On Love

One of the most outstanding French writers of the 19th century, Henri Marie Beyle, who wrote under the pseudonym Stendhal, did not enjoy recognition from critics or success with the general reader during his lifetime. His magnificent novellas, the novels “The Red and the Black” (1830), “The Charterhouse of Parma” (1839) went unnoticed, only occasionally provoking reviews, which were far from always favorable. The writer approached this philosophically. Nevertheless, Mérimée, who experienced Stendhal's influence, highly valued him, Balzac admired him, Goethe and Pushkin enjoyed reading his novel “The Red and the Black.” And in the 20th century, Stendhal firmly established his place in the pantheon of classics of European literature. A special place in Stendhal's work is occupied by the book “On Love” (1822). It is not a work of art, but rather a kind of treatise on the peculiarities and quirks of love, its phases (admiration, the birth of love, crystallization, hope, doubts, etc.), first impressions, and the specific manifestation of romantic feelings in various countries.