Questions of Interpretation in La Princesse de Clèves

Book excerpt: People are so divided about La Princesse de Clèves' they're ready to devour each other.' So reported Mme de Lafayette, to whom his landmark of French fiction is traditionally attributed, when it first appeared in 1678. Over three centuries the initial divisions have widened into large areas of critical disagreement. Questions of interpretation in La Princesse de Clèves' outlines the main areas of controversy and confronts the radically divergent critical responses that have been made with the witness of the text itself. Without seeking to advance easy solutions, it suggests plausible readings and possible approaches in the light of the evidence provided by language and ideas more uncertain and ambiguous than might at first appear. Offering as it does a wide-ranging review of recent critical opinion and providing the most comprehensive and up-to-date bibliographical tool at present available, this important new work is an invaluable tool for all readers and students of this famous novel.