num_pages: 192
description: Poised between the fading world of chivalric romance and a new psychological realism, Madame de Lafayette's novel of passion and self-deception marks a turning-point in the history of the novel. When it first appeared—anonymously—in 1678 in the heyday of French classicism, it aroused fierce controversy among critics and readers, in particular for the extraordinary confession which forms the climax of the story.
language: English
title: The Princesse de Clèves
titlecomplete: The Princesse de Clèves
characters: Jacques de Savoie, duke of Nemours, The Princess of Clèves, Henri II of France, Catherine de Medici, Mary, Queen of Scots
genres: Historical, Literature, Classics, School, 17th Century, France, Historical Fiction, French Literature, Fiction, Romance
ratings_count: 15449
publisher: Penguin Classics