Reviews for Stendhal's Violin: A Novelist and His Reader

The average rating for Stendhal's Violin: A Novelist and His Reader based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-03-08 00:00:00 Dino Santora A solid academic look at how the French consciousness of 'history' translated over into fiction through the next century, reflecting back on social, cultural, and political events. I liked its awareness of how the French, during the Revolution, became aware (maybe even hyper-aware) of creating history in that moment, and how that translated over into the arts once the smoke drifted away, and life was restored (more or less) to normal. Of particular interest is how the mass destruction and futility of much of the Revolution was eventually romanticized to serve various purposes. If I had any quibble, it would be that the taste for 'spectacle' is far older than a superficial reading might assume.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-09-29 00:00:00 Perry Tollefson The work is a little flawed, people almost refuse to mention. There are some typographical errors alongside the brilliance of the Coda, which studies each sentence. Philosophically, its understanding is weaker than is made out but always sound. Nietzsche is used as a prop to show how Proust "outdoes" him, & never analyzed. Nevertheless, the confidence in speaking of 'In Search of Lost Time' is inspiring, the writing fantastic, the project very important. The book was a good friend & will travel with me, certainly.