Stendhal. (1. Publ.)

The originality of this work lies in examining the both the nature of and the conflict between the Beylist hero and his society. For Atherton, the hero's image of himself determines the entire structure of Stendhal's novels. There is the tension arising between the ideal and reality, contrasting the "ethic of the knight and of the diplomat." The exceptional character of the Stendhalian hero--the frantic pace, the mental activity that never ceases, the impetuosity, the self-imposed challenges, the quick courage, and the sublime pride--delivers more than rebellious heroes, sharing a timeless quality, because in choosing the ethics of the knight over those of the diplomat they are guided by a self-deceptive vision of themselves. The very nature of the passion and the strategy deployed by the Stendhalian hero is usually the factor that binds him to this society. There is a chapter focused on Stendhal's brusque, intense style, with its effect of immediacy and efficiency, as particularly effective in exploring this relation between the hero and his society. Atherton offers a rich and rewarding study, and quite brief--no mean feat when one is concerned with Stendhal.