Madame Bovary
Paris, Michel Lévy, 1857.
2 vols. (115 x 180 mm), 232 pp., 56 pp. catalogue; 490 pp. Blue half-morocco with corners, spine ribbed, gilt title, top edge gilt, date gilt at foot, original wrappers preserved (binding signed A. Bianchi).
First edition, first printing, with all the points: the Sénart error, typographical errors and the presence of the catalogue.
Thirty-five chapters unfold a succession of scenes tracing the moments of a life: the story of an essentially banal adultery, Madame Bovary is above all a novel of dissatisfaction, of frustration born from unfulfilled desire, and of boredom. “Bovarysme” — a term coined by the philosopher Jules de Gaultier — is defined as nostalgia for an unknown and deceptive ideal, perceived through an imaginary world shaped by reading.
Elegant modern half-binding; some wear to the covers.
#29275
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