Hansen, Cheryl M.

Dr. Cheryl M. Hansen is Professor of French at Weber State University. She received her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Utah. Her research interests are in Nineteen-Century French Literature, French-Canadian Literature and French Business and Culture. She has received several grants for research and study in France and Quebec from the French and Canadian governments and the Weber State University European Studies Program.

Color Symbolism in the Works of Stendhal

2006 0-7734-5611-2
Most studies to date concentrate on Stendhal’s color symbolism to convey a specific meaning in Le Rouge et le Noir. This study shows that a distinctive pattern of color symbolism in Stendhal’s works is apparent, and that it serves as a fil conducteur in unifying the characters and the events in Stendhal’s fiction. The analysis starts with Stendhal’s nonfiction writings because his journals and correspondence reveal his sensitivity to colors and because his autobiography serves as a touchstone to the elaboration of his color symbolism. The examination of Stendhal’s fiction shows a sequential color clustering starting with an emphasis on black and white and then moving on to Armance, which is Stendhal’s first attempt at deploying his complete color palette. The analysis of these works by Stendhal further demonstrates that blue and green, when paired, represent the ideal in Stendhal’s distinctive color palette.