Skeptical of the claims commentators have made as to the symbolic value of the intercalated engravings, Berthier does not doubt the importance of the numerous sketches in Stendhal's own hand, the famous croquis: 'ls ne commentent pas le corps du souvenir (verbal) par une sorte de redoublement iconique redondant, mais, bien plus essentiellement, ils le constituent tout autant par leurs moyens propres, ils en font partie intégrante et, à leur manière spécifique, fabriquent du sens dans une indéchirable unité avec lui' (53).

'Les chantiers de la mémoire' focuses on the process of writing and the form the manuscript took, including its visual elements. More interested in existential intent than narratological technique, Berthier often simply elides the distinction between author, narrator, and hero, as when he defines the use of yet another pseudonym as an aid to sincerity: 'Brulard est un mensonge qui assure paradoxalement le triomphe d'une ambition d'authenticité' (43). After recalling the false dating of the initial meditation on Rome, with its stately style, Berthier reminds us that Stendhal intended to suppress that 'Chateaubrianesque' opening in favor of one more stylistically typical.

In 'Beyle / Brulard / Stendhal,' Berthier situates Henry Brulard within the influences and conventions of the genre and its earlier practitioners, in particular Augustine, Montaigne, and Rousseau. The introduction reviews the factors that led Stendhal to undertake in the 1830s to write the story of his life his innate autobiographical bent, evidenced in the journal he began in 1801, was reinforced by the July Monarchy's proliferation of autobiographies and goaded by the 1833 publication of an unexpurgated translation of Benvenuto Cellini's Life.

The introduction and each part of the essay unravel a knot of thematic or technical problems that have preoccupied readers of Stendhal's rich and complicated text, published posthumously in 1890. The volume comprises Berthier's 180-page essay and a 40-page dossier of additional material. ISBN 2-07-040517-6Ī solid reading of a major work that takes into account earlier criticism and multiple approaches, Philippe Berthier's Vie de Henry Brulard de Stendhal admirably fulfills the aims of the Foliothèque series. Book Review Vie de Henry Brulard de Stendhalīerthier, Philippe. In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

The Life of Henry Brulard by Stendhal