Stendahl, despite the Norwegian-sounding name, was a French writer who later moved to Italy and became very popular there. As part of my program to catch up on the great writers of the past I have not hitherto read, I began reading what is considered to be his greatest novel, The Red and the Black, recently. Some consider it to be one of the 100 greatest novels of all time.
I would not go quite that far, I think. While I haven’t quite finished it yet, I am three-quarters through it, and while it is indubitably an excellent novel, and one well worth reading, being remarkable for its attention to detail and its focus on the psychology of the protagonist, it is somewhat marred by what I consider to be its socio-sexual flaws.
It is this book, more than any other, that has convinced me that my socio-sexual theory of literature may be a significantly useful writer’s tool if it is ever refined and articulated. In any event, the Kindle ebook is only 99 cents, so it is absolutely worth the purchase price.
Also, I should mention that the Castalia House site is back up. If you’re not seeing it, just wait a little while, it just means your ISP hasn’t refreshed the DNS. We apologize for the inconvenience.