International Journal Of Literature And Languages
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VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue05 2025
PAGE NO.
13-17
10.37547/ijll/Volume05Issue05-04
Lexical Contradiction and Idiomatic Tension in The Style
of Gustave Flaubert
Majidova Laziza Baxtiyorovna
French teacher, Independent researcher, Chair of the French Philology, Bukhara State University, Uzbekistan
Rakhimberdieva Makhliyo Ilkham qizi
French student, Independent researcher, Chair of the French Philology, Bukhara State University, Uzbekistan
Received:
09 March 2025;
Accepted:
05 April 2025;
Published:
08 May 2025
Abstract:
This article investigates the stylistic and linguistic features of Gustave Flaubert’s prose, with a particular
focus on lexical contradiction and idiomatic tension. Through a close analysis of key works such as Madame
Bovary, L’Éducation sentimentale, and Bouvard et Pécuchet, the study highlights how Flaubert’s writing
systematically juxtaposes opposing semantic registers
—
romantic idealism and mundane realism, poetic elevation
and trivial detail. These lexical contradictions not only enrich narrative depth but also underscore the
disillusionment and irony characteristic of Flaubert’s modern vision.
The article further explores how Flaubert manipulates idiomatic expressions, either by subtly distorting them or
by integrating them ironically into character discourse. This tension between conventional language and authorial
critique reveals Flaubert’s ambivalent relationship with linguistic norms and his pursuit of le
mot juste. Drawing
on French and Francophone critical literature, the study situates Flaubert’s stylistic innovation within broader
debates about the literary function of cliché, the evolution of free indirect discourse, and the modern
fragmentation of narrative voice.
By analyzing the paradoxes at the heart of Flaubert’s style, the article demonstrates how lexical contradiction and
idiomatic tension function not only as aesthetic devices but also as means of epistemological inquiry
—
interrogating language, meaning, and the act of writing itself.
Keywords:
Gustave Flaubert, lexical contradiction, idiomatic tension, stylistic irony, French prose, clichés, free
indirect discourse, literary modernity, semantic dissonance, linguistic subversion, le mot juste, narrative voice.
Introduction:
Gustave Flaubert’s literary style is
renowned for its meticulous precision and pursuit of “le
mot juste”
- the exact word that captures the intended
meaning. This dedication to linguistic exactitude is
evident in his works, where he often spent extensive
time refining sentences to achieve the desired effect.
In Flaubert’s narratives, lexical contradictions—
where
words or phrases convey opposing meanings
—
serve to
highlight the complexities and dualities of human
experience. For instance, in "Madame Bovary," the
juxtaposition of romantic idealism with the banality of
provincial life underscores the protagonist’s internal
conflicts and disillusionment [35].
Additionally, Flaubert’s use of idiomatic tension
-
manipulating common expressions to convey irony or
subvert expectations
—
adds depth to his characters
and themes. By recontextualizing idioms, he challenges
readers to reconsider conventional meanings and the
societal norms they reflect.
This article explores how Flaubert’s strategic use of
lexical contradictions and idiomatic tension contributes
to his distinctive narrative voice. By examining these
stylistic elements, we gain insight into his innovative
approach to storytelling and his influence on modern
literary techniques.
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
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International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
METHODS
T
his study centers are on Gustave Flaubert’s Madame
Bovary (1857) as the principal text for the analysis of
lexical contradiction and idiomatic tension. Madame
Bovary is generally considered one of the most
influential works to show Flaubert’s formal style
and
experimental narrative methods. The rich language of
the novel and its ironic, realistic interplay make it a
good object to consider the down-to-earth phenomena
in question.
Previous scholarship has extensively explored
Flaubert’s commitment to stylist
ic precision and his
influence on literary realism. Flaubert’s pursuit of “le
mot juste” and his meticulous revision process are well
-
documented, underscoring his dedication to linguistic
exactitude.
In examining Madame Bovary, critics have noted the
nove
l’s intricate use of irony and its subversion of
romantic tropes. The interplay between romantic
idealism and the banalities of provincial life creates a
tension that is often manifested through lexical choices
and idiomatic expressions.
Furthermore, stud
ies have highlighted Flaubert’s
innovative use of free indirect discourse, which allows
for a nuanced portrayal of character consciousness and
contributes to the novel’s layered irony.
The research entails a close-reading of a number of
Madame Bovary
passages
including
passages
representing instances of lexical contradiction and
idiomatic tension. These passages are read as a way to
explore the language choices Flaubert makes and how
they tie into character and theme, to the larger
narrative structure.
Drawing on previous literary criticism as well as
detailed textual analysis, the study is concerned to
explain how Flaubert’s unique style comes about.
Since 2000, scholarship on Flaubert’s stylistic
innovations
has
expanded
to
incorporate
interdisciplinary methodologies, including cognitive
linguistics, digital humanities, and postcolonial theory.
Recent studies have deepened our understanding of
how Flaubert’s lexical contradictions and idiomatic
tensions reflect not only aesthetic choices but also
broader philosophical, ethical, and socio-political
concerns. Below is a synthesis of key trends and
contributions in 21st-century Flaubert criticism.
RESULTS
Numerous critics have highlighted the strange duality
of Flaubert’s style, characterized by striking c
ontrasts.
As early as the 19th century, he was criticized for his
“mixture of genres”: during the trial of “Madame
Bovary” (1857), the prosecutor Ernest Pinard
denounced the “mix of the sacred and the vulgar” in
the novel. Later, essayists such as Charles Du Bos
viewed the disproportionate nature of Flaubert’s style
[21], the constant clash between the sublime and the
trivial as the source of its literary power. Indeed,
Flaubert frequently practiced stylistic antithesis: his
writing juxtaposes romantic idealism with down-to-
earth prosaicness. In “Madame Bovary”, for example,
exalted lyrical images are abruptly juxtaposed with
mundane or grotesque details, creating an ironic
contrast.
Recent analyses have theorized this double-faced style.
Palagyi (2024) refe
rs to the “two faces of Flaubertian
style”: a romantic penchant for the sublime constantly
paired with vulgarity [30]. This coexistence of extremes
produces a fruitful lexical contradiction, where
language seeks both poetic idealism and the most raw
realism. Some scholars interpret this as a hallmark of
modern aesthetic tension. Jacques Neefs, for instance,
has shown how the prose of “Bouvard et Pécuchet” is a
“book of vengeance against overly invasive
conventions,” in which Flaubert confronts disparate
linguistic elements in the text itself [14]. Similarly, the
alternation between “plenitude and emptiness” in
Flaubert’s style is often noted: the style seems at times
richly adorned, then deliberately dry, to emphasize the
void of meaning [19, 239
–
247]. This dialectic of fullness
and emptiness, of lyricism and triviality, gives
Flaubert’s prose its distinctive depth. It also explains
the characteristic ironic tone of his novels, born from
the continual gap between verbal beauty and the
mediocrity of the reality described.
Another crucial aspect of Flaubert’s style is his
relationship to French clichés and idioms [15]. The
author was notoriously obsessed with the “stupidity” of
conventional language: he nurtured a true hatred of
clichés, which he actively hunted in his writing. In his
“Dictionary of Received Ideas” (an annex to “Bouvard
et Pécuchet”), Flaubert compiled a satirical collection
of commonplace formulas to expose their intellectual
emptiness. Recent linguistic studies have shown that
Flaubert transforms these fixed expressions into a
paradoxical literary tool. According to Pellegrini,
Flaubert’s clichés reveal, “dans un double mouvement
paradoxal, leur caractère inopérant tout autant
qu’incontournable” [4] (in a double paradoxical
movement, both their inefficiency and their
inevitability). In other words, Flaubert shows that these
set phrases are empty and ineffective, yet impossible
to avoid - hence a constant idiomatic tension in his
writing.
This tension is evident in his ironic subversion of idioms.
Flaubert deliberately inserts banal expressions into the
speech of his characters or narrator but signals them
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International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
ironically. Jean-Paul Sartre aptly described this in his
reflection on “stupidity” in Flaubert: the author is “sans
cesse en état d’estrangement
devant les mots”
(constantly in a state of estrangement before words)
[34], terrified of the unintentional cliché slipping into
his prose. Flaubert inserts parenthetical comments to
distance himself from these clichés: “comme dit le
concierge” (as the janitor says), “pour parler comme
l’épicier” (to speak like the grocer), or “comme dirait M.
Prudhomme” (as Mr. Prudhomme would say) [34].
Through these asides, he shows his awareness of the
cliché and attributes it to a stereotypically foolish
character. This stylistic strategy illustrates the ongoing
idiomatic tension: Flaubert oscillates between the
unavoidable use of fixed expressions and the
denunciation of their banality.
Several French scholars have examined this
phenomenon. As early as 1972, Pierre Bergounioux
noted that for Flaubert, “le langage est un ensemble
rigide, une concrétion d’expressions lexicalisées, de
syntagmes figés” (language is a rigid system, a
concretion of lexicalized expressions and fixed phrases)
[3, 40-50], reflecting bourgeois automatic thought that
must be undermined. Similarly, Antoine Compagnon
(2018) reevaluated the role of “stupidity” in literary
modernity, emphasizing how Flaubert turned it into his
intimate enemy by amassing examples of linguistic
foolishness. “Bouvard et Pécuchet” becomes a catalog
of stereotypical discourses, each chapter parodying the
jargon and platitudes of a discipline (science, history,
politics, etc.). Contemporary critics view this novel as
the culmination of Flaubert’s strategy of saturation
through cliché. As Florence Pellegrini puts it, clichéd
phrases become the very object of fiction, and their
systematic accumulation exposes the mechanisms of
fixed language. Flaubert shows that common language,
filled with automatisms, produces meaning through
repetition while being stripped of originality
—
a rich
observation for linguistic and stylistic analysis.
Flaubert’s unique style has long attracted theoretical
analysis in France. The author himself laid out the
foundations of his aesthetic in his “Correspondence”.
His famous 1852 letter to Louise Colet speaks of “un
livre sur rien, un livre sans attache extérieure, qui se
tiendrait de lui-
même par la force interne de son style”
(a book about nothing, held together by the internal
force of its style). For h
im, “le style [est] une manière
absolue de voir les choses” [16, 9–
22] (style is an
absolute way of seeing things). These principles -
primacy of form, authorial impersonality, stylistic self-
sufficiency - have shaped subsequent criticism. In the
interwar period, stylisticians like Léo Spitzer began
detailed stylistic readings of Flaubert (e.g., of “A Simple
Heart”). A famous grammatical controversy erupted in
1919
–1921 around Flaubert’s so
-
called “errors.” While
purists accused the author of breaking grammatical
norms, others defended his creative audacity. Marcel
Proust himself intervened to praise Flaubert’s
“grammatical genius” [31]. Collected by Gilles Philippe
(“Did Flaubert know how to write? ”, 2014), these texts
reveal how Flaubert’s linguistic inno
vations (verb tense
use, preposition choices, etc.) helped redefine literary
norms in the 20th century [20].
Since the 1950s and 60s, stylistic approaches to
Flaubert have evolved. Scholars have studied his use of
“free indirect discourse” and the “impersonal narrator”
—
techniques that allow the infiltration of character
perspectives into the narrator’s voice, often creating
ironic ambiguity. Just a word or phrase can shift the
narrative voice subtly into a character’s consciousness,
creating internal polyphony where social voices (often
clichéd) clash with individual thought. This mechanism
directly links to lexical contradiction and idiomatic
tension.
Furthermore, “genetic criticism” (Neefs, de Biasi) has
revealed Flaubert’s obsessive revisions. His draft
s show
him eliminating repetitions, adjusting rhythms, and
replacing clichés with more vivid images. Comparative
studies also connect Flaubert to modern authors: for
instance, Palagyi (2024) compares him to Michel
Houellebecq, noting in both a stylistic tension between
high and low registers, pathos and clinical detachment.
Such synchronic readings highlight Flaubert’s lasting
stylistic legacy: his exploitation of lexical contrasts and
clichés continues to influence literary prose.
Recent directions include digital textual analysis and
sociolinguistic approaches. Computational studies have
mapped lexical contradictions and idiomatic patterns in
Flaubert’s corpus [22]. Other research explores how
the discourses of his time (press, science, politics)
influenced his language and how he transforms them.
Scholars have also examined how the ironic subversion
of idioms affects translation [1]. Flaubert is increasingly
recognized as a linguistic laboratory of modern fiction.
As Philippe and Piat summarize, with Flaub
ert, “literary
language” in France emancipated itself, becoming
distinct from the standard language [17]. His stylistic
legacy remains a vibrant field of inquiry, where
linguistic analysis intersects with reflections on literary
creation and common speech. Each reading of
“Madame Bovary”, “Sentimental Education”, or
“Bouvard et Pécuchet” confirms the richness of this
prose built on lexical contradiction and idiomatic
tension
—a writing where, in Flaubert’s own words,
“the words ring true” while subtly exposi
ng the banality
of received expressions.
CONCLUSION
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
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International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
This study has explored the intricate dynamics of lexical
contradiction and idiomatic tension in the literary style
of Gustave Flaubert, focusing particularly on works
such as Madame Bovary, L’Éducation sentimentale,
and Bouvard et Pécuchet. Through a detailed
examination of his stylistic choices, it becomes evident
that Flaubert’s prose operates at the intersection of
idealism and irony, beauty and banality, precision and
parody. His use of lexical contradiction is not merely an
aesthetic strategy but a philosophical gesture that
reveals the complexity of modern subjectivity and the
dissonance between language and reality.
Flaubert’s subversion of idiomatic expressions—
either
by ironizing them or by embedding them in the
consciousness of his characters
—
reflects his acute
awareness of the limitations and automatisms of
language. The tension he cultivates between the literal
and the figurative, the poetic and the prosaic, not only
undermines linguistic clichés but also creates a unique
mode of literary irony,
where the narrator’s voice is
both present and effaced.
This linguistic craftsmanship contributes to a broader
reflection on the role of style in shaping meaning.
Flaubert’s
stylistic
innovations,
especially
his
manipulation of free indirect discourse and his
meticulous revision process, position him as a pivotal
figure in the evolution of literary modernity. His works
serve as a linguistic laboratory in which idioms are
dissected, recomposed, and resemanticized - not for
ornament, but to confront the inertia of expression and
to challenge the reader’s interpretive habits.
In conclusion, Flaubert’s writing reveals that language
is never neutral. The stylistic features analyzed in this
article
—
lexical contradiction and idiomatic tension -
are not decorative devices but fundamental tools in his
artistic and critical vision. They render his prose both
structurally rigorous and semantically unstable, making
his work a vital reference point for the study of stylistic
ambiguity and the rhetorical power of the unsaid in
literary discourse.
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