The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendhal is a historical novel that follows the adventurous life of Fabrice del Dongo, a young Italian nobleman, as he navigates war, politics, love, and imprisonment in early 19th-century Italy.

Set during and after the Napoleonic Wars, Fabrice's idealism leads him to the Battle of Waterloo, but his romantic and political aspirations are constantly thwarted by the complexities of court intrigue and human emotion. His passionate love for the beautiful and devoted Gina, Duchess Sanseverina, and his eventual spiritual transformation while imprisoned in a tower form the emotional heart of the novel.