The Princess of Cleves E-Book

Fabienne Gheysens

• Herausgeber: BrightSummaries.com
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Seitenzahl: 29

Beschreibung

What should we learn from The Princess of Cleves, the founding work of the modern French novel? Find everything you need to know about this work in a complete and detailed analysis.
You will find in this sheet:
- A complete summary
- A presentation of the main characters such as Madame de Chartres, the Prince of Cleves and Mademoiselle de Chartres (aka The Princess of Cleves)
- An analysis of the specificities of the work: keeping from passion, the reflexive slow-motion and the play of the eyes
A reference analysis to quickly understand the meaning of the work.

Leseprobe

MADAME DE LA FAYETTE

FRENCH WRITER

•Born in 1634 in Paris

•Died in 1693 in the same town

•Some of his works:

°The Princess of Montpensier (1662), novel

°Zayde (1669-1671), novel

°The Princess of Cleves (1678), novel

Marie-Magdeleine Pioche de la Vergne, known as Countess de la Fayette, was born on 18 March 1634 and died of heart disease on 25 May 1693 in Paris. She was the daughter of a gentleman of minor nobility. Her father died in 1649, and her mother remarried to a man named Renaud de Sévigné, uncle of the Marquise de Sévigné (French woman of letters, 1626-1696). Marie Magdeleine became friends with the latter, who invited her to frequent the court society and literary salons of the time. There, she met Jean-François Motier, Count de la Fayette, whom she married. Married without love, the couple ran out of steam, and the Count de la Fayette decided to retire to the countryside, leaving his wife in Paris.

In the literary salons, the countess met La Rochefoucauld (French writer, 1613-1680) with whom she formed a close and long-lasting friendship. Through this relationship, she became immersed in the world of the literati. From then on, Racine (1639-1699), Corneille (1606-1684) and many others became the authors Marie-Magdeleine read and heard.

During these years spent in this society of scholars, she first wrote two stories: La Princesse de Montpensier (1662) and Zaïde (1670), which perfectly illustrate the literary themes of her time. However, Mme de la Fayette sought to innovate, and with the help of La Rochefoucauld, turned to a style of writing marked by history and accuracy. She wrote Histoire d'Henriette d'Angleterre, the memoirs of the British princess Henriette (1644-1660). In 1678, she published The Princess of Cleves: the work, of a genre difficult to define because it is halfway between the historical novel and the analytical novel, was a huge success. It is part of a new literary school and is, as such, considered to be the first book that corresponds to the modern conception of the novel.

THE PRINCESS OF CLEVES

A NOVEL ABOUT PASSION

•Genre: novel

•Reference edition:La Princesse de Clèves, Paris, Librairie Générale Française, 1999, 256 p.

•1re edition: 1678

•Themes : fidelity, dilemma, adultery, reputation, passion

The novel, written in collaboration with Segrais (French poet, 1624-1701) and La Rochefoucauld, was published anonymously in 1678, as Mme de La Fayette expressly refused to be attributed with it, as it was incompatible with her sex and rank. On its publication, the work was the subject of a clever press campaign in Le Mercure galant, which contributed to its success; a success that would not be denied throughout the centuries, many considering it to be the first modern psychological novel.

The Princess of Cleves recounts the conflict that torments the eponymous heroine, struggling between the loyalty she owes to her husband and the destructive love passion she represses towards the Duke of Nemours.

SUMMARY

PART 1

In 1558, a beautiful 16-year-old girl appeared at the court of Henry II (King of France, 1519-1559): Mlle de Chartres. Fatherless, she was accompanied by her mother, who had educated her.

Marriage plans between various members of the court fail due to intrigues. The Prince of Cleves proposes to Mlle