The Princess of Montpensier

by Madame de Lafayette · first published 1662

The Princess of Montpensier is a short novel by Madame de La Fayette which came out anonymously in 1662 as her first published work. It is regarded not only as one of the first modern novels in French, but also as both the prototype and a masterpiece of the historical novel. Set in France during the Wars of Religion, it tells the story of a young noblewoman, married without affection and loved platonically by her husband's best friend, who cannot refuse her former fiancé's impetuous brother and collapses under the emotional stress. Some of the characters are historical and some made up for the story.

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1662