The Princess of Cleves

La Princesse de Clèves is a French novel which was published anonymously in March 1678. It was regarded by many as the beginning of the modern tradition of the psychological novel and a great classic work. Its author is generally held to be Madame de La Fayette. The action takes place between October 1558 and November 1559 primarily at the royal court of Henry II of France as well as in a few other locations in France. The novel recreates that era with remarkable precision. Nearly every character—though not the heroine—is a historical figure. Events and intrigues unfold with great faithfulness to the documentary record and the novel is generally regarded as one of the first examples of historical fiction. Mademoiselle de Chartres is a sheltered heiress sixteen years old whose mother has brought her to the court of Henri II to seek a husband with good financial and social prospects. When old jealousies against a kinsman spark intrigues against the young ingénue the best marriage prospects withdraw. The young woman follows her mothers recommendation and accepts the overtures of a middling suitor the Prince de Clèves. After the wedding she meets the dashing Duke de Nemours. The two fall in love yet do nothing to pursue their affections limiting their contact to an occasional visit in the now-Princess of Clèvess salon. The duke becomes enmeshed in a scandal at court that leads the Princess to believe he has been unfaithful in his affections. A letter from a spurned mistress to her paramour is discovered in the dressing room at one of the estates but this letter was actually written to the Princess uncle the Vidame de Chartres who has also become entangled in a relationship with the Queen. He begs the Duke de Nemours to claim ownership of the letter which ends up in the Princesss possession. The duke has to produce documents from the Vidame to convince the Princess that his heart has been true. Eventually the Prince de Clèves discerns that his wife is in love with another man. She confesses as much. He relentlessly quizzes her—indeed tricks her—until she reveals the mans identity. After he sends a servant to spy on the Duke de Nemours the Prince de Clèves believes that his wife has been both physically and emotionally unfaithful to him. He becomes ill and dies (either of his illness or of a broken heart). On his deathbed he blames the Duke de Nemours for his suffering and begs the Princess not to marry him. Now free to pursue her passions the Princess is torn between her duty and her love. The duke pursues her more openly but she rejects him choosing instead to enter a convent for part of each year.