The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendhal (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of The Charterhouse of Parma with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!


This engaging summary presents an analysis of The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendhal, which follows the young Italian Fabrizio del Dongo as he seeks military glory in the ranks of his hero Napoleon Bonaparte. Disillusioned and defeated, he is eventually forced to return to Italy, where he faces trial for murder and imprisonment, meets his true love, and is helped by an interesting collection of family and friends along the way. Along with The Red and the Black, The Charterhouse of Parma is widely considered to be Stendhal’s finest work, and is particularly notable for the author’s skilful and nuanced depiction of 19th-century Italy. It has been adapted for the opera, film and television. Stendhal was one of the earliest and most influential realist writers, admired by the likes of Tolstoy, Balzac, Henry James and André Gide.

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This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection


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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Nov 9, 2016
• ISBN: 9782806287847

Book preview

French writer and art critic

Born in Grenoble in 1783

Died in Paris in 1842

Notable works:

Vanina Vanini (1829), short story

The Red and the Black (1830), novel

The Charterhouse of Parma (1839), novel

Stendhal, real name Henri Beyle, was born in Grenoble to a middle-class family in 1783. In Paris under the Directory, debates about ideas excited him and sharpened his critical thinking. After joining Bonaparte’s army, he discovered Italy and Germany thanks to military campaigns. After 1815, he became an art critic in Milan and wrote touristic works under his pseudonym. In 1830, Louis-Philippe appointed him French consul in Trieste, then in Civitavecchia. This was where he wrote his major novels (The Red and the Black, 1830; The Charterhouse of Parma, 1839) and an autobiography (The Life of Henry Brulard, 1835-1836). He suffered a stroke in March 1841 in Paris and died the following year, leaving behind a number of unfinished manuscripts.