Madame Bovary: The Theme of Fantasy In Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, the theme of fantasy not always being reality is carried throughout the novel. Emma prefered the fantasy world to the real world. She spent most of her time yearning for a life with passion, exitement, and bliss. She was blind to the world around her, she longed for the romantic fantasy life she had dreamed about since she was a child. She found her life dull and unfullfilling and was constantly trying to change reality. Emma wanted a dreamlover. She wanted a man to fullfill all her fantasys, a man to rescue