La Princesse de Clèves by Marie-Madeleine Pioche de la Vergne, countess of Lafayette, published in 1678, is one of the oldest novels in the French language and still widely considered a classic (it most recently was the subject of a controversy after former French president Nicolas Sarkozy singled it out as one of the most irrelevant subjects to come up in public service examinations in France). It's definitely the oldest novel that I myself have read, written in an age much more famous for its poets and playwrights, in France like in England and elsewhere, but it's certainly a worthy effort.

The novel can best be described as romantic historical fiction, and if that makes it sound surprisingly modern, well, in some ways it is. The action is set at the French royal court in 1558-1559, and the historical dealings at the court in that period are described in considerable detail. The lone plotline of the novel concerns the love life of the titular character, however, who is torn between her duty towards her husband and her love for the charming and womanizing duke of Nemours, who reciprocates her feelings and immediately forsakes all other women. (Incidentally, I should note that her having the title of princess in no way indicates royal blood; in France it could be a non-royal noble title as well, and she merely became princess of Clèves by marrying the prince of Clèves, a high-ranking nobleman.) Having such romantic attachments outside marriage is considered the most normal thing in the world in de Lafayette's version of the court (or in the real one, for that matter); but the princess rather complicates matters by deciding to openly confess her feelings for another man to her husband. As her husband becomes increasingly jealous and her would-be lover increasingly desperate, the princess does what she can to retain her virtue - while trying to keep the pathologically gossip-crazed court, with a starring role for the young Mary, Queen of Scots, from finding out about the matter.

The historical background makes the novel quite interesting to those interested in French history (among which I definitely count myself), but a few big names of British history make their appearance as well. Mary, Queen of Scots - wife of the French crown prince, and indeed becoming Queen of France at the end of the novel - is one of the most important secondary characters, and the duke of Nemours is notable (in reality like in the novel) for being one of several French noblemen who attempted to gain the hand of Queen Elizabeth I.

As a psychological novel and a tale of heroically resisting temptation, The Princess of Clèves remains quite readable, and the princess is a heroine the modern reader can still sympathize with, despite the greatly different social mores of the time. The primary weakness of the novel, in my opinion, is one that might've been noted at the time as well: the love between the princess and the duke seems to be based on little more than an infatuation at first sight, which makes the whole thing rather less powerful. Of course, the same is true of Romeo and Juliet, and it didn't stop them from having one of the most celebrated romances of all time; but the point stands. In terms of emotional depth and genuine passion, de Lafayette's novel isn't up to the level of the plays her contemporaries were writing at the time; she can't begin to rival Racine, whose masterpiece Phèdre was first performed the year before.

But I can still recommend the book as an innovative and fairly well-written novel, a notable step in the development of the European novel, and an interesting insight into the mentality of the 16th century French aristocracy.