Home | Books By Year | Books from 1678
La Princesse de Clves
Buy La Princesse de Clves now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the book. And once you've experienced the book, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'La Princesse de Clves' is a French novel which was published anonymously in March 1678. It was regarded by many as the beginning of the modern tradition of the psychological novel and a great classic work. Its author is generally held to be Madame de La Fayette.
The action takes place between October 1558 and November 1559 primarily at the royal court of Henry II of France, as well as in a few other locations in France. The novel recreates that era with remarkable precision. Nearly every characterthough not the heroineis a historical figure. Events and intrigues unfold with great faithfulness to the documentary record, and the novel is generally regarded as one of the first examples of historical fiction.
Plot summary
Mademoiselle de Chartres is a sheltered heiress, sixteen years old, whose mother has brought her to the court of Henri II to seek a husband with good financial and social prospects. When old jealousies against a kinsman spark intrigues against the young ingnue, the best marriage prospects withdraw. The young woman follows her mother's recommendation and accepts the overtures of a middling suitor, the Prince de Clves. After the wedding, she meets the dashing Duke de Nemours. The two fall in love, yet do nothing to pursue their affections, limiting their contact to an occasional visit in the now-Princess of Clves's salon.
The duke becomes enmeshed in a scandal at court that leads the Princess to believe he has been unfaithful in his affections. A letter from a spurned mistress to her paramour is discovered in the dressing room at one of the estates, but this letter was actually written to the Princess' uncle, the Vidame de Chartres, who has also become entangled in a relationship with the Queen. He begs the Duke de Nemours to claim ownership of the letter, which ends up in the Princess's possession. The duke has to produce documents from the Vidame to convince the Princess that his heart has been true.
Eventually, the Prince de Clves discerns that his wife is in love with another man. She confesses as much. He relentlessly quizzes herindeed tricks heruntil she reveals the man's identity. After he sends a servant to spy on the Duke de Nemours, the Prince de Clves believes that his wife has been both physically and emotionally unfaithful to him. He becomes ill and dies (either of his illness or of a broken heart). On his deathbed, he blames the Duke de Nemours for his suffering and begs the Princess not to marry him.
Now free to pursue her passions, the Princess is torn between her duty and her love. The duke pursues her more openly, but she rejects him, choosing instead to enter a convent for part of each year.
Characters
* Mademoiselle de Chartres/Madame de Clves The Princess at the center of the story. The daughter of Madame de Chartres and the niece of the Vidame de Chartres, she struggles throughout the novel with her duty as a wife to Monsieur de Clves and her love for the Duke de Nemours.
* Madame de Chartres The mother of the Princess of Clves. She supports her daughter's marriage to Monsieur de Clves and warns her daughter against a romantic attachment to the Duke de Nemours. Her death leaves the Princess without a confidante advising restraint.
* Monsieur de Clves The husband of the Princess de Clves. He has "prudence rare in the young" and, although he lacks the beauty and style of the Duke de Nemours, has financial stability and high stature at court. Madame de Chartres views him as an attractive match for her daughter. While the Princess feels affection for him, Monsieur de Clves loves her so profoundly that learning of her feelings for the Duke de Nemours wounds him beyond measure.
* Monsieur de Nemours The dashing "chef doeuvre de la nature" with whom the Princess de Clves falls in love. His obsession with the Princess leads him, despite the fact she is married, to make many advances. The Duke at the time of Henri II was Jacques of Savoy, 2nd Duke of Nemours.
* The King Henri II The King of France. This character is believed to be a representation of King Louis XIV.
* Chevalier de Guise A young knight who loves the Princess de Clves.
* Madame de Tournon A lady of the court who has affairs with two men, Estouteville and the Count de Sancerre.
* Vidame de Chartres The uncle of the Princess de Clves and a friend of the Duke de Nemours. The Duke often uses the Vidame as a way to contact the Princesse. Vidame at the time of Henri II was Franois de Vendme, Vidame de Chartres.
Contemporary reception
The novel was an enormous commercial success at the time of its publication, and readers outside of Paris had to wait months to receive copies. The novel also sparked several public debates, including one about its authorship, and another about the wisdom of the Princess's decision to confess her adulterous feelings to her husband.
One of the earliest psychological novels, and also the first 'roman d'analyse' (analysis novel), 'La Princesse de Clves' marked a major turning point in the history of the novel, which to that point had largely been used to tell romances, implausible stories of heroes overcoming odds to find a happy marriage, with myriad subplots and running ten to twelve volumes. 'La Princesse de Clves' turned that on its head with a highly realistic plot, introspective language that explored the characters' inner thoughts and emotions, and few but important subplots concerning the lives of other nobles.
List of English translations
* Anonymous (Bentley and Magnes, 1679) "Rendered into English by a Person of Quality".
* Thomas Sergeant Perry (James R. Osgood, McIlvaine & Co., 1892) revised by John D. Lyons (Norton Critical Editions, 1993).
* H. Ashton (George Routledge & Sons Ltd, c.1925).
* Nancy Mitford (Euphorion Books, 1950) revised by Leonard Tancock (Penguin Classics, 1978).
* Walter J. Cobb (Signet Classic, 1961).
* Mildred Sarah Greene (University of Mississippi, Romance Monographs, no. 35, 1979).
* Terence Cave (Oxford World's Classics, 1992).
* Robin Buss (Penguin Classics, 1992).
In popular culture
The novel was the basis of Jean Delannoy's 1961 film of the same title (adapted by Jean Cocteau), Manoel de Oliveira's 1999 film 'The Letter,' and Andrzej uawski's 2000 film 'Fidelity' (starring Sophie Marceau).
Beginning in 2006, before he became the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy denigrated the book, arguing that it was ridiculous that civil service entrance exams included questions on 'La Princesse de Clves'. As a result, during the long movement of university lecturers in 2009 against his proposals, public readings of 'La Princesse de Clves' were held in towns around the country. Sales of the novel rose rapidly.[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/5013742/French-protest-by-reading-Nicolas-Sarkozys-least-favourite-book.html French protest by reading Nicolas Sarkozy's least favourite book], 'The Daily Telegraph'
In relation to this, the novel is used by French filmmaker Christophe Honor for his 2008 film 'La Belle Personne'. The plot of the film roughly follows that of the novel, but changes the setting to that of a modern-day French lyce (high school), thus referencing both the novel and the reason for its contemporary fame.
The novel was dramatised as a radio play directed by Kirsty Williams broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 28 February 2010 see 'La Princesse de Clves (radio play)'.[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qztyg BBC Drama on 3 'La Princesse de Clves'] It was also the basis of Regis Sauder's 2011 film 'Nous, princesses de Clves', in which teenagers in an inner city school are studying the novel for their Baccalaureate exam.
Illustrations
References
Further reading
* Burt, Daniel. 'The Novel 100', Facts on File, 2004. .
Buy La Princesse de Clves now from Amazon
<-- Return to books from 1678