When Madame Bovary was first published in 1856 it scandalised Parisian society and brought charges of immorality. However, for author Gustave Flaubert it secured his place as the father of literary realism. A minute dissection of the bourgeois classes had left him on the horns of a dilemma; how does one follow up such a massive hit without losing artistic integrity? In the Oyster Problem, Flaubert fights the reality of a dwindling income and the absence of oysters, wine and other luxuries that only money can buy.
Gustave Flaubert (Bob Barrett) sits at the hub of the literary community in Paris. He merrily banters with Emile Zola (Peter Hannah), who has supplemented his income by writing for newspapers. He urges Flaubert to embrace the commercial potential of writing and cure his financial woes. It is a case of writing popular novels that sell to a mass audience. Flaubert is unrepentant and refuses to cheapen his artistry. His close friend Ivan Turgenev (Giles Taylor) provides a sympathetic ear but reluctantly backs Zola’s view. Flaubert’s niece Caroline Commanville (Rosalind Lailey) is a talented artist but grows increasingly concerned for the family’s finances. With the assistance of George Sand (Norma Atallah), Zola and Turgenev hatch a plan to secure a paid position, but will Flaubert grasp the nettle?
