World Classics Campus Reader - The Red and the Black

Author: Stendhal
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: Based on the material of a criminal case, this novel is processed, transformed, and imaginative, creating an immortal work that truly reflects life, vividly portrays characters, and possesses extremely high ideological and artistic value. The protagonist of the novel, Julien, comes from a humble background but loves reading and is concerned with politics. He aspires to achieve great things like Napoleon, relying on his own abilities to forge a path and build a glorious career. He repeatedly tries in the arena of life, becoming a priest, a tutor, participating in politics, mingling with the elite, always cautious and always seeking opportunities. He has conquered upper-class women and gained the trust of the ruling class. His life is full of ups and downs, and in the end, he becomes a victim of the class society, but he never submits to death and always maintains his resistance to a just society.