法國經典小說《克萊維王妃》寫於十七世紀，作者拉法耶特夫人結束前人大河小說的傳統，代之以極簡濃縮的佈局手法，開啟現代小說之先河，成為法國心理分析小說的濫殤。出版以來，學界對該書的評析工作從未停歇，然而最紛呈、最多元的景象莫過於二十世紀，該經典成為歐美學界眾家理論爭相解析的對象，甚至在法國引發理論界的筆戰，締造出一片紛殊的景觀：學院派的傳統閱讀、存在主義的哲學觀點、精神分析的原初匱乏說、結構主義的敘事網絡解讀、女性主義的性別研究、酷兒批評的出櫃閱讀⋯⋯皆為這本古典小說開創許多新穎的詮釋。姚斯的「期待地平線」概念正可以描繪這一段作品與讀者的互動史：時代的精神演變、讀者的閱讀習慣、出版社的策略、現代與後現代美學觀的轉變等，皆對《克萊維王妃》在二十世紀的接受過程有關鍵性的影響。本文試圖從二十世紀的批評理論如何閱讀這部小說出發，勾勒一段該書的接受美學史，從文學理論的淵源、衍異和流變，剖析經典地位的成形、鞏固，藉此回顧二十世紀重要文學理論的消長，並探討該經典如何在已有的基礎上開向二十一世紀。二十世紀的理論盛況為《克萊維王妃》一書帶來深層歧異的觀點，而這本古典小說的現代性也為這段批評理論百家爭鳴的時代提供重要的實踐場域，見證了理論輩出的二十世紀，體現了理論批評與文學相輔相成、相互輝映的密切關係。

The French classical novel The Princess of Clèves, written in the 17th century by Madame de Lafayette, represents the end of the “river novel” tradition, and anticipates modern novels with its simple and condensed structure. Arguably, this novel launched the line of French psychoanalytic novels. Ever since its publication, academics have been critiquing this novel in various lights. However, the most heated debates over the novel took place in the 20th century when the classical novel became the subject of theoretical interpretation by European and American academics. The various approaches of reinterpretation included traditional academic, Existentialist, psychoanalytic, formalist-structuralist, feminist and queer, etc. Jauss’ idea of “horizon d’attente” is useful in capturing the interaction between The Princess of Clèves and its readers, which always reflects the changes in the spirit of times, readers’ reading habits, publishers’ strategies, as well as the significant influence, in the 20th century, of modern and postmodern aesthetics on the acceptance of this classic work. The present paper delineates the aesthetic reception of the novel according to critics’ different approaches in the 20th century, and analyzes the formation and consolidation of this classic work in terms of the origins, differences, and evolution of literary theories. The diversity of theories in the 20th century led to profound and divergent views on The Princess of Clèves, as the “inherent modernity” of this classic work provides ample textual space of maneuvering for various literary criticisms. The Princess of Clèves thus witnesses the history of 20th century theories, and demonstrates the complementary relationship between literary criticism and literary works.