A Comparative Critique of Masculine Domination in Madame Bovary (1856) and Gemma Bovery (1999)
Keywords:
Masculine Dominance, Transmediality, Social Construction, Patriarchal Discourse, Objectification of WomenAbstract
This study examines how social construction influences the representation of female autonomy through the transition of medium and temporal context. Its primary focus is to compare the mechanisms of masculine domination in Gustave Flaubert’s classic novel Madame Bovary (1856) with Posy Simmonds’ graphic novel adaptation Gemma Bovery (1999). Utilizing Hutcheon’s adaptation theory (2013) and de Beauvoir’s existential feminism (1949), complemented by Freytag’s dramatic structure analysis (1900) as the main framework, this research proceeds from the premise that the transposition from text to visual medium has significant implications for changes in narrative strategies and plot. This study highlights the differing manifestations of masculine domination in both works. In Madame Bovary, masculine domination manifests as structural pressure and 19th-century social norms. Emma faces restricted agency as the legal and economic systems of the era were entirely male-centric. Consequently, every attempt by Emma to seek personal freedom clashes with a social reality that denies women equal access. Conversely, in the adaptation Gemma Bovery, this form of domination evolves. Through the graphic novel format, Gemma is placed under the constant surveillance of a male character who also serves as the narrator. This demonstrates that despite the shift in temporal context, women’s position remains vulnerable to male objectification. Ultimately, the deaths of both protagonists reinforce a common thread; both Emma and Gemma fall victim to an environment that prioritizes male expectations and ego over women's safety and freedom
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