Madame Bovary original manuscripts available online

zelda_pinwheel · 04-23-2009, 07:05 AM

A treasure of french litterature and the original annotated manuscripts are now available to all online.

According to the article on Télérama (in french) :

"The entire manuscript of "Madam Bovary", scanned and transcribed digitally, is available since last wednesday on internet. The result of 10 years of work led by the University and the Municipal Library of the city of Rouen, revealing all Flaubert's attention to detail.

On the site www.bovary.fr, the entire novel is available with a two-part navigation : on one side, the scanned original manuscript ; on the other side, the digital transcription, with all the corrections and notes of the author. One hundred thirty volunteers from a dozen countries, of all ages and professions, were recruted for the transcription which took two and a half years, between 2003 and 2005. Each page represents the equivalent of half a day to a full day of study, Flaubert's handwriting being difficult to read and sown with barred text."

This is a brilliant initiative, opening up vast new possibilities for students, scholars, and interested readers everywhere. Let's hope many more will follow this example.

Alphapheemail · 04-23-2009, 10:11 AM

This is SO COOL!!
I have been meaning to freshen up my french, now I will so I can read the transcripts, and maybe even attempt her works in french...eeek!
I absolutely love Madam Bovary!

zelda_pinwheel · 04-23-2009, 10:12 AM

yes, isn't it amazing ? i really hope there will be more projects like this. but the article mentions that the whole thing took over TEN YEARS !

radleyp · 04-23-2009, 12:09 PM

Alpha, Flaubert was a man.

Alphapheemail · 04-23-2009, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by radleyp

Alpha, Flaubert was a man.

sorry typo

i seldom proofread my posts...doof

Jill75 · 04-23-2009, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

A treasure of french litterature and the original annotated manuscripts are now available to all online.

This is a brilliant initiative, opening up vast new possibilities for students, scholars, and interested readers everywhere. Let's hope many more will follow this example.

I must agree that this is a very good move. Thanks for the link and information. I hope there will also be others that will follow.

NormHart · 04-23-2009, 01:27 PM

I am a barbarian, there is no book I dislike more than Madame Bovary. When I first acquired this book for an English Lit. class I was appalled to discover that the analysis included in the book was twice as long as the story itself. I managed to achieve an F+ in my written paper on this book. While I have lost the original paper somewhere over the last 40 years I do remember that it consisted of four paragraphs each of one line and the title was:

Madame Bovine
or
(Do English majors produce more manure than Cows?)

Alphapheemail · 04-23-2009, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NormHart

Madame Bovine
or
(Do English majors produce more manure than Cows?)

I am dying! I did not like the story at first either, but it did grow on me but it wasn't till after the analysis that I learned to like it. After 5+ rereads I absolutely love it.
But I absolutely see where you are coming from. I had the same feeling about "Don Quixote de La Mancha"

Mike L · 04-23-2009, 03:10 PM

I think the problem with English versions of Madame Bovary is that there are so many terrible translations around. You only need to read the first page to see what I mean.

The one that I tried to read a couple of years ago (the Wandsworth Classics edition) kept referring to the "new fellow" in the school, who would listen "with all his ears, ... not daring to lean on his elbows". When the boys came back into class, they would "throw their caps on the ground so as to have our hands more free ... We used from the door to them under the form" (whatever that means).

Other English editions are full of similar nonsense. I know there must be some good translations around. I might try reading this new annoted version in French, but I'd also welcome a recommendation for a good English version.

Ebookerr · 04-25-2009, 08:46 PM

We had to read this book in high school in French literature class and I was awstruck by this book at the time. To be able to access this book in its manuscript format is awsome. I hope this trend in publishing such works will extend to all manuscripts, including English as well!

Ebooker

04-23-2009, 07:05 AM	#1
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	Madame Bovary original manuscripts available online A treasure of french litterature and the original annotated manuscripts are now available to all online. According to the article on Télérama (in french) : "The entire manuscript of "Madam Bovary", scanned and transcribed digitally, is available since last wednesday on internet. The result of 10 years of work led by the University and the Municipal Library of the city of Rouen, revealing all Flaubert's attention to detail. On the site www.bovary.fr, the entire novel is available with a two-part navigation : on one side, the scanned original manuscript ; on the other side, the digital transcription, with all the corrections and notes of the author. One hundred thirty volunteers from a dozen countries, of all ages and professions, were recruted for the transcription which took two and a half years, between 2003 and 2005. Each page represents the equivalent of half a day to a full day of study, Flaubert's handwriting being difficult to read and sown with barred text." This is a brilliant initiative, opening up vast new possibilities for students, scholars, and interested readers everywhere. Let's hope many more will follow this example.

04-25-2009, 08:46 PM	#10
Ebookerr Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 18 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: UTstarcom	Madame Bovary We had to read this book in high school in French literature class and I was awstruck by this book at the time. To be able to access this book in its manuscript format is awsome. I hope this trend in publishing such works will extend to all manuscripts, including English as well! Ebooker

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04-23-2009, 10:11 AM	#2
Alphapheemail .a ribbon around a bomb. Posts: 639 Karma: 4334 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: sigh... ny Device: PRS700	This is SO COOL!! I have been meaning to freshen up my french, now I will so I can read the transcripts, and maybe even attempt her works in french...eeek! I absolutely love Madam Bovary!

04-23-2009, 10:12 AM	#3
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	yes, isn't it amazing ? i really hope there will be more projects like this. but the article mentions that the whole thing took over TEN YEARS !

04-23-2009, 12:09 PM	#4
radleyp Evangelist Posts: 499 Karma: 20623 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: North Salem & NYC, NY Device: Kindle Global, iphone4, ipad	Alpha, Flaubert was a man.

04-23-2009, 01:27 PM	#7
NormHart Semper Carpe Bufo Posts: 537 Karma: 21676 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Napa Valley, California Device: Kindle2 & Kindle3	I am a barbarian, there is no book I dislike more than Madame Bovary. When I first acquired this book for an English Lit. class I was appalled to discover that the analysis included in the book was twice as long as the story itself. I managed to achieve an F+ in my written paper on this book. While I have lost the original paper somewhere over the last 40 years I do remember that it consisted of four paragraphs each of one line and the title was: Madame Bovine or (Do English majors produce more manure than Cows?)

04-23-2009, 03:10 PM	#9
Mike L Wizard Posts: 1,479 Karma: 3846231 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Device: Kindle 3, Samsung Galaxy	I think the problem with English versions of Madame Bovary is that there are so many terrible translations around. You only need to read the first page to see what I mean. The one that I tried to read a couple of years ago (the Wandsworth Classics edition) kept referring to the "new fellow" in the school, who would listen "with all his ears, ... not daring to lean on his elbows". When the boys came back into class, they would "throw their caps on the ground so as to have our hands more free ... We used from the door to them under the form" (whatever that means). Other English editions are full of similar nonsense. I know there must be some good translations around. I might try reading this new annoted version in French, but I'd also welcome a recommendation for a good English version.

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