Kitsch Enters the Novel

Gustave Flaubert is famous for his collection of "idées reçues," or over-used ideas expressed in hackneyed language. Less widely recognized is his interest in "images reçues," or images from popular culture, at a time when the word "kitsch" is entering usage elsewhere. Flaubert effectively exposes popular imagery as kitsch, framing the description of representational material objects (Keepsakes, prints, a wedding cake) within his prose just as he frames or cites linguistic clichés. This is satirical ekphrasis: the verbal description of visual representation with ironic intent. And yet Flaubert relishes the carnivalesque, absurd juxtapositions of the imagery that he describes

Art · Art history · Kitsch · Literature · French Literature and Criticism · Narrative Theory and Analysis · Philosophy · Visual Culture and Art Theory