The Charterhouse of Parma

“To the happy few.” — Stendhal, dedication in The Charterhouse of Parma

Part 1: Early Life and Napoleon’s War

The novel opens with Fabrizio del Dongo, a young Italian nobleman, growing up in a conservative aristocratic family in Lombardy during the Napoleonic Wars. Enthralled by Napoleon, he impulsively joins the French army and witnesses the Battle of Waterloo—a chaotic and disillusioning experience that shatters his romantic ideals of war.

Part 2: Return to Parma

After Waterloo, Fabrizio returns to Italy, where his aunt Gina, the Duchess of Sanseverina, uses her political influence to secure his future. She maneuvers him into the clergy, though Fabrizio is more interested in love and adventure than religious devotion.

Part 3: Love and Intrigue

Fabrizio becomes entangled in a passionate affair with Clélia Conti, the daughter of his jailer, after being imprisoned for a duel. Meanwhile, Gina and Prime Minister Count Mosca navigate the treacherous court of Parma, where power struggles and betrayals unfold.

Part 4: Imprisonment and Escape

Falsely accused of murder, Fabrizio is imprisoned in the Farnese Tower. With Gina’s scheming and Clélia’s secret help, he escapes, but their love is fraught with obstacles, including Clélia’s forced marriage to another man.

Part 5: Redemption and Tragedy

Fabrizio eventually rises in the Church, but his happiness is short-lived. Clélia, bound by guilt over betraying her vows, dies young, followed by their child. Heartbroken, Fabrizio withdraws to the Charterhouse of Parma, where he dies shortly after, leaving Gina and Mosca to mourn his wasted potential.

Key Ideas

• The clash between idealism and political reality.
• Romanticism’s critique of societal constraints.
• The futility of ambition in a corrupt world.
• Love as both transcendent and destructive.
• The tension between personal freedom and duty.