The Princess of Clèves (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Marie-Madeleine Pioche de la Vergne
- First Published: 1678
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Love
- Time of Work: Sixteenth century
- Setting: France
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Social realism
- Subjects: France or French people, Love or romance, Marriage, Paris, Jealousy, envy, or resentment, Adultery, Duty, Kings, queens, or royalty, Ethics, Sixteenth century, Widows or widowers, Gossip, Princes or princesses, Royal courts or courtiers
- Locales: France
Characters Discussed
The Princess de Clèves (deh klehv), a beautiful young woman married to a prince of the royal household. She is a virtuous, even passionless, woman who disappoints her husband with her lack of ardor. Unlike most courtiers, she has no extramarital affairs. When she meets the duke de Nemours, she feels emotion for him but tries to put it down, even enlisting her husband’s aid. After her husband’s death, she refuses to marry the duke and withdraws from society, even to the point of entering a convent for a time.
The Prince de Clèves, a member of...
[The entire page is 900 words long]
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