Czas, czekanie, cierpliwość. Refleksje o niekochanych mężach w powieściach pani de Lafayette i Catherine Bernard
Time, Waiting, Patience: Reflections on Unloved Husbands in the Novels of Mme de Lafayette and Catherine Bernard

Summary/Abstract: The goal of the article is to apply the concepts of time, patient waiting, and actions of unloved husbands to the characterization of the main protagonists of the novels The Princess of Cleves by Madame de Lafayette (1678) and The Count of Amboise by Catherine Bernard (1689). The questions addressed in the analysis are: How do the passage of time and patience affect the behaviour of unloved husbands? How does patience evolve when confronted with jealousy? What view of human nature follows from the observation of the unloved husbands? The questions are approached on the basis of an analysis of the plot and critical studies of the two novels and their cultural context. It should be noted that Madame de Lafayette’s novel has been extensively studied, but Bernard’s work is relatively little known.Following the introduction, the first part of the article is devoted to Monsieur de Cleves, more specifically to the time when he is waiting for his wife’s love before the princess confesses that she has already conferred her feelings upon somebody else, the time of suffering, jealousy, the time of losing patience and finally the time of death. It is argued that Monsieur de Cleves passes the trial of patience, despite his despair driving him to cruelty and mischief. The second part of the article deals with Count of Amboise, and puts forth the thesis that he is only pretending to wait patiently for his wife-to-be to return his love. It is demonstrated that this protagonist is selfish and his motives are low, even when he sacrifices himself for Madmoiselle de Roye. He is lacking in patience and his behaviour is far from dignified.In conclusion, the author of the article points out that although the unloved husband is a tragic figure in both novels, Monsieur de Cleves bears his suffering with dignity, showing patience and avoiding moral degradation, whereas Bernard’s protagonist epitomizes a destructive impact of emotional suffering, which reveals the dark and selfish side of human nature.

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