The Red and the Black Student Edition World Literature Classic

Author: Stendhal
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-05-01
Features: In terms of artistic achievement, the author pursued facts, focusing on unadorned and appropriately detailed details. Stendhal excelled at psychological portrayal. Through the two love lives of Julien, he vividly depicted the complex psychology of a young man from the lower social strata, ambitious yet striving for recognition, both sensitive and fragile, both self-esteem and self-doubt, in a deeply convincing and admirable manner. His works are distinguished by highly philosophical remarks. The life of Julien in this book is a microcosm of the author himself. In the novel, Julien idolized Napoleon to the point of reverence, but this hero had already lost his power. Besides being a hypocrite, he had no other choice. He discovered that the clergy was a shortcut to fame and fortune. Thus, he first worked as a family tutor in the mayor's household, but was forced to study at a seminary after falling in love with the hostess. Later, he became a secretary in the house of a marquis in Paris and fell in love with the marquis's daughter. Due to the mayor's wife's accusation, he was sentenced to prison for retaliation.