Love (Penguin Classics)

that's right, my fellow ugly people, there's yet hope for us

i thought this was a novel but quickly realised i was wrong when this book opened up like an essay — because it essentially is one. a very ill-structured and heavily anecdotal essay at that.

that being said, there were some good brain-cog-turning points in this work that made it enjoyable to read. while it was fun simply reading some of the happy and tragic love stories that stendhal had collected over time, it also made me think, and i do enjoy books that made me think.

lots of parts of this book did not age well, but stendhal's steadfast support for women's education definitely was a highlight of this book. glad to have read entire chapter's in defence of women's education and personal liberty, especially from an author of this time.