Other editions of book The Charterhouse Of Parma

he Charterhouse of Parma tells the story of the young Italian nobleman Fabrice del Dongo and his adventures from his birth in 1798 to his death in 1829 (?). Fabrice’s early years are spent in his family’s castle on Lake Como, while most of the novel is set in a fictionalized Parma (both in modern-day Italy).The Charterhouse of Parma / The Charterhouse of Parma Book / The Charterhouse of Parma eBook / the charterhouse of parma stendhal / the charterhouse of parma kindle / the charterhouse of parma modern library

The Charterhouse of Parma chronicles the exploits of Fabrizio del Dongo, an ardent young aristocrat who joins Napoleon’s army just before the Battle of Waterloo. Yet perhaps the novel’s most unforgettable characters are the hero’s beautiful aunt, the alluring Duchess of Sanseverina, and her lover, Count Mosca, who plot to further Fabrizio’s political career at the treacherous court of Parma in a sweeping story that illuminates an entire epoch of European history. ‘Stendhal has written The Prince up to date, the novel that Machiavelli would write if he were living banished from Italy in the nineteenth century,’ noted Balzac in his famous review of The Charterhouse of Parma. ‘Never before have the hearts of princes, ministers, courtiers, and women been depicted like this. . . . One sees perfection in every detail. . . . [It] has the magnitude of a canvas fifty feet by thirty, and at the same time the manner, the execution, is Dutch in its minuteness…. The Charterhouse of Parma often contains a whole book in a single page. . . . It is a masterpiece.’

Marie-Henri Beyle (1783-1842), better known by his penname Stendhal, was a 19th-century French writer. Known for his acute analysis of his characters' psychology, he is considered one of the earliest and foremost practitioners of realism in his two novels The Red and the Black (1830) and The Charterhouse of Parma (1839). The military and theatrical worlds of the First French Empire were a revelation to Beyle. He was named an auditor with the Conseil d'État, and thereafter took part in the French administration and in the Napoleonic wars. He travelled extensively in Germany and was part of Napoleon's army in the 1812 invasion of Russia. He formed a particular attachment to Italy, where he spent much of the remainder of his career, serving as French consul at Trieste and Civitavecchia and writing. One of his early works is On Love (1822), a rational analysis of romantic passion. This fusion, or tension, of clearheaded analysis with romantic feeling is typical of Stendhal's great novels; he could be considered a Romantic realist. Other works include: Armance (1827) and The Abbess of Castro (1832).

Written in just fifty-two days in the year 1839, "The Charterhouse of Parma" has since become known as Stendhal's finest work. Evidence of haste is infrequently apparent in this remarkable story, which follows the eventful life of the young Italian nobleman Fabrizio del Dongo. From his childhood in the family castle by Lake Como to the battlefields of Waterloo, Fabrizio proves himself charmingly headstrong and painfully naïve. Upon returning injured to Italy, the young man begins to recover and pursue ill-fated amorous exploits while his well-intentioned aunt Gina tries to plan a successful career for him with the help of her lover Count Mosca. When a period of confinement in prison leads Fabrizio to meet the beautiful and passionate Clélia, Stendahl's amazing skill with psychological insight comes to the fore, testing the courage of his characters as never before. Considered by contemporary readers to be one of the greatest French novels of its time, "The Charterhouse of Parma" overflows with military feats, court intrigue, and romance that encapsulates both youthful excitement and the harsh realities that test happiness at every turn.