Die Äbtissin Von Castro

Stendhal turns his psychological scalpel on the treacherous waters of 18th-century Roman nobility in this gripping novella. Set in the glittering, dangerous world of the papal court in 1726, the story traces the devastating rivalry between two cousins: the passionate Prinzessin Campobasso and her equally captivating rival, Gräfin Orsini. When the charming Chevalier von Sénecé enters their orbit, both women find themselves locked in a battle for his heart and their own dignity. But in a world where love is currency and reputation is armor, winning may cost everything. Stendhal dissects jealousy and desire with the precision of a surgeon, exposing how passion becomes both weapon and wound in aristocratic society.