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For Whom the Beyle Toils: Stendhal and Pseudonymous Authorship

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 October 2020

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Abstract

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The most famous of Henri Beyle's pseudonyms is Stendhal, but it is only one of hundreds adopted by Beyle. I argue that his pseudonyms fall into three categories: those used in personal correspondence to strengthen affective bonds, those used for publication and thus for entry into the literary market, and those developed in the creative process and reserved for private use. The pseudonym Stendhal belongs to the second group, which is characterized by Beyle's attempt to co-opt the prestige of particular predecessors (in this instance, the art historian J. J. Winckelmann, from the village Stendal). The pen names Mocenigo and Dominique are significant examples of the third group, which most closely resembles the Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa's heteronyms and heralds a modernist vision of authorship.

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Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 2004