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Definition of Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations intended to emphasize a point... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements... read full definition
Key Examples in Madame Bovary
Part 1, Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Love:
The characters in the novel often portray love through hyperbolic and idealistic phrasing due to the romantic values many of them hold. One example of this exaggerated view of love is how Charles views Emma early in their marriage in Part 1, Chapter 5:
The universe, for him, did not extend beyond the silken round of her skirts.
Related Themes:
Part 1, Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Sublime Paris:
One of the focuses of Emma’s romanticism is the city and inhabitants of Paris. She views Paris as the perfect setting for love and for those of a higher social status, wishing she could be there instead of in the sleepy provincial towns she is stuck in. Emma’s hyperbolic view of the city and Parisians can be seen in Part 1, Chapter 9:
Unlock with LitCharts A+They [Parisians] lived on a higher plane, between heaven and earth, among storm-clouds, so sublimely. As for the rest of the world, it was nothing, it was nowhere, it scarcely seemed to exist.
Related Themes:
Part 2, Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Love:
The characters in the novel often portray love through hyperbolic and idealistic phrasing due to the romantic values many of them hold. One example of this exaggerated view of love is how Charles views Emma early in their marriage in Part 1, Chapter 5:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The universe, for him, did not extend beyond the silken round of her skirts.
Related Themes:
Part 3, Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Everlastingly Entombs:
Madame Bovary uses alliteration to enhance the poetic rhythm and emphasize the romanticism of a passage for better or worse. For example, in Part 3, Chapter 1, when Emma is reunited with Léon and is beginning to rekindle their romance, the novel describes her as follows:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Emma held forth on the miseries of earthly love and the eternal isolation that everlastingly entombs the heart.
Related Themes:
