The Charterhouse of Parma

Mar 02, 2013 Bill Kerwin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Stendhal scrutinizes both the amorous passions and the predilection for court intrigue present in the Italian character with an irony and a political analysis that are indisputably French, and thereby produces not only a great realistic novel but a work which comments on the romantic novels that have gone before. And yet--here is the marvelous part--"The Charterhouse of Parma," for all its realism, is still an incredibly romantic novel containing a battle, a duel, a knife fight, various disguise...more

like 9 likes · see review

Jan 24, 2013 Capitu rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, bookish-w13-challenge, classic

I don’t know what my expectations were, but certainly I never expected a soap-opera. A great soap-opera, though, that kept me intrigued by the most part.

I also did not expect the stream of consciousness, the lightness and the sense that Stendhal was breaking the writing rules, of his time and even of ours.

I cannot let go of the feeling that Stendhal would had been better under the guidance of a good editor. Some passages are too long, some are too short. Important information is thrown at us hid...more

like 2 likes · see review

Oct 08, 2007 adam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Standard 19th century French novel? Not even close. This book defies almost every convention of the novel, and it was written before any of those conventions were even recognized! No hero, no heroine, no real plot; no morality lesson; Machiavellian politics for everyone; love doesn't conquer all; love doesn't even exist in this world until the main character gets locked away in prison for a womb-like nine months; a narrator who couldn't care less about the whole thing...this is so modern it hurt...more

like 12 likes · see review

Jul 18, 2012 Bill rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the best books I've read. Politics, action, humanism vs.conservatism, passion vs. lack of passion, lovers, rivals, extreme wealth and the values of aristocracy, all the characters with both good and bad actions and ways of thinking. Set in the autocratic monarchy of Parma in Italy between 1815 and 1830.

A fascinating exploration of what motivates people and how they act. The plot is held together by the stories of a brilliant, activist Duchess and her impetuous nephew, but includes many m...more

like 4 likes · see review

Jul 14, 2008 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, read-in-2008, in-translation, 500-plus-pages

Finally finished this book. Tried to read it once before, several years ago, and never got through it (which is not like me--usually I stick with a book no matter if I like it or not). Really wanted to like it but just couldn't really get into it.

This is a book written by a French author in the 19th century, but the subject is actually Italy. The book jacket on my edition describes it as "Stendhal's epic tale of romance, adventure, and court intrigue set in early 19th century Italy". And yes, it...more

like 1 like · see review

Jul 06, 2010 Dan rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have just learned that the book I read doesn't exist. I read the 1958 Penquin but Goodreads doesn't let me list that. I picked it up at my favorite Tucson used book shop because I thought I should read a Stendhal once every 77 or 78 years and time was running out. Wrong on two counts. I didn't need to read a Stendhal, at least not this one. And Margaret Shaw, the translator of the shadowy copy I read, apparently is not everyone's choice.

Many people still like this book. It does have a few hum...more I have just learned that the book I read doesn't exist. I read the 1958 Penquin but Goodreads doesn't let me list that. I picked it up at my favorite Tucson used book shop because I thought I should read a Stendhal once every 77 or 78 years and time was running out. Wrong on two counts. I didn't need to read a Stendhal, at least not this one. And Margaret Shaw, the translator of the shadowy copy I read, apparently is not everyone's choice.

Many people still like this book. It does have a few humorous authorial intrusions, and you might enjoy them if you like authorial intrusions. "Herein lies the crowning achievement of a Jesuitical education; the formation of a habit of paying no attention to those things which are clearer than daylight." Or So and so was an honest man and consequently had spent time in prison. I suppose there is a slyness in some of these comments, if interpretation is not baffled by translation and the lapse of 170 years or so. Perhaps Beyle's real point is not that honest men always serve time in prison but the converse implication that dishonest men escape it. Think financial industry.

The book has terrific material to work with. How could a writer spoil a novel involving an attractive young aristocrat who troops off to France to be in the battle of Waterloo (on Napoleon's side), who's loved by every woman he meets and who usually enjoys it, whose aunt, a beautiful, vivacious, smart aristocrat, a countess and then Duchess, actually falls in love with him, who becomes by fluke an Archbishop or something of the sort, and who finally falls desperately in love (but not, alas with his aunt, tittilation wasted there)? How could you spoil a story full of the intrigues of court of a the Prince of Parma? How could you spoil a love story about a man who stayed in prison to be close to his love, then escapes, and is rejected by his love because she's promised the Madonna she won't see him again if the Madonna intercedes to save him? Didn't Graham Greene adapt this idea in End of the Affair?

I have not got the days to list the ways this novel was unsatisfying --boring--to me. I'll just say that almost all of this book is vague; even some of the scenes are mostly summary that didn't put me there. All the things that need to seem real do not. Things that seem inexplicable--well, we're just told they happen. The court intrigues that could have been really wonderful stuff are presented at such a level of generality (or sometimes simplicity) that you just get almost no insight about what could really happen.

Attitudes of the time and place, though, are sometimes interesting in a collateral way, for instance the way in which many people disregard human life when it is not the life of an aristo. But then I suppose we've seen that on a grand scale ourselves.

Why did I stick with this 488 pages? I kept thinking for quite a while that I would learn something about what not to do when writing a novel. And maybe I would if I had time to sit down and address the book page by page. But I don't. I've got no more time for this book. (less)

like 1 like · see review

Oct 17, 2009 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

this book is a great old style 'conte.' Written in the style akin to a courtesan's relish for gossip, Stendahl has the flair of a mirthful old queen in his painting of a changing portrait of the life of an aristocratic fool hardy young handsome Fabrizio del Dongo. A guy who rushes off to join Napoleon's cause, has his horse stolen in like five minutes, and arrives just too late to get trounced in Waterloo. Fabrizio goes on like this for the whole novel.

This book echos the twists and turns fate...more

like · see review

Jun 24, 2009 Christian rated it 2 of 5 stars

I picked this up last month because I'm a huge fan of The Red And The Black, easily one of my top five novels. Stendahl was a nineteenth century French satirist who bascially invented the realistic psychological novel, and The Red And The Black is a wicked black comedy about a cunning young priest who plots to become Pope, and his subsequent adventures in high society. Like I say I loved this book so I had high hopes for Charterhouse.

Unfortunately, in my opinion after a promising start this book...more I picked this up last month because I'm a huge fan of The Red And The Black, easily one of my top five novels. Stendahl was a nineteenth century French satirist who bascially invented the realistic psychological novel, and The Red And The Black is a wicked black comedy about a cunning young priest who plots to become Pope, and his subsequent adventures in high society. Like I say I loved this book so I had high hopes for Charterhouse.

Unfortunately, in my opinion after a promising start this book sort of loses the thread. The majority of it is taken up with the bureaucratic and romantic intrigues of a court in the small Italian state of Parma, and to the modern Western reader most of this stuff is crushingly dull. Stendahl's great strength is showing us characters who are oblivious to their own inner motives (those motives being plain as day to us readers) and there is some of that here, as well as some compelling characters (especially the Duchesa Gina Sanservina, the real hero of the story), but markedly absent is the biting wit and barbed social commentary of Stendahl's other great novel.

This is one of those historic romance novels that always leaves me scratching my head and thinking "wait, are these characters sleeping together or not?" Perhaps I'm asking a bit much to have these elliptical intrigues spelled out for my modern sensibility, but it's frustrating to observe the behavior of these courtiers, who for all my experience with their weird ways might as well be attendants to the Prince of Mars.

Some of the ridiculous courtly behavior is funny, or illuminating of human weakness in a telling way, some of the scenes are great (the Waterloo sequence early in the book is absolutely amazing), some of the characters are worth getting to know, but there are weird plot twists that feel poorly introduced and then abandoned. Also, and I kid you not, some of the most significant and interesting action in this five hundred ten page novel takes place on the last ten pages! We spend hundreds of pages meandering around in these peoples lives, and then all this crazy intense shit happens to them at the very end and is totally glossed over! What were you thinking, Stendahl?

If you're a Stendahl fan you'll probably want to read this at some point, and maybe it's better than I know and I'm just not the best reader for this one. My opinion though, as if it weren't obvious, is that you should do yourself a favor and read The Red And The Black instead.
(less)

like 4 likes · see review

Jun 20, 2011 David Lentz rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this novel after finishing The Red and the Black, which I thought was the far better novel of the two. The scenes in which Fabrizio joins Napoleon's army at Waterloo really come to life and shine in the narrative of Stendahl, as he had been a soldier in battle for Napoleon during his lifetime. Fabrizio really is a bit too much of a narcissist and after a while, despite his handsome youth and intellect, I found myself tiring of him. He really made a number of knuckleheaded moves with his c...more I read this novel after finishing The Red and the Black, which I thought was the far better novel of the two. The scenes in which Fabrizio joins Napoleon's army at Waterloo really come to life and shine in the narrative of Stendahl, as he had been a soldier in battle for Napoleon during his lifetime. Fabrizio really is a bit too much of a narcissist and after a while, despite his handsome youth and intellect, I found myself tiring of him. He really made a number of knuckleheaded moves with his career and women so much so that, at times, he seems to fall far too short of the heroic stature that I'm sure Stendahl intended for him. The women, whom he frequently spurned, seemed to me far superior characters in their nobility than Fabrizio. I did find shades of Lord Byron's "Prisoner of Chillon" in some aspects of the irony of his finding solace in his imprisonment. I kept hoping that the Duchess and he would become a permanent item and Stendahl kept me guessing on the plot twists. The novel was written in only about seven weeks, which is a fairly remarkable creative outpouring. Considering the big rush the writing is quite good but I wonder why he hastened the creative execution to such an extreme. Great writing usually just doesn't emerge in such a brief span and speed is not conducive to quality, as most of the hacks on bestseller lists in America conclusively prove. The Red and the Black is just so much more finished and impressive as a novel than Charterhouse, which struck me in places as contrived and unlikely and tried my willing suspension of disbelief to the point at which I found myself saying, "Come on, Fabrizio, grow up." Stendahl is a master of the epigram and there are plenty here to savor, moreso in the context of courtly life in Red and the Black, perhaps. The landscape was beautifully rendered by Stendahl in Lake Como. His portrait work with his characters is quite good. If you only intend to read one of Stendahl's novels, then I recommend The Red and the Black. But if you've read and enjoyed it, odds are that the Charterhouse of Parma will also hold you in its spell. Charterhouse, however, falls just shy of greatness because it was so rushed, I think, and Red and the Black is a masterpiece that justly ranks Stendahl with Balzac, Moliere, Flaubert and Zola. (less)

like 2 likes · see review

Jan 20, 2013 Marc L rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: french-literature

Hoofdfiguur: Fabrice, de hertogin of de liefde? Telkens wisselend. FABRICE DEL DONGO: merkwaardige ontwikkeling van onstuimige jongeling tot getormenteerde aartsbisschop, voortdurend en bijna uitsluitend bezig met de liefde (in het eerste boek rond de vraag of hij wel tot echte liefde in staat is, in het tweede zijn noodlot achternalopend, willoos). HERTOGIN PIETRANERA-SANSEVERINA-MOSCA: misschien wel de echte spilfiguur, 'grande dame' met indrukwekkende talenten, dubbelzinnig tegenover Fabrice...more

like · see review

Jan 25, 2012 Johann Guenther rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

STENDAL: „Die Kartause von Parma“, München 2009
Die meisten Romane haben eine Liebesgeschichte zum Thema. So auch dieses 1000 seitige Buch aus dem Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts. Ein französischer Klassiker. Als Handlungsort dient die aristokratische Gesellschaft von Parma. Die Hauptperson ein junger Mann, der ein abwechslungsreiches, wenn nicht abenteuerliches Leben zeigt. Von der Teilnahme an der Schlacht in Waterloo, bei dem Napoleon, den er verehrt, verliert, bis hin zum Gefangenen und Erzbischo...more

like 1 like · see review

Jul 17, 2011 Gatsby rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

And so I finally finished this epic of the XIX century French literature, and might I say, I am surprised at the pace I was able to achieve. After skipping a couple of days for reading it, over the whole week and a half I've had budgeted for it, at the end I actually went through it with a total of 4-5 days part-time reading! Of course none of this would have been possible had it not been for the incredibly gripping style of Marie-Henry Baile, popularly known as Stendhal.

The Charterhouse of Par...more And so I finally finished this epic of the XIX century French literature, and might I say, I am surprised at the pace I was able to achieve. After skipping a couple of days for reading it, over the whole week and a half I've had budgeted for it, at the end I actually went through it with a total of 4-5 days part-time reading! Of course none of this would have been possible had it not been for the incredibly gripping style of Marie-Henry Baile, popularly known as Stendhal.

The Charterhouse of Parma takes a central place among the freshly emerged genre of realism, which founders are Stendhal, Balzac and Flaubert. With its dynamic prose, the novel tells the life story of Fabrice del Dongo, a young Italian aristocrat who escapes from Napoleon's battle of Waterloo still as a teenager. Upon his return to Italy, he gets thrown into political intrigues, falls in love a couple of times, gets thrown in jail, and finally becomes a respected archbishop in Parma, where the people hail him as hero. Of course, this is only a grain in the vast plot lines of this remarkable novel, for in it the action and the drama flow fast directly from Stendhal's thoughts. The main intrigue is between Fabrice, his aunt Gina, later on the Duchess of Sanseverina, and her lover Count Mosca. Those characters are extremely well developed, as is expected from the author, and it could even be said that Senseverina and Mosca have the main hero status, as they guid Fabrice in his exploits, throughout the novel. There is no way not to fill at awe with Gina, as she passionately, brilliantly and flirtatiously influences the people around her, and does everything she can for the better of her beloved nephew.

The novel is a just satire upon nobility and the problems people with power create just out of boredom sometimes. (as in the case of the Prince) Being a real textbook on Machiavellian politics, The Charterhouse of Parma depicts court intrigue perfectly, up to the smallest details. It is a testament of the good winning at the end, and it shows the spontaneity of human relations. Stendhal, as a French author is particularly ironic on Italian politics, though otherwise he adores the Italian way of life, having spend a big part of his life there. Even if he denounces the politics of the court, he recognizes the positive influence of such a society on the people who are willing to fight, contrasting it with the "boring" American republic.

On the plus side, I would definitely single out the yet again dynamic and always engaging style of the author. He makes real characters and events, with always unexpected endings, as opposed to the ideas of Romanticism. The description of the battle scenes in the beginning, and Napoleon's army (which Stendhal was himself part of) are one of the best pieces of literature I've ever read! And I just can't avoid not to quote that great paragraph from the first chapter:

"On May 15, 1796, General Bonaparte entered Milan at the head of that young army which had lately crossed the Lodi bridge and taught the world that after so many centuries Caesar and Alexander had a successor. The miracles of valor and genius Italy had witnessed in a few months wakened a slumbering nation: just eight days before the French arrived, the Milanese still regarded them as no more than a band of brigands who habitually fled before the troops of His Imperial and Royal Majesty: at least so they were told three times a week by a little news-sheet the size of a man's hand, printed on dirty paper."

On the negative side, it should be pointed out that Stendhal wrote Charterhouse in a bit less than 8 weeks, dictating it, so at times the plot progresses a little too fast, and I'd often had to struggle with remembering where each character fit in the picture. Also, the prose, obviously as dynamic as the character's state of mind, is at times a testament to Stendhal's revolt against proper grammar, and makes a sometimes easy to read paragraph a real challenge. But overall, that's exactly what makes getting through this novel all the more rewarding, and it is definitely a break from the linguistic strictness of authors like Maupassant and Flaubert. (though both of course write very beautiful)

Charterhouse of Parma is not on the level of The Red and the Black in many ways, but maybe its spontaneity and chaos are exactly what sets it apart. It is definitely an enriching read, and a very funny one at times. (less)

like · see review

Jun 05, 2012 ميّ أحمد rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: روايات

دير بارم الرواية التي أعجبت باموق وتحدث عنها في كتابه ألوان أخرى على أساس إنها من كتبه المفضلة والتي مازال يقرأ بها بين وقت وآخر ذلك أمر جذب اهتمامي وأحببت أن أتعرف على ماهية هذا الكتاب بل إنني حاولت أن أحبه مثله لكن لم استطع يبدو إننا لا نتشابه في الذائقة حسنا هي رواية كلاسيكية من الدرجة الأولى تدور أغلب أحداثها عن المؤامرات والدسائس التي تحدث في بلاط الأمراء ويذهب ضحيتها أبرياء وأحيانا ليسوا كذلك كما إنها تبرز دور المرأة وسلطتها وكيف تستطيع بجاذبيتها وأنوثتها أن تتحكم بمقاليد السلطة حين يقع رج...more

دير بارم الرواية التي أعجبت باموق وتحدث عنها في كتابه ألوان أخرى على أساس إنها من كتبه المفضلة والتي مازال يقرأ بها بين وقت وآخر ذلك أمر جذب اهتمامي وأحببت أن أتعرف على ماهية هذا الكتاب بل إنني حاولت أن أحبه مثله لكن لم استطع يبدو إننا لا نتشابه في الذائقة حسنا هي رواية كلاسيكية من الدرجة الأولى تدور أغلب أحداثها عن المؤامرات والدسائس التي تحدث في بلاط الأمراء ويذهب ضحيتها أبرياء وأحيانا ليسوا كذلك كما إنها تبرز دور المرأة وسلطتها وكيف تستطيع بجاذبيتها وأنوثتها أن تتحكم بمقاليد السلطة حين يقع رجل في هواها ولعل هذا ما زال يحدث مرارا وتكرار فمالرجال من دون النساء !!
وكيف لهم أن يسودوا دون أن يكون للمرأة أدوارها التي قد تدفع الرجل إما للقمة أو للقاع
تدور الرواية حول فتى يهوى المغامرات ويزج بنفسه في جيش نابليون ليصبح مقاتلا غير أن الظروف السياسية تجعله بدلا عن ذلك خائنا وتبذل عمته جهدها للدخول في بلاط الأمراء لتدفع عنه بلاء الإعتقال أو حتى الإعدام
بدأت الرواية قوية في مشاهد الإلتحاق بالمعارك والأحداث التي تعرض لها الجنود في الحرب ما بين فر وكر ثم إتجهت للقصر حيث بدأ الملل يتربع على عرشه فعلى مدار صفحات كثيرة من الكتاب كان الأمر يتكرر مرارا وتكرار حول محاولات الدوقة لتخليص أبن شقيقها إلى جانب تلك العلاقة الغريبة بين الفتى بطل
الرواية وبين عمته والتي أساءت للمعاني النبيلة التي كان ممكن أن توحي بها كل الفضائل التي قامت بها العمة لأجله
وتظهر أكليليا أيا كان اسمها ممثلة لوجه الطهر والبراءة كنقيض لعالم القصور والمؤامرات وما فتأ ستندال مكررا العبارات التي تؤكد على طهارة الفتاة فبين جملة وأخرى دس كلمة البراءة أو استبدلها بالطهارة ولا أدري إن كان مرادفا للسذاجة في دستور ستندال إلا إنني لم أجده سوى ذلك ويبدو أن بعض الرجال منذ ذلك الزمان تستهويهم تلك النوعية من النساء عموما مع كل عبارة مؤكدة لطهارة الفتاة كنت أشعر بكراهية شديدة للشخصية لا أدري لماذا لم أشعر بصدقها إنها أشبه بدمية مفصلة حسب الطلب
أما تلك التفاصيل التي أغرق فيها ستندال الكتاب عن علاقة الحب الأسطورية بين أكليليا ودلدنجو فإنها كادت تقتلني صدقوني لو كنت رأيتهما حقيقة لأطلقت عليهما الرصاص
:)

خلاصة الكلام كنت أود كثيرا أن استمتع لكن لم يحدث ذلك ما حدث أن الكتاب كان دمه ثقيلا على قلبي وروحي وحين أنهيته شعرت بالبهجة وإن سألتموني هل ستقرأين لستاندال شيئا آخر في يوم ما
سأقول لكم
لا وألف لا

(less)

like 4 likes · see review

Mar 24, 2013 Jason rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, novel, classic

I started The Charterhouse of Parma about fifteen years ago and didn't get through the first chapter. This time I made it through that chapter which was still tough, through the next couple of chapters were perfectly readable but relatively compelling, but when about one-sixth of the way into the book Gina del Dongo (later Countess Pietrnera, then Duchess Sanseverina for the bulk of the book) comes into her own, Count Mosca is introduced, and the focus shifts to the Principality of Parma, the bo...more

like · see review

Aug 03, 2011 Annabelle Allouch added it · review of another edition

Un jeune aristocrate italien, Fabrice Del Dongo s'initie a la vie et surtout a l'amour par le biais de rocambolesques peripeties, sous les auspices de sa tante tout aussi grandiloquente (et un peu incestueuse): la belle Gina De l Dongo, Duchesse de Sanseverina a la cour de Parme.

Hormis les multiples references a la riche famile Farnese et la nature de "roman d'apprentissage" , le vrai sujet veritable de la Chartreuse de Parme est l'Italie ( De Naples au Lac de Come, de Parme a la campagne lombar...more

like 1 like · see review

Dec 12, 2010 Sean Carman rated it 5 of 5 stars

An absolutely brilliant, witty, fast-paced, charming and enthralling novel. The young Fabrizio, "our young scatterbrain," as the narrator calls him, tries desperately to live an authentic life, first as a soldier in Napolean's army, then as an Archbishop. The happiest period in his busy life comes when he's imprisoned in the Farnese Tower for the crime of knifing a girlfriend's protector. Is it a tragedy to be locked in a prison tower for the crime of murder? No, it's not so bad. There's a nice...more

like · see review

Feb 18, 2013 Stephen Brooke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Stendhals novel is certainly entertaining and, at times, downright funny. “The Charterhouse of Parma” also manages to take a pretty good look (if perhaps exaggerated for satirical purposes) into the nature of mankind, the good, the bad, and the, uh, downright foolish.

Quibbles: the book does have a rushed feel at times, not surprising in that the author dictated it pretty much as is in seven weeks. The ending is somewhat unsatisfactory, feeling more than a bit tacked on to tie up loose ends. This...more

like · see review

Jan 31, 2012 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics-by-other-foreigners, oh-so-amusing, war-sucks

Yet another rather satirical work of fiction based in the Napoleanic era. Why do I keep reading these? I had no idea what I was in for, but this one, like Tom Jones and Vanity Fair, also deals with the affectations of the times. The twist being that this is a book by a French author who has his fun with 19th-century Italian court life. Oh, the intrigue. Again, we have a sort of boy-man, like Tom Jones--this one named Fabrizio, and the theme of vanity runs through this novel, too. Remarkable in i...more

like · see review

Apr 01, 2011 Brian rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read “The Red And The Black” a few months ago and decided to follow it up with “The Charterhouse of Parma.” I feel “The Red And The Black” is the better book. Julien Sorel is one of the most interesting and complex characters in literature and the book’s architecture was very well thought out. Nevertheless, both books are well deserving of their high reputations.

Of all the novelists of his era, Stendhal was perhaps the most passionate music lover. He wrote books on Haydn, Mozart, Rossini and o...more I read “The Red And The Black” a few months ago and decided to follow it up with “The Charterhouse of Parma.” I feel “The Red And The Black” is the better book. Julien Sorel is one of the most interesting and complex characters in literature and the book’s architecture was very well thought out. Nevertheless, both books are well deserving of their high reputations.

Of all the novelists of his era, Stendhal was perhaps the most passionate music lover. He wrote books on Haydn, Mozart, Rossini and others. He went to La Scala almost nightly when in Milan. “The Red And The Black” is perhaps chamber music; but “The Charterhouse Of Parma,” it seems, is pure opera.

In many ways the story line of “The Charterhouse of Parma” is a set piece with an innocent and naïve hero, scheming and manipulative courtiers, and purely evil villains. It has battles, court intrigue, murder, disguises, poison, imprisonment, escapes and unrequited love.

But there is something that makes this book very different from the superficial entertainment of an Italian Opera. There is a ironic realism and cynical disengagement that give it a distinctly modern world view despite its Romantic trappings. There is biting political commentary. Most of all there is a profound interest in the complex ambiguities of life.

One of the first things that one notices is the blunt, almost rushed, matter-of-fact style that Stendhal uses. The book was dictated in 52 days and one wonders how the book would have read had it been written at a more leisurely pace. This apparent liability, however, often seems to add to the immediacy of the novel. It should be noted, however, that this is Stendhal’s style in “The Red And The Black” as well. It just seemed to me to be more pronounced in “The Charterhouse of Parma,” giving the book a generally brisk rhythm, although admittedly with a largo interlude in the Farnese Tower.

The hero (actually anti-hero), Fabrice del Dongo, is plagued by uncertainties--was he actually in the fighting at Waterloo; does he have the capacity to love; does he find liberation in imprisonment? He is also a pawn in the political (and romantic) manipulations of the two most psychologically interesting characters in the novel: his aunt, the Duchess Sanseverina and her lover, Count Mosca.

Two themes that occur repeatedly throughout the book are of particular interest: imprisonment and the eyes of the beloved.

The central theme of Fabrice’s imprisonment in the Fabrese Tower is echoed by other forms of “imprisonment” throughout the novel: Count Mosca’s imprisonment as first minister to a tyrannical prince of Parma; the Duchess Sanseverina’s imprisonment in a passion for Fabrice that is not returned; Clelia’s imprisonment in her piety; Fabrice’s eventual imprisonment in The Church. Stendhal felt that the society of his time--with its emphasis on position, wealth and prestige--stifled true freedom. This view is reflected in the many types of moral, romantic and physical imprisonment we find in the novel.

The second theme that I found interesting is perhaps more subtle. The eyes of the beloved play an important role in the central relationship between Fabrice and Clelia. Stendhal had written earlier in his career about the “crystallization” of love, a process in which new perfections are added to the lover‘s impression of the loved one. This plays out in Fabrice’s and Clelia’s wordless nine month love affair and is echoed at the end of the book when, their love doomed, they encounter each other at the court of the new prince. Much is communicated without words being exchanged.

I felt that this second theme of silent communication enriched the more explicit themes of imprisonment. The characters are imprisoned within their own souls and seeking the beloved but never quite attaining the ultimate union. They are truly prisoners of love. Eventually, the price of Fabrizo's freedom becomes the relinquishing of Clelia's right to set eyes on her beloved.

(less)

like · see review

Jun 18, 2010 Jordan rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was not the translation I read of this. I read the Margaret Mauldon one and really loved it. I read "The Read and the Black years ago and was not as into it as I felt I was supposed to be. I had just read "War and Peace" and maybe it just paled in comparison. I will reread that one. As for the Charterhouse it was amazing. So grand and operatic, a common description but so apt. There is so much action and emotion and drama and melodrama on each page. The great line from Balzac is that there...more

like · see review

May 05, 2010 bobby rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I tend to at least try to understand why a classic is considered a classic, even if I don't like it. The introduction to my edition calls this book a masterpiece, a miracle, and one of the dozen greatest novels we possess. I get that it marks the beginning of psychological realism, but beyond that this book didn't offer me anything. At 300 pages, I made the painful decision to give up on it, something I personally hate and seldom do. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to care about the court...more

like · see review

Mar 30, 2013 hirtho rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It gets tedious halfway through when it becomes about the protagonist's aunt but it recovers for the last part and if it's never as great as its beginning and/or first half, its ending is very satisfying. What I loved most about the book - including the boring parts - was its depictions of the inner ineptitude that rots all institutions and/or human endeavors. To me, that made this book hilarious (and my wife was bewildered every time she caught me laughing, "How can that be that funny?") and re...more

like · see review

Jan 22, 2010 Polina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Впечатлението, което книгата остави у мен преди всичко- за чистотата и силата на първичните страсти и душата, на която щастието никога не стига, и този нейн стремеж да притежава всичко я води към разрушението и. В този смисъл смятам за удачен избора на Стендал за Италия като място, където се развива действието, и още повече Парма, даваща тази камерна обстановка, в която се намират човешките стремежи. Полето на Ватерло и всемирните цели- за справедливост и нов световен ред, усещането за кауза, с...more Впечатлението, което книгата остави у мен преди всичко- за чистотата и силата на първичните страсти и душата, на която щастието никога не стига, и този нейн стремеж да притежава всичко я води към разрушението и. В този смисъл смятам за удачен избора на Стендал за Италия като място, където се развива действието, и още повече Парма, даваща тази камерна обстановка, в която се намират човешките стремежи. Полето на Ватерло и всемирните цели- за справедливост и нов световен ред, усещането за кауза, с което е свързано пътуването на Фабрицио, за да се присъедини към армията на Наполеон, постоянните въпроси “било ли е това сражение” и “любов ли е това”, опитващи се да успоредят личните преживявания с общоприетите в света определения, рамки (а до известна степен и граници), в които се опитва да се впише сърцето, са естествения път на съзряване на душата, която в края на своя път открива свободата на чистите емоции не в световните стремежи, а между тесните “стени” на Парма и дори на затвора. Затворът извиква у мен преди всичко и усещането за оковите, в които е впримчена душата, стремяща се към чистото щастие- не оковите на затвора, а на света, в който е принудена да живее и който понякога сама си създава. Така Фабрицио се чувства най-щастлив в затвора, когато може да вижда единствено Клелия и небето, и най-нещастен- когато е на върха на “кариерата си”, незаплашван от никакви опасности като викарий в Парма, а Клелия сама изгражда затвора си с обета си към Мадоната- затвор, който после опитва да заобиколи лъжливо, мамейки и в същото време измъчвайки съвестта си, и който в крайна сметка води до гибелта и. Многобройните политически и дворцови интриги извикаха у мен единствено досада (а може би такава е била идеята?) и недоумението, неизбежно за страничния наблюдател, колко изменчиво е всичко и най-вече човешката душа, водена от своите дребнави стремежи и отведена от тях до най-неподозирани места и състояния. Не харесах графиня Пиетранера (впоследствие маркиза Сансеверина) и Фабрицио може би до известна степен затова, защото тази философия на господство на емоциите ми е чужда, може би ме подразни тази слепота, която имаха те за всичко извън техните желания, това, че подчиняваха всичко около себе си на тях, без да мислят за нищо друго- стремежи, граничещи често със себичност или жестокост по отношение на останалите и това усещане за правилност, което имаха те да вършат всичко това (породено може би от въздействието им върху хората, предизвикано именно от тази тяхна крайност, постоянна насочена навън активност). Клелия не беше такава, но постоянните вътрешни ограничения, които си поставяше, а така- и на хората около нея, които я обичаха, обратно на предишното- постоянният стремеж за правилност, който ограничаваше същността и и така сякаш я осакатяваше, също не я правеха идеални. Всъщност, като се замисля, нямаше май и един персонаж, който да ми беше напълно и безусловно симпатичен и може би именно тази обстановка на всеки, дърпащ към своите лъжливи илюзии и цели, преследващ своите страсти, оправда за мен егоизма на Фабрицио и Сансеверина и направи романа наистина добър. От друга страна това, което ми хареса в горните герои, беше липсата на преструвка към себе си, пределната честност на чистата любов, която е обречена да загине в описаната обстановка (дали саморазрушена от собствения си стремеж да обеме всичко- като тази на Фабрицио към Клелия, или бавно задушена от безбройните интрижки и злободневни събития- като тази на херцогинята към Фабрицио). И ако трябва да опиша романа само с две думи- ярко и силно.(less)

like · see review

Nov 01, 2011 Katy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, fiction

I had not read anything by Stendahl, and had no idea what to expect, but I ended up really liking this book. Although the plot is somewhat far fetched, and the writing carefully nuanced, I never lost interest and by the end found the story very engaging. It is really a character study, of our hero, the enterprising Fabrizio del Dongo a second son without any chance of inheriting, and his beautiful aunt, the Dutchess of Sanseverina, the social doyenne of the court in Parma, and intriguer par exce...more

like · see review

Mar 13, 2012 Skookum rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-western-canon

This book is full of high adventure. At times it's almost hilarious how the hero falls in love (or not, I guess) with one woman after another. It's pretty tragic too. The characters are amoral and driven solely by their ambitions and their passions. Stendhal makes a point of stressing that these people are Italian and not French who he seems to consider to be passionless.

The amazing thing about this book is how it tells about the lives of 19th century aristocracy in a small Italian state from th...more

like · see review

Feb 11, 2012 Vincent rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ce roman nous narre les aventures de Fabrice jeune italien fougueux au sortir de la domination napoléonienne. Nous le suivons en route pour Waterloo d'abord puis ensuite de retour en Italie où il devra faire face à moultes péripéties, sous l'oeil attentif de sa tante bien-aimée.

J'avoue avoir eu du mal à finir ce que je considère comme un mélange de roman d'aventures et de roman sentimental : beaucoup de péripéties, des passages parfois longuets et quelques outrances. Je ne suis pas non plus fan...more

like · see review

Oct 08, 2012 Ken rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels

About half-way through I finally started to care enough to read on. Until then I wondered why this book is important.
The author describes the social life and petty intrigues of aristocrats in a pre-democratic, Italian nation. They are vaguely aware of the United States but never consider even a remote possibility of popular rule.
Stendhal, like Shakespeare and other dramatists, reminds us that aristocrats and autocrats are just people, often foolish, often driven, usually blind to the consequenc...more About half-way through I finally started to care enough to read on. Until then I wondered why this book is important.
The author describes the social life and petty intrigues of aristocrats in a pre-democratic, Italian nation. They are vaguely aware of the United States but never consider even a remote possibility of popular rule.
Stendhal, like Shakespeare and other dramatists, reminds us that aristocrats and autocrats are just people, often foolish, often driven, usually blind to the consequences of their action and to the inevitability of fate. They are mostly driven by fear and greed, despite their religious pretenses. Though their cities are peppered by revolutionaries, anarchists and other fanatics it does not occur to them that there may be other, more rational ways to govern.

Stendhal does not attempt to charm us with his characters. Though the protagonists are invariably beautiful men and women, they're not likable. The principle character, Fabrice del Dongo, is a feckless young man swept along by forces around him. If it's not Napoleon's revolution, it's romantic love. He would be a hero for love, as if that might give meaning to his life. He is a bit too ridiculous to be credible, but I suppose the erotic passion has driven young people into more absurd situations. In the end he is incapable of loving anything or anyone. Oddly, Stendhal describes him as a compelling Catholic preacher, which I find hard to imagine. How can a man with only book knowledge of religion and little awareness of himself attract crowds to his church?

The novel is anti-romantic. Its hero is not heroic; its women are not desirable. Their passions flame out like lighter fluid thrown on sodden fire wood, leaving only a sense of the pointlessness of all romance. Only a few minor characters in the novel pass for good company or worthy friends.

The cover of this book, with the picture shown above, is well chosen. It describes the vision of Hell that Aeneas revealed to Dante. Disembodied spirits of lovers, clinging to one another, are driven hither and yon by the winds of their passions for all eternity. Fabrizio, his girlfriend, his aunt and her boyfriend and the rest of the Parmans suffer the same useless passion. Their romantic, absurd visions of love and power still afflict people today. (less)

like · see review

Jul 25, 2011 Sunny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: french-literature

Story about a yooung italian who goes off to fight for Napoleon (don quixotey essque start!). then comes back and falls in love a few times. he walks and is associated in high circles. his aunt falls in love with him and he has various mini adventures. he inadvertantly kills somone and gets put into prison. escapes (papillion esque) then gets made a priest due to the hekp he recieves from his aunt who has the prince of parma eating of her palm and a few other characters. the book could equally h...more

like · see review

Jan 13, 2010 kingshearte rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-hated, fiction

Set in Italy at the time of Waterloo, Stendhal's The Charterhouse of Parma is the imaginary biography of Fabrizio del Dongo. Handsome, aristocratic and charmingly naïve, Fabrizio is a "hero unaware," his destiny shaped by the sensational events going on arund him - at Waterloo, at Lake Como and at Parma, where Fabrizio falls in love with the beautiful Clelia and becomes involved in the almost literal backstabbings of the court.

Stendhal's achievement is to have created a great novel around a smal...more Set in Italy at the time of Waterloo, Stendhal's The Charterhouse of Parma is the imaginary biography of Fabrizio del Dongo. Handsome, aristocratic and charmingly naïve, Fabrizio is a "hero unaware," his destiny shaped by the sensational events going on arund him - at Waterloo, at Lake Como and at Parma, where Fabrizio falls in love with the beautiful Clelia and becomes involved in the almost literal backstabbings of the court.

Stendhal's achievement is to have created a great novel around a small hero. The exquisite art with which he paints his characters and their states of mind (his amoral but bewitching Duchessa Sanseverina, for example), the dramatically episodic structure of the novel, the famous description of the battle of Waterloo: these are rendered here by MRB Shaw into an English translation that is stylishly fluent and precise.

I loved Stendhal's Scarlet and Black. Loved it. So I've been anticipating this book for quite some time. I was disappointed. I was so utterly uncaptivated by it that it took me a solid month to get through it, and it's not that long a book. I just didn't find it nearly as compelling as Scarlet and Black, and that has been such a disappointment. I think it was the combination of Fabrizio's lack of any real awareness of what's going on around him for much of the book, along with the relentless court dramas that just bored the crap out of me. I didn't care what heppened to him, and I really didn't care about all the court crap that was mostly just ridiculous little vanities of the sovereigns. If the story had started much later, and focused more on the love story between Fabrizio and Clelia, maybe it would have been a little better, but by the time that had started, I was already thoroughly bored with him, so even that didn't really suck me in too much. And the ending of it seemed almost like Stendhal ran out of steam or something, because it was all, "Three years later, this incident happened, and then everybody died." What the hell?

So basically, I was intensely disappointed with this book, and will now move on to something that comes highly recommended by several people I know, so hopefully that will be better.(less)

like · see review

Mar 09, 2011 Andrew added it

Shelves: 19th-century-french-fiction, french-language-fiction

The Red and the Black is a stunning piece of work. Stendhal's a difficult writer, but the Red and the Black was, at times, this really fun soap opera.

I felt that way about certain parts of the Charterhouse of Parma. I liked the opening, where Fabrizio is joining up with Napoleon, and I loved the whole part where he was in the Farnese Tower and all the aftermath of that. Other than that, I have a lot of trouble with lengthy passages detailing courtly intrigue. Maybe I'm just a damaged human, my s...more

like 2 likes · see review

title link	preview: The Charterhouse of Parma
avg rating	preview: The Charterhouse of Parma Goodreads rating: 3.80 (4362 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14680.The_Charterhouse_of_Parma?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320417927l/14680.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14680.The_Charterhouse_of_Parma?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendhal[/url]

The Charterhouse of Parma

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (168)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Stendhal

Books by Stendhal

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About La Cartuja De Parma

Quotes from The Charterhouse of Parma