Madame de Lafayette - Owning Her Soul

Abstract

Madame de Lafayette’s two best known works, The Princess of Montpensier and The Princess of Cleves are both set in 16th century France, precisely chronicling the era of the French Court, the monarchy, and religious wars. Although both works are lauded as seminal works of historical fiction, the style and psychological impact of the two differ dramatically. How can two works by the same author, with comparable settings, comparable usage of historical events and characters, as well as comparable plot design, have such a dissimilar impact on the reader? What gave rise to the emotional evolvement from one work to the next, allowing Lafayette to create the first psychological novel – and her literary masterpiece - The Princess of Cleves? Determining these factors would show how an author’s personal experiences and relationships can affect the psychological impact of a work, leading to a more emotional understanding and connection with the characters. The critical frame utilized in analyzing the emotional evolvement from The Princess of Montpensier and The Princess of Cleves was two-fold, as it required both a genetic criticism and a structuralist approach. The first section of the thesis entails a comprehensive look at the life of Madame de Lafayette regarding her social and cultural environment, as well as key milestones and relationships. A thorough examination of her two works is rendered in the second section, relating to narration, plot, and structure. Lastly, the thesis concludes with a discussion of the structural and personal evolution that led to the creation of The Princess of Cleves – her literary masterpiece. The years 1662 to 1678 represent a time of change and personal growth for Madame de Lafayette. Cultural and societal changes in 17th century France and the environment of the Parisian literary salons allowed her, as a woman, the freedom to think for herself, unapologetically. It will be shown that Lafayette’s personal relationships had a significant impact on the evolvement of her writing. Her emotional relationship with a close and loving companion afforded her the ability to understand a make perspective as well as her own. The influence of a strong, independent friend allowed her the opportunity to discover and discern her own sense of self. And it is this sense of self that she grants to the Princess of Cleves at the end of the novel that so clearly shows Lafayette’s own emotional and psychological growth. The importance of a psychological connection to a character in a novel is paramount in achieving an emotional response by the reader. The thesis shows there are many literary techniques and devices that can be used to portray emotion, which would be helpful to aspiring writers. In addition, it is hoped that the thesis will inspire interest in – not only a literary work itself – but the personal, social, and cultural life of the author during the work’s creation.