ENG150Y1 Lecture Notes - Voyeurism, Middle Ages, Madame De La Fayette
Document Summary
The confusing first pages of the novel reflects princess of cleves" confusion. People of its time debated its merits. The princess is young 15-16 years old. Taking chivalric romance genre as a template but moves away from it. The genre is presented as unsatisfying way for the princess to understand. Novel becomes more compelling and psychologically impelling. Worries about privacy and public status reflect our time with the social media. The novel is during a time when women are accepted into the culture of education and the like. Madame de lafayette elevates the status of the women writer. Novels were often criticized as forms of entertainment for women during the time. By the 19th century, it became the main mode of literature. Was common for women to publish their work anonymously or use a man"s name. The publication history itself demonstrates the fascination of secrecy as a theme in the novel.
