Pelo prisma de Stendhal: um olhar do literato sobre si, Napoleão, a Corte e a Aliança Trono-Altar (1790-1842)

Abstract

This thesis discusses how some aspects of the history and society of France in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries were represented in Stendhal’s work. The main objective is to analyze Stendhal’s interpretation of four topics: his own biography, the leader Napoleon Bonaparte, the Society of Court, and the "Throne-Altar Alliance” in his own time period. Through these topics, the intention is to try to understand the author´s view regarding some aspects of French society in particular, and European society in general. The methodological option was to traverse different kinds of work (stories, essays, novels, and memoirs) seeking to identify how the listed themes pervade each of them. The conclusion was that while some subjects did not undergo major changes, others varied according to different moments in Stendhal's life. The interdisciplinarity between history, literature, and psychology was employed to understand Stendhal´s work. More precisely, to contextualize Stendhal’s analyses on these issues - political, social, and religious, in French society - with some historiographical discussion of the history of France in this period. Like other classics, Stendhal has had numerous interpretations. Therefore, the reading presented by this thesis aims to add to other aspects not sufficiently explored, specifically in what regards the coverage of topics and sources done here.