Maybe I didn't understand the book!
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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!
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!
Full Transcript
00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:04.731
But when I read it this time I just fell in love with her
00:00:04.077 --> 00:00:07.432
She's trapped
00:00:07.473 --> 00:00:10.374
She has a choice She can either accept a life of misery
00:00:10.409 --> 00:00:13.097
or she can struggle against it
00:00:14.013 --> 00:00:16.277
And she chooses to struggle
00:00:16.315 --> 00:00:18.613
Some struggle hop into bed
00:00:18.651 --> 00:00:20.619
with every guy who says hello
00:00:20.653 --> 00:00:24.214
Well she fails in the end but there's something beautiful
00:00:24.256 --> 00:00:27.714
and even heroic in her rebellion
00:00:27.076 --> 00:00:30.228
My professors would kill me for even thinking this
00:00:30.262 --> 00:00:32.457
but
00:00:32.498 --> 00:00:34.989
in her own strange way
00:00:35.999 --> 00:00:37.024
Emma Bovary is a feminist
00:00:37.001 --> 00:00:38.097
Oh that's nice
00:00:39.978 --> 00:00:41.837
So now cheating on your husband makes you a feminist
00:00:41.874 --> 00:00:44.502
No no no
00:00:44.543 --> 00:00:48.138
It's not the cheating It's the hunger
00:00:48.018 --> 00:00:50.058
The hunger for an alternative
00:00:50.616 --> 00:00:53.983
and the refusal to accept a life of unhappiness
00:01:00.086 --> 00:01:04.523
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.
