Stendhal: littérature, politique et religion mêlées by Philippe Berthier (review)

Reviews 255 “horreur agréable” (123) of the sublime. Les nuits de Paris reflects elements of preromantic authors and appears to pave the way for the likes of Baudelaire and, much later, the surrealists. The esthetics of marginality and of the night in this work herald the conception of Rétif as a modern author of his time. Barr’s analysis would be appreciated and digested better with some prior familiarity with Rétif’s Nuits. If Barr is read first, he manages to arouse sufficient curiosity to seek out a copy. Independent Scholar Ivy Dyckman Berthier, Philippe. Stendhal: littérature, politique et religion mêlées. Paris: Garnier, 2011. ISBN 978-2-8124-0265-4. Pp. 240. 39 a. Berthier’s book will please the ‘happy few’ devoted to Henri Beyle and his works. A somewhat unusual collection, its fifteen essays (all but one of which have been published previously) do not generally deal directly with Stendhal’s literary texts but rather examine Beyle’s opinions on a variety of subjects. Of course, these opinions have much to do with the literary texts, and Berthier adroitly directs the reader’s attention to pertinent themes in Stendhal’s works. The most important of these themes is that of the prolonged influence of Beyle’s childhood family drama on his tastes. His hatred of his father, aunt, and teacher, his affection for his grandfather, and the devastating loss of his mother color his thoughts on many topics, foremost among which are his literary predilections.An example: in part because of the influence of his grandfather’s tastes in classical literature, Stendhal overcame his unhappy schooling in Greek and Latin, and those early lessons manifest themselves in his work.Another essay explores how Stendhal’s love of Corneille resonates with his love for all that is noble, generous, and simple, which thus opposes his detested family members. In a third example, Walter Scott, who for Stendhal is‘notre père,’ does not escape filial criticism: Stendhal thought that Scott could not adequately represent love. The second set of essays deals with social themes: history, politics, and religion. Three historical figures are discussed: Stendhal disliked Louis XIV as a tyrant and promoter of conformism, although he also thought him a great monarch. Stendhal’s writings on Danton, the Revolution, and decapitation give evidence of their continued haunting of the nineteenth century— and of Julien and Beyle. Mme Roland inspires admiration in Beyle for her generous, ardent, and energetic spirit, and because of their similar experiences and preferences. Another group of essays deals with political and historical themes: one analyzes the political symbolism of the red and the white: red for revolution, terror, freedom, and the republic; white for legitimism,‘white terror’(clandestine and linked to the church), and exclusion. In another essay, we see how writing history interested Beyle and we review some of the parallels between his life history and History: the Revolution paired with the death of Beyle’s mother; his fall with Napoleon into a petty world. An interesting essay shows how Stendhal was disappointed by the way the new ‘tyranny’ of public opinion and work in the United States impoverished the imagination. Two essays on religion examine Beyle’s ideas on the Jesuits and his writings on the Vatican. The last three essays deal with literature: one on Stendhal’s ideas on style (labored as opposed to natural); a fine essay on our favorite heroines and the quality of their religion; and the last on the ‘chapelle ardente’ in Le rouge et le noir. In all of these studies, Berthier highlights Stendhal’s complexities and writes in what might seem to be an impossible combination of impressive erudition and beautiful, airy elegance. Boston University (MA) Dorothy Kelly Braga, Corin. Les antiutopies classiques. Paris: Garnier, 2012. ISBN 978-2-81240380 -4. Pp. 352. 32 a. This book is the companion volume to the author’s study of religious attacks on the notion of an ideal earthly city (Du paradis perdu à l’antiutopie aux XVIe –XVIIIe siècles, 2010). Braga here argues that the rationalist and empiricist currents of the early modern period proved more damaging than the religious assault, encouraging...