Book description
Set towards the end of the reign of Henry II of France, The Princesse
de Cl ves (1678) tells of the unspoken, unrequited love between the
fair, noble Mme de Cl ves, 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
Cl ves 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 Cl ves
is an exquisite and profound analysis of the human heart, and a moving
depiction of the inseparability of love and anguish.
Marie-Madeleine Pioche de la Vergne was born in Paris in 1634. in
1656 she married the Comte de Lafayette, had two sons, and lived on
his country estate. She then returned to Paris, and the couple
remained largely separate from then on. She started a literary salon
with her close friends Madame de Sevigne and the Duc de la
Rochefoucauld. She also mixed in court circles and wrote a biography
of her friend Henriette, wife of the Duc d'Orleans, after her death.
She is mostly remembered for her novels. She died in 1693.
Robin Buss is a writer and translator who works for the Independent
on Sunday and as television critic for the Times Literary Supplement.
He has published on Vigny and Coteau and written three books on
European cinema.
