Madame Bovary was very controversial when it was first published. From 1856 to 1857, the novel was published as a series in the French magazine Revue de Paris. Shortly afterwards, it was under prosecution by the authorities of that time, accused for being an “outrage to public morality and religion”. Gustave Flaubert, an unknown novelist living in seclusion in the countryside at that time, was summoned to the court for trial. In the end, Flaubert was found not guilt, and because of this novel he gained a notable reputation and status in the history of literature.

The book was badly received by the public because it portrayed Emma Bovary, a depraved woman, as the main character. Flaubert did a good job portraying Madame Bovary’s path toward depravity and her affairs with multiple lovers. What’s more, Flaubert wrote the whole story with a soothing and objective tone, without any sense of judgement or criticism on Madame Bovary’s life. That’s why the public prosecutors at the time believed that this novel was "the poetics of adultery". The novel has been criticized for promoting the liberation of sexual desire, which would have a bad influence on young female readers. Many readers also thought this novel was shocking and that it went against their moral standards.