About
Marie-Madeleine Pioche de La Vergne, comtesse de La Fayette, was a French novelist. Born into the minor nobility, she received an exceptional literary education and hosted a salon in Paris. She is the author of La Princesse de Clèves (1678), considered the first modern psychological novel. Her work marks a break with the heroic romance and had a lasting influence on French literature.
* 1634-03-18 — † 1693-05-25
Major works
- La Princesse de Montpensier (1662)novel
- Zaïde (1669)novel
- La Princesse de Clèves (1678)novel
- La Comtesse de Tende (1718)novel
- Histoire d'Henriette d'Angleterre (1720)memoir
Key milestones
- 1655Marriage to François Motier, comte de La Fayette.
- 1678Anonymous publication of La Princesse de Clèves.
- 1693Death in Paris.
Themes
love and passioncharacter psychologycourt lifedestiny and fatalitymorality and virtue
Sources: britannica.com · cambridge.org