Gueuloir Resonance: A Sonic Approach to the Genetic Criticism of Madame Bovary

This article combines methods and concepts in sound studies and genetic criticism to bring new understanding to the role of sound in Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary. Specifically, I draw from Michel Chion’s film theory of disembodied sound, or the “acousmatic,” to elaborate what I call the “literary acousmatic” and articulate its formal differences from cinematic narrative. Through an analysis of repeating sound figures in the novel, I show how Flaubert denies his characters and readers the possibility of identifying disembodied sounds, thus reserving an increased authority for his omniscient narrator. Comparing the published version to earlier drafts and excised passages in the manuscripts, I advance the concept of the literary acousmatic beyond the diegetic soundscape to include the “avant-­texte.” Ultimately, my genetic analysis of Madame Bovary problematizes the relationship between sound and source that lies at the heart of the acousmatic paradigm.