La fonction des histoires secondaires dans « La Princesse de Clèves »

Abstract

The Princesse de Clèves contains four secondary plots (or rather four episodes); since its publication, the question arose as to whether they were really necessary to the development of the main storyline, or whether they interrupted the narrative flow. This article returns on the issue, and foregrounds reasons, both structural and thematic, to consider Madame de Lafayette’s masterpiece as an extremely compact tale, by demonstrating how the secondary episodes are deeply connected to the main plot.