The Princesse de Clèves (The Princess of Cleves)

Mme de Clèves is among the few characters in this novel who are entirely fictional; as such, she may be seen as standing witness for both the reader and the author. Her confusion about the true nature of court mirrors our own, and the path for appropriate behavior set out before her is the narrowest in the book. Certainly, no man is held to the standards she is held to, but neither are many of the women, who have found their place in the court’s pecking order through long experience.

Identifying with the princess is a claustrophobic experience; in addition to the rules set forth for her behavior, her beauty marks her as the object of every eye at court. She is constantly being watched and assessed. As a consequence, her role is almost entirely passive. People force her to react and place her in situations from which she vainly attempts to escape. Among her only proactive behaviors are correctly assessing M. de Nemours’s inconstancy and taking herself to a convent.

The author describes M. de Nemours as “nature’s masterpiece”—handsome, courteous, and physically adept. Women everywhere notice him, and he even attracts the eyes of the Dauphine and the Queen of England.