From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Erica Bauermeister
Written over three hundred years ago, The Princess of Cleves transports the reader to seventeenth-century French court society, where "love was always allied to politics and politics to love. No one was untroubled or unmoved: each considered how to advance, to flatter, to serve or to harm; boredom and idleness were unknown, since everyone was engaged in intrigue or the pursuit of pleasure." The story concerns a strikingly beautiful young woman, raised in seclusion and brought to the court at marriageable age. She is married to the Prince de Cleves, a powerful, sensitive man who adores her and hopes she will eventually reciprocate his feelings. Unfortunately, Madame de Cleves falls passionately in love with the Duc de Nemors, a man "born with every predisposition for courtship and every quality tending toward its success." Lost letters, whispered messages, extensive introspection - all are described in minute detail as Madame de Cleves attempts to overcome her feelings and remain a virtuous woman. The obsession of these characters can seem excessive, yet Madame de Lafayette is careful to place this story within a larger historical context which shows the extraordinary influence these intimate affairs had upon foreign and domestic policy. Her book gives an insider's view into the personal lives of Henry XIII, Mary Stuart, Queen Elizabeth, and others as she initiates Madame de Cleves and the reader into the morals and political maneuverings of her time and class. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14.
--Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
