The year is almost over

In 1818,the french writer and author stendhal,then living in milan,met the Countess Metilda Viscontini.For him,it was love at first sight.She was a proud,somewhat difficult woman,and she intimidated Stendhal,who was terribly afraid of displeasing her with a stupid comment or undignified act.Finally,unable to take it any longer,he one day took her hands and confessed his love.Horrified,the countess told him to leave and never come back.Stendhal flooded Viscontini with letters,begging her to forgive him.At last,she relented: she would see him again,but under one condition-he could visit only once every two weeks,for no more than one hour,and only in the presence of company.He agreed,he had no choice.He now lived for those short fortnightly visits,which became occassions of intense anxiety and fear,since he was never quite sure whether she could change her mind and banish him forever.This went on for over two years,during which the countess never showed him the slightest sign of favor.He never found out why she had insisted on this arrangement-perhaps she wanted to toy with him or keep him at a distance.All he knew was that his love for her only grew stronger,became unbearably intense,until finally he had to leave milan.To get over this sad affair,Stendhal wrote his famous book On Love,in which he described the effect of fear on desire.First,if you fear the loved one ,you can never get close or familiar with him or her.The beloved then retains an element of mystery,which only intensifies your love.Second,there is something bracing about fear.it makes you vibrate with sensation,heightens your awareness,is intenselz erotic.According to Stendhal,the closer the loved one brings you to the edge of the precipice,to the feeling that they could abandon you,the dizzier and more lost you will become.Falling in love means literally falling-losing control,a mix of fear and excitement.

What is good?All that heightens the feeling of power,the will to power,power itself in man.What is bad?-All that proceeds from weakness.What is happiness?-The feeling that power increases-that a resistance is overcome.FN