The Chartreuse de Parma by Stendhal
The Chartreuse de Parma by Stendhal
Love, war, politics, and betrayal- it makes for an action-packed and Romantic saga
This would be the nec plus ultra as a thriller. But is it still a valid standard in the world of today?
Not for a teenager in this day and age.
The fact is, I believe most of the young people are too used with action packed games, thrillers, Transformers and other such works that give you mega explosions, lasers, bazookas and other paraphernalia, that make “an action novel” such as The Chartreuse seem lame for the dudes of the 21st century.
I remember when I first read The Chartreuse and The Red and Le Rouge et Le Noir that I could not let the book out of my hand and was thrilled by what was going on in the novel.
Fabricio Del Dongo, the main personage of The Chartreuse is the incarnation of the action super hero. He would not stand a chance when faced with Iron Man, Captain America and the like…I guess, since I have never seen either movie, and never will, no matter how many sequels there will be.
So much was left for the imagination back then, when reading was the entertainment of choice. Indeed, this is one of the marvelous things about reading as opposed to being overwhelmed by a loud Transformers attack. You have to use your imagination when you read about Fabricio fighting an enemy with the sword.
I do not think it is good that all the senses are bombarded in the teenager of the present and he or she has few parts of the brain involved in creating a world of fantasy. I make efforts to convince my daughter to read meaningful literature and to spend less time with the games, the tablet and the internet, but it is a hard competition.
To get the attention of a young man, it seems that a work of art needs to mount an attack on the senses. Reading is reserved for works that offer a constant barrage of “fire”.
Having said that, I must confess that The Chartreuse of Parma did not have the same wonderful appeal at this recent re-reading, as it had had when I had first read it. It is obviously one thing to read this love and action story at the age of eighteen and a different one when you are fifty.
It is also true that Le Rouge et Le Noir is superior, and not because I say so, but it is an agreed upon rating among scholars and critics. Le Rouge et le Noir is included on the List of Best Novels ever, which is available on The Guardian site.
Fabricio Del Dongo is infatuated with Napoleon and fights at Waterloo, and then he leads a very adventurous life, with intense emotions and disputes surrounding his persona.
Deep love is mixed with sword fights, death and sublime feelings, prison and political clashes. Intrigue, nobility, bravery and humanity- virtues and signature strengths are on display in a book that will be- sadly- less and less read with the passing of time.
That may be wrong, for it does have a charm and an atmosphere that could entice and charm even future readers, who may want to escape the rat race, the tension and anxiety of modern life and immerse in a saga which takes place in a time and place that suggest serenity, tranquility.
This book has other traits, apart from serenity- that lead to Positivity (according to Barbara Fredrikson): hope, awe, interest, pride, gratitude, inspiration, amusement, joy and above all:
LOVE.
One is tempted to say that love conquers all, but it is more complicated than that
I was surprissed to find online, a short reference to The Chartreuseof Parma, that gave away everything, no spoiler alert, in five sentences here: The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica
The latest version that I have listened to this morning is an abridged adaptation for National Radio. The play had in a minor role George Constantin, the actor that was as great as Jack Nicholson and better than Al Pacino. The only problem was that he was born far away from Hollywood.
If you want, you can read this (also in the original French) book for free- legally, for the book is nearly 200 years old and no longer covered by copyright law in digital, ebook format- published by The Gutenberg Project at their site.
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