoughts: how do you think the Agricultural Show will relate to Rodolphe's seduction of Emma? Provide one reason for your prediction. You have four minutes.

   Teacher input

   Read aloud the intercut passage in Chapter 14 where Rodolphe asks, "Has it not occurred to you that there might be souls made to breathe the same air?" at the same time as the official announces, "Prize for manures!" On the board, illustrate how Flaubert’s chapter structure—switching between the lovers’ balcony conversation and the prize-giving below—creates a double irony: Rodolphe’s words are revealed to be just as hollow as the official's, and Emma's vulnerability is equated with the crowd's eagerness for livestock awards. Help students understand how to categorize this as structural irony, separate from verbal irony.

   Independent task

   Students should re-read the entire intercut sequence in Chapter 14, starting from Rodolphe's opening line ('I stayed…') to the announcement of the prize for fine wool breeds. After that, they will write two analytical paragraphs, each between 120 and 150 words. The first paragraph should explore how the contrast between Rodolphe's seductive speech and the agricultural announcements reveals the emptiness of romantic language. The second paragraph should discuss how this same structural device also holds Emma accountable—not just Rodolphe—in the novel's critique of bourgeois desire. Each paragraph needs to include at least one specific quotation from the intercut sequence and should identify the technique being analyzed (structural irony, bathos, or juxtaposition).

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence explaining why Flaubert places the lovers on the balcony above the show rather than in the crowd below — what does the physical positioning add to the irony?

3. Lesson 3: Money, Desire, and Entrapment — Lheureux in Chapters 20–21

   60 min · ch. 20, 21

   Do now

   Without opening your book, recall three items that Emma has purchased from Lheureux throughout the novel. Then, in one sentence, explain what connects Emma's spending habits to her romantic relationships. You have five minutes.

   Teacher input

   Model a reading of the scene in Chapter 20 where Lheureux presents Emma with the bill for the power of attorney, and she signs it without really reading it. Focus on the sentence, 'He had a way of insinuating himself that was irresistible.' Discuss how Flaubert describes Lheureux’s physical traits — his soft voice and half-closed eyes — echoing the language used to illustrate Rodolphe's seduction in Chapter 13. Make the case that Lheureux's commercial manipulation and Rodolphe's erotic manipulation are structurally the same, as both take advantage of Emma's tendency to replace careful examination with wishful thinking. Write the parallel vocabulary on the board for annotation.

   Independent task

   Students will examine the scene in Chapter 21 where Emma approaches the notary Guillaumin, the tax-collector Binet, and the priest Abbé Bournisien, all of whom deny or misinterpret her request for assistance. In a structured analytical response of 200–250 words, students should argue that this series of refusals illustrates Flaubert's methodical portrayal of how every institution accessible to a bourgeois woman in nineteenth-century Normandy—law, commerce, and religion—either remains apathetic or exploits her. The response must include at least one quote from two of the three refusal scenes, identify at least one structural or stylistic technique, and conclude with a sentence linking Emma's institutional isolation to the novel's overarching theme of freedom.

   Exit ticket

   Name one way in which Lheureux's scenes in Chapters 20–21 are structurally similar to Rodolphe's seduction in Chapter 13, and write one sentence explaining what that parallel suggests about desire and money in the novel.

4. Lesson 4: The Death Scene — Narrative Voice and the Limits of Romanticism (Chapter 22)

   60 min · ch. 7, 22

   Do now

   Read the first two paragraphs of Chapter 22, where Emma takes the arsenic from Justin's cupboard. Without peeking ahead, write a sentence predicting how Flaubert's narrator will portray her death — with sympathy, irony, detachment, or a mix of these — and provide one word from those paragraphs as your supporting evidence.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the passage in Chapter 22 that describes Emma's physical deterioration — particularly the sentence 'She began to vomit blood. Her lips pressed tighter. Her limbs were convulsed. Her whole body was covered with brown spots' — in relation to the earlier scene in Chapter 7 where Emma watches the Viscount dance at La Vaubyessard and imagines a life filled with 'voluptuousness, passion, intoxication.' Demonstrate to students how the clinical, straightforward syntax of the death scene serves as Flaubert's final formal response to the more flowing, descriptive syntax of Emma's romantic fantasies: throughout the narrative, the narrator's style has consistently countered Emma's desires, and in this moment, the contrast becomes stark and violent. Annotate the differences in sentence structure on the board.

   Independent task

   Students are tasked with writing a comparative analytical paragraph of 180–220 words that examines the death scene in Chapter 22 alongside a chosen passage of Emma's romantic fantasy from Chapters 5, 6, or 7. The paragraph must: (a) include quotes from both passages, (b) analyze how Flaubert's syntax and diction change between the two moments, and (c) take a stance on whether the death scene represents Flaubert's punishment of Emma, an indictment of the society that shaped her, or a demonstration that romantic language was already fading away. Students should commit to one interpretation and support it with evidence from the text.

   Exit ticket

   In two sentences, explain what the paratactic syntax of Emma's death scene — short, co-ordinated clauses with no subordination — contributes to the reader's experience of her dying that a more lyrical, romantically styled passage could not achieve.

5. Lesson 5: Sustained Essay — Illusion, Desire, and Flaubert's Narrative Method Across the Novel

   60 min · ch. 5, 6, 7, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

   Do now

   Look at the essay question on the board: 'Flaubert presents Emma Bovary not as a victim of circumstance but as a victim of her own imagination.' Take five minutes to jot down all the evidence from the novel that supports this perspective, followed by any evidence that contradicts it. Remember, this is just a planning exercise, so avoid writing complete sentences.

   Teacher input

   Model the construction of a thesis-driven essay introduction using the question above and the Agricultural Show scene from Chapter 14 as the opening example. Demonstrate to students how a strong introduction accomplishes three key tasks: (1) it takes a clear stance on the question instead of merely describing it, (2) it identifies the technique that Flaubert employs (in this case, structural irony through the intercut sequence) rather than focusing solely on the theme, and (3) it outlines the counter-argument that the essay will tackle — for instance, that the same scene also critiques the society that shapes both Rodolphe's rhetoric and Emma's vulnerability. Write the model introduction on the board and annotate each of these three components.

   Independent task

   Students are required to write a complete essay of 500–600 words in response to the question: 'Flaubert presents Emma Bovary not as a victim of circumstance but as a victim of her own imagination. How far do you agree?' The essay must begin with a thesis-driven introduction that clearly states a position; it should develop at least three analytical paragraphs, each focusing on a specific technique and a quoted passage; draw evidence from at least three different chapters, including Chapter 6 or Chapter 7 (Emma's romantic formation), Chapter 14 (the Agricultural Show), and at least one chapter from Part Three (Chapters 19–24); and conclude with a closing statement that qualifies or complicates the initial thesis based on the evidence discussed. Students must include at least four quotations, each followed by an analysis of language or structure rather than mere paraphrase. Quotations should be brief — no longer than one line — and must be accurate.

   Exit ticket

   Read back your thesis sentence from the introduction and write one sentence explaining whether your conclusion agrees with it, qualifies it, or contradicts it — and why that movement across the essay is or is not a strength of your argument.

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 exit ticket checks whether students can distinguish free indirect discourse from first-person narration by requiring them to use the word 'narrator' in a definitional sentence.
• Lesson 2 exit ticket checks whether students understand the spatial symbolism of the balcony — that is, whether they can move from identifying juxtaposition to explaining its architectural function in the chapter.
• Lesson 3 exit ticket checks whether students can articulate the structural parallel between Lheureux's commercial manipulation and Rodolphe's erotic seduction, testing the lesson's central analytical claim.
• Lesson 4 exit ticket checks whether students can connect syntactic choice (parataxis) to readerly effect, moving beyond content summary to formal analysis.
• The Thesis Auction activity in Lesson 5's do-now functions as a formative check on students' ability to distinguish a descriptive claim from an analytical thesis before they begin sustained writing.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.3 — Analyse the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story, including where a story is set, how the action is ordered, and how the characters are introduced and developed.
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
• W.11-12.1 — Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation — Develop a thesis that interprets a literary text and defend it with well-chosen evidence and commentary.
• Close Reading — Identify and explain the function of literary techniques including free indirect discourse, structural irony, juxtaposition, and syntactic variation in specific passages of Madame Bovary.
• Explaining Literary Complexity — Analyse how Flaubert's narrative method simultaneously generates sympathy for and ironic distance from Emma Bovary across the novel's three parts.

AQA

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, with specific attention to Flaubert's use of free indirect discourse, structural irony, and paratactic syntax.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received, including nineteenth-century French bourgeois society and the Realist novel tradition.
• AO5 — Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations, including readings of Emma as victim of circumstance versus victim of imagination.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, focusing on Flaubert's narrative voice, structural irony in Chapter 14, and syntactic contrast between fantasy and death scenes.
• AO4 — Explore connections across literary texts, including the relationship between Madame Bovary's Realist form and its Romantic subject matter.

IB Lit

• Readers, writers and texts — Analyse how Flaubert's stylistic choices, including free indirect discourse and structural irony, position the reader in relation to Emma Bovary.
• Time and space — Examine how the social and historical context of nineteenth-century provincial France shapes both Emma's desires and the institutional structures that refuse her.
• Literary forms and their contexts — Evaluate Madame Bovary as a foundational Realist novel and assess how its formal innovations respond to and critique the Romantic fiction Emma herself consumes.