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 Princess of Cleves
titlecomplete: The Princess of Cleves
characters: The Princess of Clèves, Henri II of France, Catherine de Medici, Jacques de Savoie, duke of Nemours, Mary, Queen of Scots
genres: 17th Century, Historical, School, Literature, French Literature, Romance, Classics, Historical Fiction, Fiction, France
ratings_count: 15462
publisher: New Directions