<p>Madame de La Fayette's "The Princess of Cleves" is a seminal work in the canon of French literature, often heralded as one of the first psychological novels. Set in the opulent yet politically fraught milieu of the 16th-century French court, the narrative explores the inner turmoil of its eponymous heroine, who grapples with the conflict between her passion for the Duke of Nemours and her loyalty to her husband. De La Fayette's prose is charac...