Books / the-princess-of-cleves
Facts about The Princess of Cleves
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French president Nicolas Sarkozy famously criticized The Princess of Cleves in 2006, mocking it as an irrelevant text used in civil service examinations.
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Anonymous upon its original publication, the authorship of The Princess of Cleves was debated for years before being firmly credited to Madame de Lafayette.
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Central to the novel's plot is a wife's extraordinary confession to her husband that she feels passion for another man, a scenario considered scandalous and debated by readers upon publication.
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Attributed to Marie-Madeleine de Lafayette, The Princess of Cleves is set at the royal court of Henry II of France.
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Published in 1678, The Princess of Cleves is widely regarded as one of the earliest novels in the French literary tradition.