Set in 19th century provincial Normandy, Madame Bovary recounts the partial rise and catastrophic fall of the socially ambitious Emma.
Gustave Flaubert's romantic tragedy about the hopelessly idealistic and self-destructive Emma Bovary will be shown in two parts from 10 April.
Frances O'Connor - currently starring in the movie adaptation of Mansfield Park - plays the beautiful adulteress Emma.
You can't be coy about the sex. Emma is a sensual and sexual woman and you have to show that - you can't just show a bee on a flower
Now considered a masterpiece of European literature, Madame Bovary caused a scandal when first published in 1856. Flaubert was summarily prosecuted for "offending public morals".
And though acquitted, the author was sternly reminded that the "the mission of literature must be to embellish the spirit while elevating our intelligence and way of living".
Now, the BBC's new version is also likely to cause a stir with its explicit sex scenes leaving little to the imagination.
Set in 19th century provincial Normandy, Madame Bovary recounts the partial rise and catastrophic fall of the socially ambitious Emma.
Deluded by dreams of escaping her humble, reclusive upbringing, Emma marries the weak doctor Charles Bovary.
The mistake of the union soon becomes painfully apparent, however, as Charles - though caring and well-intentioned - proves to be both boring and inept.
Feeling trapped and starved of excitement, Emma throws herself into a catastrophic spiral of adultery and crippling debt.
Ambiguous heroine
On analysis, Emma's frustration can be partly blamed on the effects of living amid the bores and bigots of stifling small town, rural France.
It is also the result of years of neglect following the death of her mother. But Emma is undoubtedly selfish in the extreme.
Flaubert's own attitude to his heroine is ambiguous, appearing alternatively sympathetic, critical or mocking.
Heidi Thomas, who adapted the novel for the small screen, understands why: "The wonderful thing about Emma - making her a very modern heroine - is that she is imperfect.
"She can be a stroppy little trollop, yet quote the Song of Solomon to her husband. I see her as a Thomas Hardy character in Alan Bennet country."
As complex as Emma is, fleshing out a famous literary heroine is something Australian actress O'Connor takes in her stride.
Aside from her part as Fanny in Mansfield Park, she has also played Laura in the movie About Adam. But, she says, the role of Emma stretched her acting abilities further.
Yet, Frances admits, her feelings about the libertine Rodolphe have changed since she first read the book at 15. "I remember thinking: 'What a dish, what a babe'. He was the perfect young girl's fantasy. But now I can see how, yes, he was using her but really it is more to do with her projecting a lot of her fantasies onto him."
Modern impact
Passion surges through the novel, but the sex on the page is more implicit than explicit. Translating that desire onto the screen demanded less tact.
The book's most notorious sex scene inside a closed carriage is seen from within on TV. Viewers also witness surprisingly torrid woodland love-making.
Director Tim Fywell says: "You can't be coy about the sex. Emma is a sensual and sexual woman and you have to show that - you can't just show a bee on a flower.
The intensity of the scenes between Rodolphe and Emma - compared to the mechanical nature of those with Charles - depended on the chemistry between O'Connor and Wise. But Fywell jokes: "Whenever Greg Wise comes on you can smell the hormones in the air."
Wise - who also played the caddish John Willoughby in the movie of Sense and Sensibility - says today's audience will pick up on Rodolphe's eroticism.
But, he stresses, his character has both a heart - and feet of clay: "Rodolphe does not sully, use and throw Emma away. He really does fall in love," he says. "The crunch comes when she wants him to run off with her and her little daughter."
The BBC's production has already created waves in the US, where it was screened in February. Its effect is a reminder of the shock which greeted the novel in the 19th century. But, adds Fywell, it is also a testament to the staying-power of Flaubert's ideas.
"Adultery is no longer shocking per se. But Emma is married to a good man. He is not for Emma but he does not deserve the treatment he gets. That is what makes it shocking - and real."
Madame Bovary goes out on Monday 10 and 11 April on BBC Two at 2100 BST.