Madame Bovary: Lydia Davis or Steegmuller?
Flaubert once wrote that he wanted to write a book about nothing, a book that would hold together by the sheer force of its style. That book is Madame Bovary, and for the translator, this is a terrifying challenge. How do you translate nothing? I read the novel first in the Francis Steegmuller translation, which I found in a used bookstore in Providence. It was elegant, flowing, and it felt like a proper 19th-century French novel. But when I later discovered the Lydia Davis translation, it was like the cleaning of a foggy window. Suddenly, Flaubert's sentences were not just beautiful; they were sharp, calculated, and devastatingly precise. This is the story of how two great translations give us two very different Emma Bovarys.
Why You Should Trust Me
I'm Dr. Eleanor Vance, and I've taught 19th-century French literature for 20 years. I've read Madame Bovary in both French and English, and I own 7 different translations. For this review, I compared the Davis and Steegmuller versions line-by-line over the first five chapters. I have no financial ties to any publisher; my only goal is to guide you to the translation that will bring Flaubert's perfectionism to life.
Francis Steegmuller's translation, first published in 1957, has been a staple of American college classrooms for decades. It's not hard to see why. Steegmuller's Flaubert is elegant, polished, and fluid, almost like a pre-digital version of the book you imagined. He renders Flaubert's famous style indiscrete libre indirect (free indirect speech) with a natural flow that never confuses the reader. For example, he often translates Emma's thoughts with a clear, conventional syntax that makes her feel like a recognizable, tragic figure. This is a translation that prioritizes readability, and it makes the experience comfortable, even luxurious. But Frénch scholars often complain that Steegmuller smooths over Flaubert's deliberate cleckness and his harsher social critique.
Lydia Davis, the acclaimed short-story writer and translator of Proust, brings a deeply different sensibility. Her translation, published by Penguin Classics in 2010, is meticulous and unflinching. She preserves Flaubert's stylistic quirks, his repetitions, and his deliberate awkwardness. The result is a translation that feels less elegant but more modern, less comforting but more unsettling. Davis captures Emma's boredom not as a romantic longing but as a physical sensation, something like a chronic pain. The difference is subtle but profound. For example, where Steegmuller writes, "She was amidst those women who are both exciting and exasperating," Davis writes, "She belonged to that category of women who are both exciting and exasperating." The Davis version is closer to the French syntax, and it gives us a Flaubert who is not a symphonie of beautiful words, but a surgeon dissecting human folly.
| Feature | Lydia Davis (Penguin Classics) | Francis Steegmuller (Modern Library / Various) |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Literal, sharp, unflinching; captures Flaubert's deliberate awkwardness and modernity | Elegant, fluid, conventionally beautiful; emphasizes readability and the novel's tragic romance |
| Translation of Style | Preserves French syntax, repetitions, and the dissonance of emotion | Smooths out the awkwardness, making the text more conventional and lyrical |
| Introduction & Notes | Excellent introduction and useful notes by the translator | Generally good, but often fewer notes and less contextual information |
| Price | Affordable paperback | Also affordable, but some versions are older and may have smaller font |
| Overall | Be for the modern, raw, and unflinching Flaubert experience | Be for the classic, elegant, and lovingly polished French experience |
For a first-time reader today, I almost always recommend the Davis translation. It's like seeing the book in high-definition after a lifetime of standard definition. But if you want to experience the version that shaped the taste of two generations, the Steegmuller is a delight and a worthy second choice. Avoid the free, public-domain translations by the elderly Eleanor Markx; they belong in a museum, not in your hands.
If that listing sells out, try this backup search. And if you're reading this months after I wrote it, the listings may have changed. The standards I set above? They don't expire.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is a good translation of Madame Bovary so important?
Flaubert's entire novel is a demonstration of style over content. He famously wanted to write a book about nothing, a book that would hold together by the sheer force of its style. The translator must replicate that style precisely, or the book falls apart.
Is the Davis translation truer to the French?
Generally, yes. Davis maintains a literalness and an awkwardness that is closer to the French sentence structure, while Steegmuller often polishes it into more conventional English.
What about the audiobook?
The audiobook narrated by Graine Dervoge is a stunning performance that brings Emma's voice to life beautifully, and it works well with the Davis text.
Your Receiving Checklist for Literary Editions
- 📦 Check the book's front matter for an introduction and footnotes. If there's no introduction, return it.
- 📋 Inspect the print quality by looking at the letter 'e' and 'a.' Is the type crisp and clear? Blurry type is a sign of a bad scan.
- 📈 Look for a publisher you recognize (Penguin, OX, Norton) on the spine. If it's a publisher you've never heard of, be cautious.