The Princess of ClÃ¨ves, often called the first modern French novel, was published anonymously in 1678 and was received with enthusiasm by its contemporary audience.The text of this Norton Critical Edition is that of Thomas Sargent Perry's 1892 translation, indisputably the translation that has best served readers in English. Reprinted repeatedly over the last one hundred years, the Perry translation is a classic in its own right. After careful review, the editor has corrected minor infelicities of translation (necessary to remain true to Lafayette's text) and updated vocabulary. To experience the innovation of Lafayette's writing, it is necessary to understand the critical resistance it met with in seventeenth-century France. "Contemporary Reactions" includes five assessments of The Princess of ClÃ¨vesâ€”by Marie-Madeleine de Lafayette herself, Roger de Bussy-Rabutin and Marie de SÃ©vignÃ©, Jean-Baptiste-Henry du Trousset de Valincour, Jean-Antoine de Charnes, and Du Plaisirâ€”following its controversial publication. John Lyons's translations for this Norton Critical Edition make these reactions available in English for the first time. "Criticism" includes eleven modern studies of the novel, five of which appear here in English for the first time, by Jean Fabre, Michel Butor, Jean Rousset, Helen Karen Kaps, GÃ©rard Genette, Roger Francillon, Kurt Weinberg, Peggy Kamuf, Erica Harth, Joan DeJean, and Laurence Gregario. A Glossary of Characters and a Selected Bibliography are also included.

The Princess of Cleves

Literature & Fiction

De Lafayette, Madame

Literary

Plume

Set towards the end of the reign of Henry II of France, "The Princesse de Cleves" tells of the unspoken, unrequited love between the fair, noble Mme de Cleves, who is married to a loyal and faithful man, and the Duc de Nemours, a handsome man most female courtiers find irresistible. Warned by her mother against admitting her passion, Mme de Cleves hides her feelings from her fellow courtiers, until she finally confesses to her husband an act that brings tragic consequences for all. Described as France's first modern novel, "The Princesse de Cleves" is an exquisite and profound analysis of the human heart, and a moving depiction of the inseparability of love and anguish. The plot of "The Princesse de Cleves" takes place inside the closed world of the French elite. Although the novel starts out famously slow, it becomes much more interesting as the story moves along. The book introduce readers to the true powerbrokers of France, men and women absolutely possessed with the thirst for power. Those with some education of the French Revolution should find this section of the novel very enlightening, as it highlights their absolute isolation and ignorance of the body politik itself. Instead, the pampered court spends their time stabbing each other in the back and doing everything possible to get close to the king. If one wants a fictional but definitely reality based account of Machiavellian politics in the Renaissance, this is a great book to read. As a whole, "The Princesse de Cleves" is a very engaging and complex love story that should satisfy any modern reader interested in the multitude of topics it covers.

The Princesse de Cleves

Classics

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

La Princesse de Clèves

BELIN EDUCATION

Reference

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