Summary of The Red and the Black
Julien Sorel is an ambitious young man from a poor family in the town of Verrières in eastern France. Living in the 1820s, after the fall of Napoleon and the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy, Julien idolises the former emperor but realises that someone of his social class can no longer rise through the army. With the support of the parish priest, he becomes tutor to the children of Monsieur de Rênal, the mayor of Verrières. A love affair with the mayor’s wife eventually forces him to leave, and he enters a seminary in Besançon. Julien later moves to Paris to work as secretary to the Marquis de la Mole. Although his talents help him rise in society, his modest background remains an obstacle. He begins a passionate relationship with the marquis’s daughter, but his prospects are threatened when Madame de Rênal reveals their former affair, leading Julien to make a dramatic decision.
Reasons to read The Red and the Black
The Red and the Black is a classic of nineteenth-century French literature. Through Julien’s efforts to rise above his humble origins, Stendhal examines love and the conflict between personal talents and a rigid social hierarchy. The novel presents a critical portrait of French society during the Bourbon Restoration, exposing the hypocrisy and self-interest of the provincial bourgeoisie, the Catholic clergy and the aristocracy in Paris. Stendhal is regarded as one of France’s greatest novelists and is also known for The Charterhouse of Parma.
Setting: Franch-Compté & Paris (France)
The first part of The Red and the Black is set in the fictional town of Verrières in Franche-Comté and in the nearby city of Besançon. Verrières is situated on the River Doubs and may have been inspired by Dole. Much of the second part of the novel is set in Paris, in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, before the story returns to Verrières and Besançon.
Original title: Le rouge et le noir
Year of publication: 1830
Nr of pages: 592
