Grandeur and gallantry never appeared with more lustre in France, than in the last years of Henry the Second's reign. This Prince was amorous and handsome, and though his passion for Diana of Poitiers Duchess of Valentinois, was of above twenty years standing, it was not the less violent, nor did he give less distinguishing proofs of it.

Product Description: Adapting The Princess of Cleves to a modern language format, this book offers a new, readable translation of Madame de La Fayette's masterpiece. The work is supplemented by an Introduction and general critical commentary which aid in the proper understanding of the seventeenth-century novel...read more

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Product Description: Poised between the fading world of chivalric romance and a new psychological realism, Madame de Lafayette's novel of passion and self-deception marks a turning point in the history of the novel. When it first appeared anonymously in 1678--in the heyday of French classicism--it aroused fierce controversy among critics and readers, particularly for the extraordinary confession which forms the climax of the story...read more