Madame Bovary: philistinism or the archetype of the wild woman

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problems of the female archetype, the light and dark side of women, which has become the basis for artistic works since ancient times. In the study are subjected to comparative analysis critical views about the image of Madame Bovary. If in previous studies the heroine is considered as a sinner, then in this article the authors proceed from the inner world of Madame Bovary and explain the reasons for Emma's behavior and psychology from the point of view of the female archetype of the «primordial woman». In the course of the work, methods of comparison and systematization based on the concepts of scientists were used. Guided by the types of female archetype presented in the works of C.G. Jung and C. p. Estes, the image of Madame Bovary is analyzed by the authors as a new type. The opinions of the founder of the term «archetype» C.G. Jung about the archetype and his conclusions about the female archetype became the theoretical basis of the research. The scientific concept of K.Р. Estes when compared with the text of the novel helped to identify deviations and oddities in the behavior of the main character. In the article, the author tries to reveal the image of Madame Bovary in her different guises.