La constellation Madame Bovary

Madame Bovary’s contemporary rewritings are analyzed in the light of Richard Saint-Gelais’ critique of transfiction. Sixteen books, published in the last thirty years, illustrate the enthusiasm of writers for the novel that questions them and stimulates their creativity for the richesse of its diegesis and for the complexity of its style. The novelists confront with the illustrious predecessor to criticize him, to honor him, to write in his wake and to stand out. The most recent literary operations introduce variations that turn to criticism of the canon and to the recognition of the novel reading as a cure, as a tool to face the difficulties of existence. This last transformation of the Bovarian idea demonstrates the persistence of the myth and its power to radiate contemporary creativity.