Madame Bovary in the Context of Greimas’ “Semiotic Rectangle” Theory

Algirdas Julien Greimas (1917–1992) was a famous French structuralist linguist who developed the famous “semiotic rectangle” theory to reveal the rich connections behind complex things. Madame Bovary is one of the masterpieces of the famous French writer Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880), in this novel, the heroine Emma keeps trying to pursue romantic love, but finally chooses to end her life by taking poison due to debt. Based on Grimes’ “semiotic rectangle” theory, this article analyzes character relationships on a structural level in order to fully reveal the surface and deep connotations of the text. The results show that Flaubert criticizes vulgar romanticism and bourgeois characters by establishing several pairs of opposing relationships, and that the fundamental source of the tragedy that led to Emma’s life was the social climate of the time, in which people betrayed each other.