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How did the trial affect public interest in Madame Bovary?
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Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert, painting by Eugene Giraud, c. 1845; in the Castle Museum, Versailles, France.
Following the serialization of Madame Bovary in the Revue de Paris in 1856, the French government accused author Gustave Flaubert of obscenity and immorality. The subsequent trial and Flaubert's eventual acquittal served to significantly heighten public interest in the work upon its publication in book form in 1857.12