Characters
Charles Bovary
Emma Bovary’s husband, Charles, is a doctor whom Kugelmass describes as a "lacklustre little paramedic" who is "ready to go to sleep by ten," while Emma desires to go dancing. Emma sarcastically refers to him as "Mr. Personality." He even falls asleep during dinner as she talks about the ballet.
Emma Bovary
Emma Bovary is the protagonist of Gustave Flaubert’s novel Madame Bovary, into whose world Kugelmass is transported by The Great Persky. In Allen’s story, she initially speaks in the "same fine translation as the paperback" version of the novel before adopting a twentieth-century New York vernacular. She remains much as she is in Flaubert’s work: beautiful, spoiled, materialistic, irresponsible, and bored with her bourgeois life. She loathes her marriage and rural life, finding herself captivated by Kugelmass's tales of Broadway nightlife, fast cars, Hollywood, and TV. Emma and Kugelmass start a passionate affair when he visits her within the novel’s pages, but she soon yearns to visit New York and pursue an acting career. In New York, she enjoys nights out with Kugelmass and buys new clothes to bring back, further highlighting her superficiality and materialism. When she finds herself unable to return to the novel, she complains to Kugelmass about the boredom of watching TV all day, expressing a desire to take a class or find a job. She eventually locks herself in the bathroom and refuses to come out. Selfish and shallow, Emma Bovary is a caricature of the demanding mistress and the air-headed aspiring actress chasing fame and fortune.
The Great Persky
The Great Persky is the magician who transports Kugelmass into Emma Bovary’s world using a poorly lacquered, cheap-looking Chinese cabinet. Persky, an unsuccessful performer, is described as short, thin, and waxy-looking, living in a rundown apartment building. His role as a magician underscores the story’s theme of reality versus illusion and parodies the kind of second-rate entertainer once common in Vaudeville. Persky also serves as a satire of the quintessential New York Jew, using colorful colloquial expressions and maintaining a pessimistic yet relaxed outlook on life. When Kugelmass asks if traveling in the cabinet is safe, Persky responds, "Safe. Is anything safe in this crazy world?" When the cabinet malfunctions and Kugelmass becomes distressed, Persky remains unconcerned, advising Kugelmass to relax and seek help for his anxiety, adding, "I’m a magician, not an analyst."
Professor Fivish Kopkind
Professor Kopkind, a colleague of Kugelmass, teaches comparative literature at the City College of New York. Kugelmass claims that Kopkind, who has always been envious of him, has recognized him as the sporadically appearing character in Madame Bovary and has threatened to reveal everything to Kugelmass's wife.
Kugelmass
Kugelmass, a humanities professor at the City College of New York, is disenchanted with his mundane life. He finds himself transported into the pages of Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary , where he embarks on an affair with the titular character. Described as aging and “bald and hairy as a bear,” Kugelmass mistakenly believes he possesses “soul.” He is a distrustful, pessimistic city man, constantly racing around in pursuit of something better. Kugelmass embodies the Jewish tradition of the schlemiel—a hapless bungler entangled in an absurd and uncontrollable situation, a powerless man at odds with his surroundings. However, he is also irresponsible, selfish, and shallow, seeking to escape his dull life and unhappy marriage without sacrificing his career or marriage. After The Great Persky transports him to Yonville, Kugelmass begins an affair with Emma Bovary and is initially thrilled, feeling fortunate for the first time. Despite his past failures, such as flunking Freshman English, he believes...
(This entire section contains 940 words.)
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he deserves happiness after his supposed “suffering.” When problems arise and Persky cannot return Emma to Yonville, Kugelmass panics, turns to drinking, and contemplates escape, either through suicide or moving to Europe. Once Persky finally returns Emma to the Flaubert novel after her New York interlude, Kugelmass repents and claims to have learned his lesson. However, just three weeks later, he asks Persky again to transport him into another fictional realm. Kugelmass mirrors many Allen heroes—a nervous, inept New York Jew who hopes for the best but constantly worries, thinking he has a situation “knocked” only to find himself in trouble he cannot manage. He fails to learn from his mistakes, driven more by his desires than by reason. Kugelmass is quite similar to Emma Bovary from Flaubert’s novel, sharing her dissatisfaction, selfishness, irresponsibility, and an absurdly idealized view of love and romance.
Daphne Kugelmass
Daphne is Kugelmass’s current and second wife. Kugelmass regards her as an “oaf” and a “troglodyte” who once showed promise (and had money) but has since grown fat. She is demanding and spends her time on mundane tasks, such as shopping for bathroom accessories. Although she suspects her husband has a “chippie” on the side and senses his tension, she never catches on to his affair.
Dr. Mandel
Dr. Mandel serves as Kugelmass’s therapist. Kugelmass confides in Dr. Mandel about his desire for an affair, but the doctor points out that Kugelmass’s issues are more profound and what he truly needs is to express his emotions. Dr. Mandel explains that he cannot provide an instant solution because ‘‘I’m an analyst, not a magician.’’
Rodolphe
Rodolphe is Emma Bovary’s lover in the novel Madame Bovary. Kugelmass wants to enter the novel before Emma meets Rodolphe, feeling he cannot compete with someone of Rodolphe’s caliber. Rodolphe is depicted as the epitome of a fashion magazine model, belonging to the landed gentry, with little else to do but flirt and ride horses.
