Publisher's Synopsis
La Princesse de Clèves is a French novel,
regarded by many as one of the first European novels, and a classic of its era.
Its author is most often held to be Madame de La Fayette.Published anonymously in March 1678,
and set a century earlier in the royal court of Henry II of France, it recreates that era with remarkable precision. Nearly every character except the heroine is a historic figure. Events and intrigues unfold with great faithfulness to documentary record.