Author: Stendhal
Publisher: Lindhardt og Ringhof
ISBN: 8726667983
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 121
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Book Description
'The Abbess of Castro' is a novella by Stendhal which recounts the untimely tragic romance between the daughter of the wealthiest man in Lazio and a penniless gangster. It may be a tale of star-crossed lovers set in Italy, but this novella is so much more than an alternative Romeo and Juliet. Beneath the surface lies an eye-opening tale of political machinations that Machiavelli would be proud of, violent family feuds and swashbuckling adventures. Claimed to be translated from 16th Century manuscripts, 'The Abbess of Castro' packs an extra punch with its extremely unsympathetic view on warfare and an acute critique on ardent individuals undone by passion. Stendhal is widely regarded to be an eminent example of Romantic Realism throughout his work and directly influenced the world-famous Russian author Leo Tolstoy in his depictions of war, especially in Tolstoy's works 'Sevastopol Sketchers', 'The Invaders', 'The Cossacks' and 'Youth and Childhood'. Stendhal (1783-1842), the pseudonym of Marie-Henry Beyle, was a French writer. A pioneer of literary realism and master of the psychological portrayals of his characters, he is best known for his novels 'The Red and the Black' (1830) and 'The Charterhouse of Parma' (1839).
Author: Stendhal
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 64
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Book Description
We have so often been shewn in melodrama the Italian brigands of the sixteenth century, and so many people have spoken of them without any real knowledge, that we have come to hold the most erroneous ideas of what they were like. Speaking generally, one may say that these brigands were the Opposition to the vile governments which, in Italy, took the place of the mediaeval Republics. The new tyrant was, as a rule, the wealthiest citizen of the defunct Republic, and, to win over the populace, would adorn the town with splendid churches and fine pictures. Such were the Polentini of Ravenna, the Manfredi of Faenza, the Riario of Imola, the Cani of Verona, the Bentivoglio of Bologna, the Visconti of Milan, and lastly, the least bellicose and most hypocritical of all, the Medici of Florence. Among the historians of these little States none has dared to relate the countless poisonings and assassinations ordered by the fear that used to torment these petty tyrants; these grave historians were in their pay. When you consider that each of these tyrants was personally acquainted with each of the Republicans by whom he knew himself to be execrated (the Tuscan Grand Duke Cosimo, for instance, knew Strozzi), and that several of these tyrants died by the hand of the assassin, you will understand the profound hatreds, the eternal distrust which gave so much spirit and courage to the Italians of the sixteenth century, and such genius to their artists. You will see these profound passions preventing the birth of that really rather absurd prejudice which was called honour in the days of Madame de Sévigné, and consists first and foremost in sacrificing one's life to serve the master whose subject one is by birth, and to please the ladies. In the sixteenth century, a man's activity and his real worth could not be displayed in France, nor win admiration, except by bravery on the field of battle or in duels; and, as women love bravery, and above all daring, they became the supreme judges of a man's worth. Then was born the spirit of gallantry, which led to the destruction, one after another, of all the passions, including love, in the interests of that cruel tyrant whom we all obey: namely, vanity. Kings protected vanity, and with good reason, hence the power of the riband.In Italy, a man distinguished himself by all forms of merit, by famous strokes with the sword as by discoveries in ancient manuscripts: take Petrarch, the idol of his time; and a woman of the sixteenth century loved a man who was learned in Greek as well as, if not more than she would have loved a man famous for his martial valour. Then one saw passions, and not the habit of gallantry. That is the great difference between Italy and France, that is why Italy has given birth to a Raphael, a Giorgione, a Titian, a Correggio, while France produced all those gallant captains of the sixteenth century, so entirely forgotten to-day, albeit each of them had killed so vast a number of enemies.I ask pardon for these homely truths. However it be, the atrocious and necessary acts of vengeance of the petty Italian tyrants of the middle ages won over the hearts of their peoples to the brigands. The brigands were hated when they stole horses, corn, money, in a word everything that was necessary to support life; but, in their heart of hearts, the people were for them, and the village girls preferred to all the rest the boy who once in his life had been obliged andare alia macchia, that is to say to flee to the woods and take refuge among the brigands, in consequence of some over-rash action.
Author: Stendhal
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 68
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Book Description
We have so often been shewn in melodrama the Italian brigands of the sixteenth century, and so many people have spoken of them without any real knowledge, that we have come to hold the most erroneous ideas of what they were like. Speaking generally, one may say that these brigands were the Opposition to the vile governments which, in Italy, took the place of the mediaeval Republics. The new tyrant was, as a rule, the wealthiest citizen of the defunct Republic, and, to win over the populace, would adorn the town with splendid churches and fine pictures. Such were the Polentini of Ravenna, the Manfredi of Faenza, the Riario of Imola, the Cani of Verona, the Bentivoglio of Bologna, the Visconti of Milan, and lastly, the least bellicose and most hypocritical of all, the Medici of Florence. Among the historians of these little States none has dared to relate the countless poisonings and assassinations ordered by the fear that used to torment these petty tyrants; these grave historians were in their pay.
Author: Stendhal
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781522779865
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 112
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Book Description
Marie-Henri Beyle (1783 -1842), 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 Charterhouse of Parma, 1839), he is highly regarded for the acute analysis of his characters' psychology and considered one of the earliest and foremost practitioners of realism. Contemporary readers did not fully appreciate Stendhal's realistic style during the Romantic period in which he lived; he was not fully appreciated until the beginning of the 20th century. He dedicated his writing to "the Happy Few" (in English in the original). This can be interpreted as a reference to Canto 11 of Byron's Don Juan, which refers to "the thousand happy few" who enjoy high society, or to the "we few, we happy few, we band of brothers" line of Shakespeare's Henry V, but Stendhal's use more likely refers to The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith, parts of which he had memorized in the course of teaching himself English. In The Vicar of Wakefield, "the happy few" refers ironically to the small number of people who read the title character's obscure and pedantic treatise on monogamy. As a literary critic, such as in Racine and Shakespeare, Stendhal championed the Romantic aesthetic by unfavorably comparing the rules and strictures of Racine's classicism to the freer verse and settings of Shakespeare, and supporting the writing of plays in prose. Today, Stendhal's works attract attention for their irony and psychological and historical dimensions. Stendhal was an avid fan of music, particularly the works of the composers Cimarosa, Mozart and Rossini. He wrote a biography of Rossini, Vie de Rossini (1824), now more valued for its wide-ranging musical criticism than for its historical content.
Author: Stendhal
Publisher: New Directions Publishing
ISBN: 9780811211505
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 212
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Book Description
Three novellas of Italian passion by the great French author tell of the infamous trial of a young Roman noblewoman for the murder of her father, the illicit liaison and subsequent trial of an abbess, and the fortunes of a Roman aristocrats daughter who falls in love with a wounded soldier.
Author: Stendhal
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486120635
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 226
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Book Description
In writing these two ardently romantic and turbulent tales, Stendhal delved deep into old Italian narratives and into his own impassioned heart. “Vanina Vanini” and “L’abbesse de Castro” abound in the qualities for which the French author remains enduringly popular: his strong-willed, impulsive characters; his dry wit and keen irony; and the sweeping drama of his historical settings. Originally published in the Revue de Paris in 1829, “Vanina Vanini” traces the fortunes of an aristocrat’s daughter who falls in love with a wounded soldier, and prefigures Stendhal’s superb novel, The Red and the Black, which appeared two years later. “L’abbesse de Castro,” published in 1839 under a pseudonym in the prestigious Revue des Deux Mondes, was reputedly derived from Roman and Florentine source manuscripts. Consisting chiefly of Stendhal’s own invention, it recounts the illicit liaison and subsequent trial of an abbess. The only dual-language edition of these stories, this book features an informative introduction and ample footnotes, making it not only a pleasure to read but also a valuable learning and teaching aid for students and teachers of French literature.
Author: Leigh Sotheby and Wilkinson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 398
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Author: Guglielmo Bruto Icilio Timoleone Libri Carrucci Dalla Sommaia (Count.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 398
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Author: Guillaume Libri
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 398
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Author: Stendhal Stendhal
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
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