The Princesse de Cleves (Penguin Classics)

I own the Penguin Classics version, translated by Robin Buss. Buss' translation is the only one I have read, but it seemed to match the sort of style and tone one would expect from the time period and very rarely felt clunky or forced into english. It reads similarly to Defoe's novels (appearing roughly 50 years earlier) and I imagine if Defoe had written a dramatic romance, it wouldn't be too different from Mme de Lafayette's.I would not consider this to be a 'must read', but that all depends on what the reader is looking to get out of it. In many ways it feels a bit overly-dramatic and anti-climactic, but it has an intriguing setting (though it is under-utilized) and is an interesting analysis of 'animal'-attraction and the disruption it causes in ordered high society, where reputation is paramount. Madame de Lafayette makes an uncommon defense of temperance over pleasure, but to my mind, actually makes a rather poor case for it. Siding with temperance is quite a rare thing, so it is a shame that Lafayette didn't defend it better or at least make a more compelling resolution.I really enjoyed this book more as an artifact than a novel. Being written in 1678 and taking place in the even earlier French court of Henri II of France (1558) is something that I find inherently interesting. The main thing that dampened my spirits while reading though was just how interesting the reign of Henri II was how little it matters for the story. I kept wanting to know more about Diane de Poitier and Catherine de Medici rather than the (now) commonplace 'love-is-pain' plot. So my score is more of a personal one than an attempt at objective criticism, as I think many modern readers will view this book as too dry to bother with, while others will thoroughly enjoy coloring in all of the space older novels left for the reader to fill out on their own.

Who can argue with paying half of the cost that your university is charging for a book.Even if they have highlighted areas. It’s worth it. BTW. Mine didn’t have any markups or markings in it.

It's about 400 years old but the story is as fresh as if it was written yesterday. I read it to see what had changed since the 1600's. Turns out not much.Young woman marries for convention. Her husband adores her yet she doesn't feel passion for him.When she meets the Duke, the Princess of Cleves is totally undone by her love and passion for him.Anyone who has fallen in love, or lust with the wrong person will understand her torment.

Good reading if you are the romantic type and have enough patience to sort out the many people involved. It's the favorite classic of my French friend, who recommended it to me

Books were in good condition

Slow to start, but picks up steam and eventually plunges headlong toward its tragic climax. Don't be put off by the front-loading of court titles, relations and other exposition. The bevy of names quickly sloughs off and leaves you with the core of the story: two people caught in a tangled pavane of court gossip and intrigue in 17th-century France.

Good story well written

Seems soap operas have been around for eons. This was not a bad book (a classic by several website's reckoning), but I still couldn't get past all the social oooos and ahhhhs. The characters were very truthful and showed clear, honest motivations, but the whole atmosphere was something I couldn't get into.

The first French novel speaks of intrigue, marital and carnal love, innocence, good and evil, human strengths and weaknesses, life and death. In short, Madame de Lafayette, the author of the first French novel, touched upon many of the psychological states and human emotions that the novel, as a literary genre, would ceaselessly continue to describe for over 300 years. The Robin Buss translation in Penguin Classics is one of the best I've read. For those who can't read La Princess de Cleves in the original ,this translation is as good as it gets.

This edition has been well prepared for kindle devices, but the translation is so out-dated that it hinders understanding. Only a few pages in "He had three sons very accomplished;" ?? "il avait trois fils parfaitement bien faits".

A timeless tale of love, jealousy, torn loyalties, duty and intrigue, 'The Princess of Cleves' is as acute in its psychological insights as any 20th- or 21st-century novel. A masterpiece of French literature, it incurred the wrath of former president Nicolas Sarkozy, who once complained that reading the novel had made him "suffer". Le pauvre!

Tried my hardest with this book however it is read more like a school exam essay than a historical romance

Das Buch liest sich als Anfänger für Französisch sehr gut. Ich kann mein Französisch ausbauen und vorallem festigen. Es ist interessant und ich kann es nur empfehlen.