LA FAYETTE, Madame de, Marie-Madeleine Pioche de La Vergne.

£450 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

La Princesse de Clèves. An early edition of one of the first psychological novels, concerning a married noblewoman tormented by her feelings for another man. Set in Henry II's court between 1558 and 1559, it is also one of the first European historical novels. It became an immediate commercial success when it was first published anonymously in 1678, although its depiction of adulterous feelings was controversial. Novels in 17th-century France typically focused on the wide-ranging adventures of a hero, which could extend over several volumes and often employed flamboyant language. Conversely, the drama in La Princesse de Cleves is contained within the characters' psyches, focussing on "the elements of violence and conflict in passion" especially "as opposed to the conventional love sanctioned by society" (McNeill p. 25). Further, the events of the novel span less than a year, and La Fayette's language is "innovative in its relative simplicity and concision" (McNeill p. 27).

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