A Study of Mme.
Madame de Lafayette's opus LA PRINCESS DE CLEVES is often credited for being the first psychological novel. Lafayette's disturbingly insightful dissection of the book's protagonist, Mme. de Cleves, reveals the numerous dangers of falling in love, from losing moral and internal integretity to losing
one's political power. As Mme. de Cleves falls in love, her true identity starts to unearth itself from the depths of her soul, but this rapid revelation is too sudden and too strong for her to bear. Mme. de Cleves ultimately rejects M. Nemour's advances because she fears knowing her true self and falling victim to other perils of love, including intense jealousy and the inability to ever fully possess her lover. The impact love has upon Mme. de Cleves is fast and nearly fatal.
