Stendhal's first novel is a case study in his theory of love. It blends a cynical analysis of 'present day morals' with a set of concealed political sentiments which (for the benefit of the censors) he claimed were not his own. The book was ill-received when it was published in 1827, and was thought mystifying and bizarre. In the plot, Octave, the hero, was recommended for the lunatic asylum at Charenton, and his love affair with Armance was found inexplicable by its earliest readers. It is still inexplicable, without the curious key to the book's mystery which is contained in a letter Stendhal wrote to Prosper Merimee in 1826. This letter is printed at the end of the book.