She can either accept a life of misery or she can struggle against it. And she chooses to...
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Sarah Pierce: I think I understand your feelings about this book. I used to have some problems with it, myself. When I read it in grad school, Madam Bovary just seemed like a fool. She marries the wrong man; makes one foolish mistake after another; but when I read it this time, I just fell in love with her. She's trapped! She has a choice: she can either accept a life of misery or she can struggle against it. And she chooses to struggle.
Mary Ann: Some struggle. Hop into bed with every guy who says hello.
Sarah Pierce: She fails in the end, but there's something beautiful and even heroic in her rebellion. My professors would kill me for even thinking this, but in her own strange way, Emma Bovary is a feminist.
Mary Ann: Oh, that's nice. So now cheating on your husband makes you a feminist?
Sarah Pierce: No, no, it's not the cheating. It's the hunger. The hunger for an alternative, and the refusal to accept a life of unhappiness.
Mary Ann: Maybe I didn't understand the book!
Mary Ann: Some struggle. Hop into bed with every guy who says hello.
Sarah Pierce: She fails in the end, but there's something beautiful and even heroic in her rebellion. My professors would kill me for even thinking this, but in her own strange way, Emma Bovary is a feminist.
Mary Ann: Oh, that's nice. So now cheating on your husband makes you a feminist?
Sarah Pierce: No, no, it's not the cheating. It's the hunger. The hunger for an alternative, and the refusal to accept a life of unhappiness.
Mary Ann: Maybe I didn't understand the book!
Full Transcript
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I think I understand your feelings about this book
00:00:03.769 --> 00:00:07.364
I used to have some problems with it myself
00:00:07.406 --> 00:00:09.374
When I read it in grad school
00:00:09.408 --> 00:00:12.004
Madame Bovary just seemed like a fool
00:00:12.444 --> 00:00:14.776
She marries the wrong man
00:00:14.814 --> 00:00:18.443
makes one foolish mistake after another
00:00:18.484 --> 00:00:22.215
But when I read it this time I just fell in love with her
00:00:22.254 --> 00:00:24.916
She's trapped
00:00:24.957 --> 00:00:27.858
She has a choice She can either accept a life of misery
00:00:27.893 --> 00:00:31.454
or she can struggle against it
00:00:31.497 --> 00:00:33.761
And she chooses to struggle
00:00:33.799 --> 00:00:36.001
Some struggle hop into bed
00:00:36.135 --> 00:00:38.103
with every guy who says hello
00:00:38.137 --> 00:00:41.698
Well she fails in the end but there's something beautiful
00:00:41.074 --> 00:00:45.198
and even heroic in her rebellion
00:00:45.244 --> 00:00:47.712
My professors would kill me for even thinking this
00:00:47.746 --> 00:00:49.941
but
00:00:49.982 --> 00:00:52.473
in her own strange way
00:00:52.518 --> 00:00:54.486
Emma Bovary is a feminist
00:00:54.052 --> 00:00:56.454
Oh that's nice
00:00:56.488 --> 00:00:59.321
So now cheating on your husband makes you a feminist
00:00:59.358 --> 00:01:01.986
No no no
00:01:02.001 --> 00:01:05.622
It's not the cheating It's the hunger
00:01:05.664 --> 00:01:08.993
The hunger for an alternative
00:01:08.994 --> 00:01:11.467
and the refusal to accept a life of unhappiness
00:01:18.999 --> 00:01:22.005
Maybe I didn't understand the book
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Movie Summary
The lives of two lovelorn spouses from separate marriages, a registered sex offender, and a disgraced ex-police officer intersect as they struggle to resist their vulnerabilities and temptations in suburban Massachusetts.
