Die Prinzessin von Clèves

Love and intrigue at the French court. The Princess of Clèves is beautiful and wealthy, with the court of Henry II at her feet. Why does the young widow resist the discreet yet devoted advances of the highly sought-after Duke of Nemours? In an environment filled with power struggles, vanities, and affairs, she seeks a different kind of happiness, whose highest ideals are inner peace and loyalty that transcends death. Madame de La Fayette allows us to experience the emotions and intentions of her characters directly. With noble restraint, she portrays conflicting feelings such as reason and passion, weaving them into a virtuously condensed narrative rhythm. "The Princess of Clèves" is a truly aristocratic novel—not only because of the high status of its protagonists.