Moliere & Co. French Classics: La Princesse de Cleves (Paperback)

from stacyinthecity

This book is arguably the beginning of the modern novel. It was written in the 17th century and takes place in the 16th century, so it is also the birth of historical fiction. The book is about a young woman who grows up with a very strict code of honor. She goes to court and is married to Monsie...

from nmhale

I've had this book sitting on my shelf since a college Humanities course, and it tickled my fancy for a heavier holiday read. Once I began reading the introduction and some of the analytic essays, I discovered that this book is an acclaimed French classic, considered one of the forerunners of the...

from stillatim

The nice thing about reading early specimens of what later become modes or genres is watching the problems that people will keep dealing with come up and be solved with elegant simplicity. So here, Lafayette wants to distance her stories from the romance tradition, without getting rid of all the ...

from amerynth

I really enjoyed Madame de Lafayette's "The Princess of Cleves," which is considered a classic of French literature. The fact that my copy was translated by Nancy Mitford was almost a bonus... I find the Mitford sisters so bizarrely interesting. Considered one of the first "psychological" novels,...

from CBJames

he Princess of Cleves by Madame de Lafayette is a 350-year-old piece of historical fiction. Does that qualify as a sub-genre of sorts? Historical historical fiction? Written in the 1670's by a member of the French court, The Princess of Cleves describes the romance between its title character and...