The Charterhouse of Parma - Stendhal

The Charterhouse of Parma (Stendhal, 1838)

On the surface, this is an entirely different novel than The Red and the Black. It has enough plot to clog an artery - war, betrayal, banishment, tyrants, duels, prison, escape, revenge, revolt... It has all the elements of an historical romance a la Walter Scott or Dumas. However, this is still Stendhal writing, and the version of pragmatic realism he brings to these events makes them seem less sensational and more like lively history.

Based on a story Stendhal heard in Italy (though definitely not true history), The Charterhouse of Parma tells the tale of the beautiful Gina Pietranera and her nephew Fabrizio del Dongo, whom she loves and seeks to protect. Fabrizio is much more likable than Julien Sorel from The Red and the Black, but he is prey to many of the same faults of youth - overconfidence, disregard for consequences, lack of understanding. His primary difference from Julien is that he is born noble, so he doesn't have the inferiority complex to deal with - though he still worships Napoleon. (I'm sensing a theme... Stendhal did actually fight in Napoleon's army, so I guess he earned the right to project his feelings.) Though not unintelligent, Fabrizio comes off more like the strong, handsome, simple young man who would enjoy love and society if ever he found a true passion or direction, where Julien is the angry intellectual railing against his social invisibility.

Gina, on the other hand, is canny, passionate, witty, and independent. She holds true to those she loves, and she routs her adversaries in the Court of Parma, including the head of that court, absolute monarch Price Ranuccio-Ernesto IV. Only about ten years older than Fabrizio, she loves him with both parental tenderness and actual romantic attraction, and this strange mix provides much of the tension in the story, as well as the driving force of the action, once Ernesto IV realizes he can wound Gina by harming Fabrizio. But when Fabrizio goes to prison, he truly starts to live.

Stendhal's examination of love and politics in Italy of the early 1800s provides several excellent insights and episodes in his typical staccato prose style. It might have one of the most unique courtships in literature, one that is charming in its simplicity yet fascinating in its circumstances. My only complaint is that the story goes on a bit longer than would feel natural, but again, Stendhal doesn't seem to concern himself with plot as much as other writers - he wants to tell the whole story on his terms.

Arbitrary rating: 4 out of 5 strong, handsome, simple young men