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Compare the role of historical progress in the ideas of two of the following: Marx and Flaubert.
1) The role of Flaubert:
Flaubert was believed that “When you wake up to history, you realize you should retreat to art. Get rid of your illusions and go to art and aesthetics.” The example of this statement is his own novel, ‘Madame Bovary’ which is translated by Lydia Davis.
By writing this novel and presenting a conflict of Romanticism in the characters of the novel, Flaubert has played an important role in historical progress. There is a development of characters from history to present and romance. Ultimately they reject it also. In the novel ‘education’ has played a vital role in the life of Charles and Emma. Charles was attracted by the knowledge and education of Emma. There is a description of Emma,
“As it was almost empty she leaned back to drink, and with her head back, her lips thrust out, her neck tense, she laughed at feeling nothing, while the tip of her tongue, passing between her delicate teeth, licked with little stabs at the bottom of the glass”
- Madame Bovary (trans. Lydia Davis)
The line that she laughed at the feeling of nothing, suggests the essence of Romanticism. Charles was impressed by the nature of Emma and he was in the world of fantasy, but till the end of the novel he was in illusion. He was not aware with the love affairs of Emma and when he came to know he died. Flaubert has presented two sides of Romanticism, illusion and reality. The character of Pharmacist, Homais presents the Enlightenment. Charles presents the submissive nature and history and classicism.
Flaubert understands romanticism very well. He can write romantic prose well. But he also rejects it. He thinks it leads to stupidity and cliché. The Role of Flaubert is as romanticist but he also rebels against it. In the novel with the death of Emma, romantic illusion dies away. For Flaubert, expressing the reality in a proper form is important, which later became important in Modernism also.
2) The role of Marx:
Marx has brought change in the thinking of people by publishing his manifesto. By his Manifesto he tried to bring the change, but the process of change is a very painful process. He has published the manifesto in 1847 and 1848. Marx was aware with the struggle of poor class, middle class as well as working class, and he explained it well,
“The present generation is like the Jews whom Moses led through the wilderness. It not only has a new world to conquer, it must go under in order to make room for the men who are able to cope with a new world.”
- The Class Struggle in France.
Marx has given a way of thinking to people. After that he has played a role as an observant. He observed that the revolution has started with a good enthusiasm in February but in June it has taken a turn towards ugliness. As he observed,
“The February revolution was the beautiful revolution, the revolution of universal sympathy. The June revolution is the ugly revolution, the nasty revolution, because the phrases have given place to the real things”
- The Class Struggle in France.
In the French revolution three words liberty, equality and fraternity were important, but as per Marx says that they really meant were infantry, cavalry and artillery. After the failure of revolution in 1852, Marx has started think about economical law rather than class struggle.
After focusing on the role of Marx and Flaubert, it can be concluded that Marx was focusing on the science of economics by observing history and Flaubert had a focus upon present and wanted to move away from the history.
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