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What books should everyone read before they die?Add Book
The Princess of Clèves
Madame de Lafayette
Literature
James Mustich
Aug 24, 2018
“The last years of Henry II’s reign saw a display of opulence and gallantry such as has never been equalled in France,” begins this pioneering novel, written a century after the period it describes and populated with historical figures, a notable exception being its fictive heroine. She is an heiress of marriageable age—sixteen years old—who, because of intrigues beyond her control, finds her nuptial prospects limited to a proposal from the Prince de Clèves, an unexceptionable figure whom she does not love. With characteristic candor, she declares this fact to him even as she accepts his hand. Soon after the wedding, the princess meets the gallant Duc de Nemours and finds his charms almost irresistible. Almost, because despite the strength of their mutual attraction, the princess will not betray her vows to her husband, even as she confesses to him her ardor for the other man. Forgoing external action—the traditional matter of narrative fiction at the time she wrote—for interior states of thought and feeling, Lafayette confers both resonance and relevance upon the inner life. Her book has often been called one of the earliest psychological novels, which is true enough; what the designation leaves out is the fact that the science of psychology reared its head only after Madame de Lafayette was long gone.
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"1,000 Books To Read Before You Die" is a registered trademark of Workman Publishing, Inc. Based on the book: 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die by James Mustich, (Workman Publishing Co., Inc.: © 2018 James Mustich)
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