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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page essay that analyzes Marie de Lafayette's The Princess of Cleves, a seventeenth century novel that depicts a heroine's struggle to remain loyal, good and true to her husband, even though she is madly in love with another man. The writer discusses whether or not the ending the novel, when the Princess rejects her lover, is feminist, and concludes that it is not. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khcleves.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
even though she is madly in love with another man. However, after her husbands death, when she is free to be with her love, the Mme. de Cleves rejects her
love, retreats to a convent, and spends the rest of her life in seclusion. According to Kupper (2001), feminist criticism argues that the Princess of Cleves achieves a "great
personal victory" in her choice to forego passion and the love of her life and pursue a lifestyle of contemplation and "repos" (p. 95). They argue that the decision of
the Princess of Cleves constitutes an effort on her part to take control of her situation with a "social structure where women usually have little control" (Kupper, 2001, p. 95).
Part of this argument credits her mother, Mme. de Chartres, with preparing her daughter with the guidance that made this decision possible. However, an examination of this perspective simply does
not hold up under scrutiny. Rather then a feminist heroine, this examination will show that the Princess upholds patriarchal values throughout the work, including her choice of an ascetic
life at the novels end. Rather than preparing her daughter for rebellion against societal expectations, Mme. de Chartres instruction consistently endorsed whatever action was expected from her daughter, and to
the end of her days, the Princess abided by societal expectations. For example, when the young heroine first comes to the court, her mother continued to instruct her in
virtue, as there were "so many dangerous examples" (De Lafayette, 2002). The emphasis in the instruction for the girl is on propriety, which indicates that her mother thoroughly accepted
the societal paradigm for how women should conduct themselves. When her daughter married, it is indicated that Mme. de Chartres admired her daughters honor, but was surprised at her insensibility
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