The Charterhouse of Parma
by Stendhal
'The Charterhouse of Parma' Summary
The Charterhouse of Parma chronicles the adventures of the young Italian nobleman Fabrice del Dongo from his birth in 1798 to his death. Fabrice spends his early years in his family's castle on Lake Como, while most of the rest of the novel is set in a fictionalized Parma (both locations are in modern-day Italy).
The book begins with the French army sweeping into Milan and stirring up the sleepy region of Lombardy, which was allied with Austria. Fabrice grows up surrounded by intrigues and alliances for and against the French — his father the Marchese comically fancies himself a spy for the Viennese. It is broadly hinted at that Fabrice may have actually been fathered by a visiting French lieutenant. The novel's early section describes Fabrice's rather quixotic effort to join Napoleon when the latter returns to France in March 1815 (the Hundred Days). Fabrice at seventeen is idealistic, rather naïve, and speaks poor French. However, he will not be stopped and leaves his home on Lake Como to travel north with false papers. He wanders through France, losing money and horses rapidly. He is imprisoned as a spy, but escapes with the aid of the jailer's wife who develops a fondness towards Fabrice, donning the uniform of a dead French hussar. In his excitement to play the role of a French soldier, he wanders onto the field at the Battle of Waterloo.
Stendhal, a veteran of several Napoleonic campaigns (he was one of the survivors of the retreat from Moscow in 1812), describes this famous battle as a chaotic affair: soldiers gallop one way and then another as bullets plow the fields around them. Fabrice briefly joins the guard of Field Marshal Ney, randomly comes across the man who may be his father (he commandeers Fabrice's horse), shoots one Prussian cavalryman while he and his regiment flee, and is lucky to survive with a serious wound to his leg (inflicted by a retreating French cavalryman). He eventually returns to his family's castle, injured, broke, and still wondering, "was I really in the battle?" Fabrice is quickly forced to flee since his older brother - sickly and dull - denounces him. Towards the end of the novel, his efforts, such as they are, lead people to say that he was one of Napoleon's bravest captains or colonels.
The novel now divides its attention between him and his aunt Gina (his father's sister). Gina meets and befriends the Prime Minister of Parma, Count Mosca. Count Mosca proposes that Gina marry a wealthy old man, the Duke Sanseverina, who will be out of the country for many years as an ambassador, so that she and Count Mosca can be lovers while living under the social rules of the time. Gina responds, "But you realize that what you are suggesting is utterly immoral?" Nevertheless, she agrees, and so a few months later, Gina is the new social eminence in Parma's rather small aristocratic elite.
Gina (now the Duchess Sanseverina) has had very warm feelings for her nephew ever since he returned from France. Since going to join Napoleon was officially illegal, she and Count Mosca try to plan out a successful rehabilitation for the young man. Count Mosca's plan has Fabrice go to seminary school in Naples, with the idea that when he graduates he will come to Parma and become a senior figure in the religious hierarchy, and eventually the Archbishop, as the current office holder is old. The fact that Fabrice has no interest in religion (or celibacy) matters not to this plan. Fabrice reluctantly agrees and leaves for Naples.
The book then describes in great detail how Gina and Count Mosca live and operate in the court of the Prince of Parma (named Ranuce-Erneste IV). Stendhal, who spent decades as a professional diplomat in northern Italy, gives a lively and interesting account of the court, though all of what he describes is entirely fictional, as Parma was ruled by Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma during the time of the novel. (Marie Louise was Napoleon's second wife.)
After several years of theology school in Naples, during which he has many affairs with local women, Fabrice returns to Parma. Fabrice had been afraid that he could never fall in love, and he is surprised when he develops romantic feelings towards Gina; the omniscient narrator tells us that she shares the same feelings although the characters never discuss them.
Book Details
Author
Stendhal
France
Marie-Henri Beyle better known by his pen name Stendhal was a 19th-century French writer. Best known for the novels Le Rouge et le Noir (The Red and the Black, 1830) and La Chartreuse de Parme (The Ch...
More on StendhalDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart
This is a compelling mystery novel written in June 1915. Set in the bustling city of New York, the story follows the lives of several characters who f...
Gun Running for Casement by Karl Spindler
Embark on a pulse-pounding journey into the shadows of history with "Gun Running for Casement" by Karl Spindler. In the heart of World War I's chaos,...
The Chain of Destiny by Bram Stoker
It follows the story of young lawyer Malcolm Ross, who is investigating a series of mysterious events that seem to be connected to a cursed family hei...
Cradock Nowell Vol. 1 by Richard Doddridge Blackmore
A timeless classic that weaves together love, betrayal, and the pursuit of justice. Set against the backdrop of a picturesque landscape, this enthrall...
The Thirteenth Letter by Natalie Sumner Lincoln
In the shadowy depths of early 20th-century America, a cryptic symbol holds the key to a dark and sinister secret. Enter the world of "The Thirteenth...
The Vampire Nemesis and Other Weird Tales of the China Coast by Dolly
These stories explore the eerie and supernatural side of life on the China Coast, weaving together elements of horror, mystery, and suspense. The sto...
The Mysteries of Marseilles by Emile Zola
In the bustling port city of Marseille, love and betrayal, crime and corruption, poverty and wealth collide in a deadly web of intrigue. The Mysterie...
The City at World's End by Edmond Hamilton
Readers are transported to the sleepy town of Middletown. Nestled in the serene hills of Connecticut, life is peaceful until an unforeseen catastrophe...
The Radio Boys on the Mexican Border by Gerald Breckenridge
In "The Radio Boys on the Mexican Border" by Gerald Breckenridge, adventure beckons as the radio waves pulse with secrets and intrigue! Set against th...
Freaks on the Fells: Three Months' Rustication, Story 3 by R. M. Ballantyne
In "Freaks on the Fells: Three Months' Rustication, Story 3" by R. M. Ballantyne, an enigmatic world of adventure unfolds as we follow the compelling...
Reviews for The Charterhouse of Parma
No reviews posted or approved, yet...