Portrait of Stendhal

Author profile

Stendhal

The pen name of Marie-Henri Beyle, a French novelist whose fiction treats ambition, desire and social performance as forms of rapid psychological calculation.

Life and context

A short timeline

  1. 1783

    Born in France.

  2. 1830

    The Red and the Black published.

  3. 1842

    End of the author’s recorded life.

Recurring concerns

Themes and style

  • ambition
  • class
  • desire
  • political performance

Swift interior analysis, irony, abrupt scene changes and precise attention to status-conscious behavior.

Available here

Works by Stendhal

1 work in the Linden collection.

Author FAQ

Where should I start?

Which Stendhal book should I read first?

Explore The Red and the Black, then compare the lengths and subjects of the available works.

Is the author portrait historical?

This page labels the image record as historical painted portrait. See the Wikimedia Commons · Olof Johan Södermark · Palace of Versailles; reuse status: Public domain.

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