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The Red and the Black

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 16,470 ratings · 595 reviews

A brilliant portrait of one of the most ruthlessly charming heroes in literature, The Red and the Black chronicles the rise and fall of Julian Sorel. Born into the peasantry, Sorel connives his way into the highest Parisian aristocratic circles. But his powers of seduction lead to his downfall when he commits a crime of passion.

Mass Market Paperback, 464 pages

Published August 1st 1989 by Bantam Classic & Loveswept (Mm) (first published 1830)

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Apr 10, 2013 Jeffrey Keeten rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

”Nothing can distinguish a man as a death sentence,” thought Mathilde. “It’s the only thing one can’t buy.”

photo le-rouge-et-le-noir_zps083c1744.jpg

Julien Sorel was a young man with an audacious intellect. Such a gift can be a great resource that can be exploited for financial gain or it can be a burden that keeps a person in perpetual misery. Sorel, the hero of our story, experiences both the wonders and the loneliness that sometimes goes hand in hand with being too aware to accept fate without attempting to manipulate a better futur...more

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Mar 09, 2011 Mariel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fat cats

Recommended to Mariel by: house cats

Ultimately, Stendhal's The Red and the Black almost pissed me off. If I see this book again I'm tempted to say to it, "I'm not rationally sure why you kinda pissed me off. I just know you did!" It really would have if I had cared enough about any of the people in it to be pissed off. I hate that feeling of self persuasion as inevitable, as people being trapped in mind games. It sucks but I cannot swallow the idea that there is no other outcome. I know it's satire. I kinda hate satire. I don't wa...more

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May 09, 2013 Mark is currently reading it · review of another edition

Buddy-read with Kris

Dear Desert Island Book List,

I'm writing to inform you that, in a week or two, you will have a new member. The name is Stendhal. His novel is The Red and the Black. He's a bit of a ruffian, rather pessimistic fellow, too. But be congenial. He's much like the rest of you. His heart is too big. That, and social injustice, make him cantankerous. But he only has the best for humanity in mind.

He's a portly fellow, so please prepare a double strength hammock for his many pages. A...more

8 likes · like · see review

Dec 02, 2007 Quinn Slobodian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's a book about the dangers of reading. The novel's characters are seduced by ideas, poetic gestures, tragic endings, narratives they might inhabit and soon find themselves enslaved to them, marching lockstep in the footprints of characters whose stories they've read. Stendhal obviously takes pleasure in his position as most recent seducer of the book's reader and he sugar-coats his narrative pills just enough that it's only later, with the feeling of slight corrosion in your stomach, that you...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Chuck LoPresti rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's fairly easy to see why this book isn't more well-known as it was ahead of its time in 1830 and overshadowed by Flaubert, Balzac, and Hugo. And despite the fact that some consider it among the first "modern" novels it is probably a bit too dated to appeal to a more modern-focused crowd. I think I've come to a perfect period in my reading where this makes perfect sense. After Proust, Banffy and Zilahy - another read about courtly high society was a tough sell but I persevered a bit exhausted...more It's fairly easy to see why this book isn't more well-known as it was ahead of its time in 1830 and overshadowed by Flaubert, Balzac, and Hugo. And despite the fact that some consider it among the first "modern" novels it is probably a bit too dated to appeal to a more modern-focused crowd. I think I've come to a perfect period in my reading where this makes perfect sense. After Proust, Banffy and Zilahy - another read about courtly high society was a tough sell but I persevered a bit exhausted but wiser for my efforts. Like Banffy and Zilahy - Stendhal's work is predominately concerned with the psychological lives of socially engaged thinker/outsiders. Like Witkacy - this means infinitely more interesting and prone to emotional swings that are sometimes deadly and often sexy. I imagine this was pretty racy stuff in the 1830's as characters brush elbows as gently as the petals in the ornate gardens and meet their deaths with profoundly less subtlety. The range of human feeling is rendered with a wide palette of interactions that are executed with a fine intelligence that never condescends and tells you exactly how to feel. Who are the pious? The justified? The likeable? You'll decide but only the most overtly hapless bores are worthy of disregard. No sharp mind will be too bored - but no dullard will be engaged.

As much and I enjoyed this - it was work. The prose isn't anything so difficult - but it's all very contemplative and dense. There's little alacrity in general but Stendhal has a subtle sense of humor that works much like Zilahy's Angry Angel - nothing base or cheap. The Red and the black is like a field-guide to exploiting rich women who are so bored that they are happy to be dragged to hell just to have someone do something exciting to them. Social climbing is seen as the worst sin that only results in calunmy and humiliation. As in other similar dramas - the victims are educated just enough to enter society and love-sick enough to attract rogue genius up their ladders for a dangerous liaison. This invariably leads to non-marital impregnation, social downfall and subsequently death. A scoundrel and the child of a scoundrel never occupy life together for long. Pay close attention and you will learn fairly time-tested formulas for attracting, conquering and devouring your prey if such things appeal to you. But woe to thee that doesn't have the heart and mind to benefit from their advantages - because like Witkacy made clear - it's insatiability that invites Mephistopheles. I just may never willingly read another French/Hungarian/Austrian 19-th century court drama again - and there's free beer tomorrow. Unlike Banffy and Zilahy - Stendhal rarely shares a meal or several glasses of wine with the reader. So the next time I won't not read a courtly screw and stew - I think it will be set about 900 miles to the east of Paris and people will at least dance a czardas. (less)

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Apr 02, 2007 David Agraz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If nothing else, read Moncrieff's translation to seep yourself in the highly latinate, generally overeducated and comfortably contorted prose ('But the adroitness with the want of which we are reproaching him would have debarred the sublime impulse of seizing the sword which, at that moment, made him appear so handsome in the eyes of Mademoiselle de La Mole') -- it will do wonders for the style of your work emails. Trust me on this one.

What to say about Stendhal? I think he exists halfway betwee...more

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Dec 08, 2008 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Lessons learned: don't sleep with other people's wives, and don't fuck with the class system. Stendhal manages to conflate the two rather elegantly in the social maneuverings of the novel's hero, Julien Sorel. His romantic intrigues are immediately political as well as sensual, encapsulating a good deal of the contemporaneous upheavals in French government, as well as addressing more universal aspects of social tension and class psychology and, of course, the eternal divergence of love and lust....more

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Aug 25, 2010 Manny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: french, older-women-younger-men

I was taking the train from Geneva to Grenoble, one of the most beautiful routes in the world, and I was reading Le Rouge et le Noir for the second time. I hadn't picked the book because I was visiting Grenoble, it just worked out that way. I was alone in the compartment; it was one of those old-fashioned carriages which still had compartments.

At the fifth or sixth stop, the door opened, and a young woman entered carrying a lot of heavy luggage. She asked me, in French, if I'd mind helping her p...more I was taking the train from Geneva to Grenoble, one of the most beautiful routes in the world, and I was reading Le Rouge et le Noir for the second time. I hadn't picked the book because I was visiting Grenoble, it just worked out that way. I was alone in the compartment; it was one of those old-fashioned carriages which still had compartments.

At the fifth or sixth stop, the door opened, and a young woman entered carrying a lot of heavy luggage. She asked me, in French, if I'd mind helping her put it up on the rack, and I did so. She smiled and thanked me, I smiled back. She was small, dark and very pretty in a North African way. We got chatting, and quickly determined that her English was slightly worse than my French; the conversation, which initially had mixed both languages, settled down to being completely francophone. She told me that French was her second language, Berber being the first, but she sounded pretty near perfect to me.

She asked what my book was, and I showed it to her. She'd said she'd never read it. I did my best to explain, while she looked at me with her huge dark eyes. Julien gets involved with two women. Madame de Rênal is kind and gentle, and she truly loves him, but he is forced by circumstances to leave her. He then later falls in love with Mathilde. I remember that I described her as bizarre et cruelle, and added that she reminded me of someone I had once loved. She nodded; she had had a similar experience. I apologised for my very insufficient command of French. Vous trouvez les mots, she replied. I have always treasured this compliment. Usually I am inarticulate in French, but just then I was indeed able to find words.

We reached the end shortly before the train got to Grenoble. I helped her take her several suitcases out onto the platform. We said goodbye French style, with a kiss on each cheek. She seemed a little surprised that I made no attempt to get her contact details. We had really got on remarkably well, but it had been so perfect that I was sure anything else would just spoil it.

I never saw her again, but every time I think of Le Rouge et le Noir I think of her.
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Jul 20, 2012 Dagny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 19th-century, french

This novel by Stendhal (Marie-Henri Beyle) is the story of a young Frenchman's coming of age. His dilemma is to choose between the red (a soldier in Napoleon's army) and the black (a member of the clergy. Although fascinated by Napoleon he realizes it is too late to make his mark in the military and decides to try and leave his poor and obscure beginnings and seek the road to fame and power in the clergy. He soon discovers there is much hypocrisy among the powerful clergy.

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Jan 21, 2013 K.D. Oliveros rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006-2012)

Shelves: 1001-core, 501, french, classics

I just finished watching the latest movie adaptation of Les Miserables and there is a song there about Red and Black. I got excited because both Les Miserables and this book Scarlet and Black also known as Red and Black were both written by French novelists and set in the 19th century France. So, when I heard the song being sung by those young actors in Les Miz I said so that's the other meaning of those colors!

♪♫♪Red - the blood of angry men!
Black - the dark of ages past!
Red - a world about to

...more

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May 08, 2013 Jelena rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In one of his few comic moments, Schiller said about Kant’s categorical imperative that it obliged you to love people from your brains, yet allowed you to hate them from your gut. That is how I feel about “The Red and the Black”. (Trivia: Out of everything I have ever read, this novel provides the one character that I hate and despise most on a very personal level.)

The protagonist, a young man of exceptional intelligence yet common background, wants nothing but to climb the social ladder and gai...more In one of his few comic moments, Schiller said about Kant’s categorical imperative that it obliged you to love people from your brains, yet allowed you to hate them from your gut. That is how I feel about “The Red and the Black”. (Trivia: Out of everything I have ever read, this novel provides the one character that I hate and despise most on a very personal level.)

The protagonist, a young man of exceptional intelligence yet common background, wants nothing but to climb the social ladder and gain wealth and reputation. So the novel depicts his administrative positions in upper-class households, the time spent in seminary and his relationships.

Although the choice of topic is expected for the time and trend, the author does something not that usual for realism: he creates a perfectly detailed psychological portrait of the protagonist at the expense of most other elements. In that term he does have something in common with Dostoyevsky’s approach.

I appreciated the dualism of this story most. Everything is split into two opposing blocs and so is the main character. Since his main motifs (or goals) are honour and pride and he is extremely ambitious and arrogant, his conduct is in accordance with the posture that he believes is expected of him. At the same time he is an unrealistic dreamer, too often overwhelmed but excessive emotional outbursts. The gap between his overconfident, manipulative persona and his detached, dreamy side is the most striking realm of the novel and brings it closer to a modern reader (even thought the story is strongly embedded in daily politics of its time).

In powerful social criticism, all the characters are despicably manipulative and scheming. Though that is not what bothered me. (There is again the thread to Dostoyevsky: his characters are exceptionally portrayed and intriguing, but one could not like any of them.) I did wish hell upon the protagonist all right. But somehow his character is the only one that seemed to function as a whole. The other characters are mostly too bleak, which is a pity for the female characters, since they role and relationship to the protagonist is important in the general hypocrisy, yet they seem too instable and neurotic to impress.

With is very cold and equally dry language, too many passages of the novel seem sloppy and rushed (compared to those well-shaped ones); this gave me a feeling of inconsistency that interfered strongly with my reading experience.

So now I am back at the beginning: the entire arrangement has some significant intellectual features, but lacks many other components. Sober and exposing as it is, it is about to crush any rose-coloured glasses one might wear.
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Nov 18, 2010 Alex Morfesis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"My loathing for being disdained, which I thought I could control till the moment of my death, now obliges me to speak. Gentlemen, I do not have the honor of belonging to your class. What you see in me is a peasant, in revolt against the barrenness of his fate."

"Only a fool," he (Julien) said to himself, "gets angry at others. A stone falls because it's heavy. Am I going to be forever a child? When will I acquire the good habit of giving these people my soul, only and exactly to the extent they...more

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Feb 25, 2011 Frankie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: french

In many ways, this book seems to have been a precursor to Flaubert's A Sentimental Education. Though its full title The Red and The Black: A Chronicle of the Nineteenth Century shows us the significance of the Restoration period to the background of the novel. The title also reflects the contrasts that are so well developed. Most literally, red and black refers to the difference in uniform between military and clergy in France. Basic analogies also float to the surface: wealth/poverty, nobility/...more

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Oct 08, 2007 Núria rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everybody

Shelves: 5-favoritos, mios, literatura-en-frances, decimononicos

Hi ha llibres, com 'El roig i el negre', que sembla que van ser escrits ahir. T'atrapen des del principi i, tot i tenir 797 pàgines, els devores amb pocs dies i encara lamentes que s'hagi acabat tan aviat. Costa de creure que un escriptor francès de la primera meitat del segle XIX, sigui capaç d'escriure amb un estil tan directe, senzill i essencial. Costa de creure que Stendhal ja sabés perfectament que a la hora d'escriure bé les floritures sobren, i l'important és descriure amb els mínims cir...more Hi ha llibres, com 'El roig i el negre', que sembla que van ser escrits ahir. T'atrapen des del principi i, tot i tenir 797 pàgines, els devores amb pocs dies i encara lamentes que s'hagi acabat tan aviat. Costa de creure que un escriptor francès de la primera meitat del segle XIX, sigui capaç d'escriure amb un estil tan directe, senzill i essencial. Costa de creure que Stendhal ja sabés perfectament que a la hora d'escriure bé les floritures sobren, i l'important és descriure amb els mínims circumloquis però amb tot detall l'evolució dels personatges. 'El roig i el negre' és un d'aquells llibres que tothom hauria de llegir com a mínim una vegada a la vida.

El protagonista del llibre és Julien Sorel, un noi d'origen humil i amb un pare i uns germans que el maltracten com a única família. Amb aquestes circumstàncies és fàcil entendre perquè està tan encegat per l'ambició. Per ell, ambició és venjança, és demostrar que és més digne que tot els que l'envolten. Admira amb devoció Napoleó i voldria ser un militar com ell que ascendeix del no-res i guanya reconeixement a mesura que va guanyant batalles. Però aviat s'adona que en la seva actualitat qui ascendeix realment són els clergues i decideix instruir-se amb el capellà del poble, tot i no tenir ni mica de vocació.

'El roig i el negre' es divideix en dues parts. La primera passa a províncies i narra com Julien comença a treballar com a preceptor dels fills de l'alcalde del poble i decideix seduir la seva esposa. La segona part passa a París i narra com treballa com a secretari del marquès de la Mole i la relació amorosa que manté amb Mathilde, la seva filla. Això, permet a Stendhal ridiculitzar i criticar tant la vida a París com la vida a províncies, evidenciant la hipocresia que hi ha en totes dues.

Stendhal devia ser un escriptor extremament intel·ligent, perquè no deixa mai d'adoptar un posat distant com a narrador, a vegades fins i tot irònic (amb la qual cosa fins i tot un parell de vegades es permet adreçar-se directament al lector). Així, presenta les situacions i els personatges amb tot el seu ridícul. I és que Julien Sorel és un personatge extremament ridícul; la seva ambició i les convencions socials, que ha interioritzat fins al punt que les ha convertit en un deure íntim, el porten a fer accions d'allò més absurdes com, per exemple, seduir la dona de l'alcalde, perquè creu que aquest és el seu deure, tot i que en realitat no n'està ni enamorat (¿què pensaria la gent d'ell si no ho fes?).

Tot i això, Julien és un persoatge enormement complex, amb una evolució ben marcada, i acaba essent un personatge totalment real, així com també sobretot l'orgullosa i malcriada Mathilde. L'obra s'acaba i ens deixa una visió ben desencantada de la societat: tothom es deixa guiar sempre per les convencions i la hipocresia, ni tan sols al final Julien pot ser sincer amb ell mateix i acaba fent fins al final el que creu que eseperen d'ell.
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Sep 03, 2008 Andrew added it · review of another edition

Shelves: french-language-fiction, 19th-century-french-fiction

If you're looking for an easy read, this isn't the place to start. It's dense, turgid, and sometimes kinda boring. But it's also moving, with currents of irony and self-awareness, and an all-around understanding of love both in a touching, Casablanca way and in a rather funny teenage-melodrama way. Like Flaubert, Stendhal bridges the romantics and realists, although I think he does it better. Problem is I really don't like romantic fiction very much. And this first foray into the tumultuous wate...more

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Jan 27, 2008 anne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Why didn't I read this sooner? The protagonist Julien is a complicated and contradictory character, but to me seemed so much more alive than, for instance, his pessimistic equivalent in War and Peace, Prince Andre. His ambition and passion are always at odds, and although he's intelligent his vanity and romanticism lead him to act as if he were completely naive. What I like is that we're allowed to see all of his really ugly character traits, some of which are scarily relatable.

It's a dark book,...more

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Mar 13, 2009 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oddly enough, I think most of the fault I found with it was the translation (Margaret Shaw's "Scarlet and Black" by Penguin, 1953); I was two chapters from the end when I found another copy I had stowed away, and in those two chapters felt more for the characters than I had the whole of the other book. Otherwise my comments were this: Julien is an asshole. Now I'm reading it again, and he's still an asshole, but at least a more fleshed out, less ingratiating one. Stendhal knew what he was doing;...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Claude rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-again, in-french

N-ième relecture, tout aussi passionnante que les précédentes

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May 21, 2008 Jasmine Star rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not sure what to say about this book...it was incredibly interesting to read, but some of the details I found mundane. I kept thinking of how much more interesting it would be in French. I love the end of the book and all of the surprised that you never see coming! The characters are petty and I feel like the book is written to enforce their petty bourgeois attitudes, which is an interesting approach. It left me on a bit of a flat note, although I'm sure other people will find it ironically...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 12, 2011 Luciano Riccardi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: capolavoro, imperdibile, narrativa, letteratura, francese

Finito il tempo dell’eroismo, non rimane che la sua rappresentazione.
Vi sono, si sa, persone che nascono postume, ed altre che… Come si chiamano le persone che nascono prima di qualcosa? Julien, l’antieroe del romanzo di Stendhal Le Rouge et le Noir appartiene comunque alla prima categoria - e quel “dopo” è naturalmente il ”terribile corso”...
Il titolo criptico dell’adorabile milanese nato oltralpe, pare dividere in due il mondo - ma quella “e” al posto di una “o”… - lasciandoci solamente immagi...more

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Apr 30, 2013 Annabelle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What can I say about a book that Somerset Maugham said was one of the 10 best books. All I can say is that it extremely detailed. The protagonist Julien Soren, is a lumberman’s son. He is abused by his father and brother, and is brilliant. Befriended by a number of abbots during the book, Julien has memorized the new testament, and can recite it in Latin from any place in the text. He is a tutor, has an affair with the mother, Mme Renal. Ends up in Paris as a secretary, and falls in love with hi...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Elliot de Vries rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

The story of Julien Sorel, a coldly intelligent peasant boy who plots to hypocrite himself for the sake of his ambition -- an ambition which vacillates between military and clerical glory, and always expands to include anything which would otherwise insult his pride.

This book was definitely written to be an entertainment, and largely fits the reputation novels are given in the text of being salacious and full of corrupting ideas -- something I'm sure the author intended. The Red and the Black's...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Nicholas Spies rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read "The Red and the Black" because a woman somewhat older than myself, whom I was madly in love with at the time, had suggested that I might find it "interesting". Naturally, this circumstance, and the similarity between our own situation and the situation of the characters has hopeless colored my interpretation of Stendhal's most famous work. (In addition, Stendal claimed to be writing books for readers 100+ years in the future" [to paraphrase], which seemed to target the book even more dir...more I read "The Red and the Black" because a woman somewhat older than myself, whom I was madly in love with at the time, had suggested that I might find it "interesting". Naturally, this circumstance, and the similarity between our own situation and the situation of the characters has hopeless colored my interpretation of Stendhal's most famous work. (In addition, Stendal claimed to be writing books for readers 100+ years in the future" [to paraphrase], which seemed to target the book even more directly on our torrid infatuation.) So, I read this book with a rapt attention that I have given to few other books, as I tried (largely in vain) to divine exactly why my darling had suggested that I read it. However, although Julian Sorel was quite unlike me in countless ways—-such as his ability to memorize the entire Bible when he entertained the idea of entering the Church versus a diametrically opposed career, symbolized by the colors in the title, he was very much like me in facing this sort of choice, just as I was trying to decide between Science and the Arts--which landed me in an art very much dependent on the sciences.

Given all of these intertwined circumstances and emotions I was a bit taken aback by the conclusion of the book, which, without giving the ending away to spoil the reader discovering it for him or herself, left me a bit dazed and even more confused about my love's reasons for recommending it to me.

All of this happened many years ago, so I recall little more than what could be summarized in a few sentences about the story. But I remember with great pleasure the manner in which it was written, which is reason enough to have a high opinion of Marie-Henri Beyle, who called himself Stendhal, and to read his books. In a way he was correct in his assertion that his books were aimed a century ahead, for he seems to be an observer of character and motivation of a very modern sort. Not content with the formalisms of his day, he sought to understand the inner lives of his characters which does indeed seem very familiar to readers of today--or of half a century ago when I read this classic as a young man. (less)

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Mar 19, 2013 Yuska Vonita rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, historical-fiction, romance, tbr-2013

I didn’t pay much attention to classics. When I was in college, I hated literature class because the lecturer was obsessed with Shakespeare and I was tortured inside out. I was skeptical and in my mind, classics were boring and torturing, it’s a waste of time.

The Red and the Black proved me wrong. I was hooked. The story is gripping, the words were crafted beautifully, and the characters are memorable. It’s more tragic than the infamous Romeo and Juliet in some ways.

Julien was ambitious and will...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Alan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have never been able to read this in translation, so I finally picked it off a shelf in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and was surprised to find it seemed written in haste, almost breathlessly. Maybe no translator can aspire to breathless rendering. This intrigued me, and I read it in a couple weeks, with my "B" level comprehension, but my "A" background in literature.
I found it atmospheric, urgent, engaging. Typically, he starts with a provincial portrait built upon Hobbes, the provincials themselves "...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Jason Pym rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. First half I loved, second half I couldn’t make head or tail of.

Book 1 exposes the failings of provincial 19th century France. The amoral Julien tries to leave behind his peasant background by becoming a tutor in the home of a town mayor. He has an affair with the mayor’s wife, partly out of spite for his bourgeois employer, which forces him to change careers and train as a priest. Then we see the hypocrisy of life in the seminary where it’s unwise to stand out from the mob mediocrity of his fel...more First half I loved, second half I couldn’t make head or tail of.

Book 1 exposes the failings of provincial 19th century France. The amoral Julien tries to leave behind his peasant background by becoming a tutor in the home of a town mayor. He has an affair with the mayor’s wife, partly out of spite for his bourgeois employer, which forces him to change careers and train as a priest. Then we see the hypocrisy of life in the seminary where it’s unwise to stand out from the mob mediocrity of his fellow students.

This all felt like a real portrait of a young man of poor background trying to get ahead in whatever way he could. I could get the dual motivations in his affair (genuine affection and personal advantage). The portrayal of the seminary, the other students and the abbé Pirard is great.

Book 2 shifts to Paris, where I thought there would be a similar take on the hypocrisy and corruption of the aristocracy, but the book lost me.

Julien now works for the family of the Marquis de la Mole as a secretary. There is an on-off love affair with the Marquis daughter, which goes on for chapter after chapter. She finds him a revolting peasant, he finds her a stuck up aristocrat, but the affair is again a way for Julien to take revenge on the upper classes and a possible stepping stone. Though he seemed to occasionally have genuine affection for the mayor’s wife, here it’s less clear. Although I could figure out Julien’s motivations, it didn’t come across for me in the text, and I didn’t understand the daughter at all…

Eventually he wins her over, and by marrying her get the aristocratic title and army commission he’s always desired. But it is all foiled by a letter from the mayor’s wife (from book 1) who tells the Marquis that Julien just uses women to get ahead. Julien takes revenge by shooting the mayor’s wife in a church. After a hundred pages of an impenetrable love affair, the decision and act of murder is covered in two paragraphs, which felt very odd. The mayor’s wife survives, and still – somehow – feels pity for him, and he decides he genuinely did love her. That really didn’t make any sense to me. Julien goes to the guillotine, she claims his severed head (what?).

In the middle there is a chapter where he goes on a secret mission to deliver a letter to a Duc exiled in England – I don’t have enough background as to why Julien was chosen, or what was going on, but it seemed a bit random in the context of the rest of the book (a welcome break though).

So, I think there’s a lot here that I missed because I don’t have the historical and social background to the story. I will likely give it a go again in a few years when I have more of a clue. If you’re looking for entertainment, and coming at the book cold, I wouldn’t recommend it though.
(less)

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Aug 11, 2012 Ted Hovey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The author (Marie-Henri Beyle) served in Napolean's Army for over fourteen years. Following Napolean's fall in 1814, Beyle retired from the Army and settled in Milan to spend his time writing. He moved to Paris in 1821, where he continued to write.

The Red and the Black was published in 1830. The protagonist, Julian Sorel, is an intellectually gifted and sensitive young man from a working class family. He is eighteen or nineteen years old when he is offered a position as tutor to the children of...more The author (Marie-Henri Beyle) served in Napolean's Army for over fourteen years. Following Napolean's fall in 1814, Beyle retired from the Army and settled in Milan to spend his time writing. He moved to Paris in 1821, where he continued to write.

The Red and the Black was published in 1830. The protagonist, Julian Sorel, is an intellectually gifted and sensitive young man from a working class family. He is eighteen or nineteen years old when he is offered a position as tutor to the children of Monsieur de Renal, one of the wealthiest men in the town of Verrieres. Julian then enters into a passionate love affair with Madame de Renal, who is thirty.

Destined for the priesthood, Julian is sent to a seminary in the nearby city of Besancon when the affair is discovered (or is it?). Eventually, he is sent to Paris to serve as secretary to Monsieur de La Mole, another wealthy and powerful man. Julian has another love affair, this time with Mathilde, the beautiful daughter of Monsieur de La Mole. Mathilde becomes pregnant by Julian, and that is the beginnng of the end of Julian Sorel.

This novel continues to appear in some lists of best novels of all time. I can see why.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was hard to put aside when other duties beckoned. The book is informative as well as entertaining. Set in 1830, the situation in post-Napolean France is presented. The restoration of power to aristocratic monarchists and the clergy provides the context for the story. Entertaining it certainly is. With interesting characters and vividly described settings, it is fun to read becuse of these strengths as well as being a great story. I was struck by the deep characterization of Julian, Madame de Renal, Mathide de La Mole, and others.

Any writer and all students of literature wanting to learn more about the effective use of interior monologue should read The Red and the Black. Especially that of Julian. Major decisions made by Julian are explained by Stendhal through the device of revealing Julian's inner thoughts. What was Julian thinking and feeling at each important crossroad in his life? These are delved into in fascinating detail.

Julian makes some choices that have serious consequences for him, as well as for others. We can judge that he is making mistakes, but we see why he chose to act as he did.

One convention used by Stendhal was to include quotation marks for the unstated thoughts of characters.I sense that such use of quotation marks is out of fashion today. Personally, I see a benefit to the use of quote marks for thoughts - that is because the writer uses first person point of view in thoughts, even though the novel is written in third person omniscient. Contemporary fiction sometimes confuses me with the use of first and third person, without quote marks, or italics, to distinguish thoughts from expressed words, with only context to let a reader know that a character is thinking in the first person.

A distraction for me throughout the book, was Stendhal's occasional intrusion by addressing readers directly. (less)

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Aug 05, 2012 Crysalis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Il Rosso e il Nero" rimane impresso soprattutto per l'eccellente mediocrità dei personaggi, che rimangono tali pur essendo ben caratterizzati e mossi all'interno del romanzo.
La signora de Renal, per quanto possa fare tenerezza - un po' come un gattino infreddolito per strada - è la prima delle donne idiote; pur essendo ricca, ha una cultura appena basilare, che la porta a rimanere affascinata ed invaghirsi dei bei discorsi affascinanti del bel Julien, che ne approfitta magistralmente riuscendo...more "Il Rosso e il Nero" rimane impresso soprattutto per l'eccellente mediocrità dei personaggi, che rimangono tali pur essendo ben caratterizzati e mossi all'interno del romanzo.
La signora de Renal, per quanto possa fare tenerezza - un po' come un gattino infreddolito per strada - è la prima delle donne idiote; pur essendo ricca, ha una cultura appena basilare, che la porta a rimanere affascinata ed invaghirsi dei bei discorsi affascinanti del bel Julien, che ne approfitta magistralmente riuscendo in breve tempo a farla innamorare con una follia morbosa e ossessiva.
La signorina de La Mole, d'altra parte, è quasi il contrario: intelligente, arguta, sagace, spietata e, principalmente, annoiata. E' l'apoteosi del ricco che tutot può avere e può fare e quindi nulla gli interessa e lo appassiona veramente. A parte Julien, che diventa quasi un giocattolo da riuscire ad ottenere per scacciare la noia per un paio di giorni, auto-convincendosi di essersene innamorata - complici stupidi romanzi d'appendice amorosa che l'hanno convinta che l'amore è giusto quel "po'" che manca alla sua vita - salvo poi, una volta conquistato, scacciarlo a pedate, per poi rivolerlo nel momento in cui lui si allontana, etcetera etcetera.
Julien, da parte sua, è il classico uomo di media intelligenza - la maggior parte della quale dovuta ad una incredibile memoria che gli permette di ripetere a pappagallo intere opere mostrandosi così intelligente agli occhi degli altri - convinto di essere molto più furbo e intelligente di quanto non sia in realtà. Si ritrova a farsi trascinare negli eventi, convinto di starli manipolando freddamente e astutamente, senza rendersi conto che, in realtà, si muove imapcciato e incosciente senza sapere che diamine sta facendo, ed è proprio questo, spesso, a valergli l'ammirazione - così come il disprezzo - delle persone che incontra.
Come i ragazzini oggi, senza conosce re il significato della parola "amore" ne abusa impropriamente, dichiarandosi innamorato prima della signora de Renal, che ha cercato di conquistare unicamente per gioco e per sfida personale e per orgoglio, e poi della signorina de La Mole, da cui è attratto come un bambino da un giocattolo che non può possedere unicamente nel momento in cui lei lo scaccia malamente dopo una prima notte appassionata, e poi, dopo averla infine conquistata definitivamente, nuovamente della signora de Renal, che aveva nel frattempo cercato di uccidere.
Un romanzo comunque interessante, non so se definirlo una storia d'amore col pretesto storico-sociale, o una minuziosa descrizione del contesco storico-sociale col pretesto di una sorte di storia d'amore.
Comunque, gradevole anche da chi non ama storie d'amore più o meno complicate - e ve lo assicura una che ha un Quoziente di Romanticismo prossimo al minimo sindacale.(less)

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Jul 01, 2012 Zach rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Last week I finished Stendhal’s The Red and the Black. I liked it a lot, but I am not entirely sure what to make of it. It is, of course, ironic but not, perhaps, in the way we always expect. The target of much of Stendhal’s satire is, of course, upper class French society in the 1830’, yet at the same time me thinks he pokes gently at cross currents of Romanticism as well. Let’s be perfectly clear: Julian Sorel is a deeply compromised individual, morally dubious at best. He is hard to latch ont...more

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May 26, 2012 Rea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, classics

The Red and the Black is a French classic written in the first half of the 19th century. This makes it part of the romanticism movement. It does, however, also show certain characteristics that mark it as an early example of the turning point between romanticism and realism. The author, Stendhal, is one of the big names of French classic literature and this book in particular often ends up on the lists of 100 books to read before you die.

Stendhal himself participated in the Napoleonic invasion o...more The Red and the Black is a French classic written in the first half of the 19th century. This makes it part of the romanticism movement. It does, however, also show certain characteristics that mark it as an early example of the turning point between romanticism and realism. The author, Stendhal, is one of the big names of French classic literature and this book in particular often ends up on the lists of 100 books to read before you die.

Stendhal himself participated in the Napoleonic invasion of Russia, something that gave him the necessary knowledge to write what is considered one of the best scenes about war in literature. This particular scene is in Stendhal’s other popular title, The Charterhouse of Parma, and in it the main character, Fabrice del Dongo, ends up on the field of battle at the Battle of Waterloo. The scene is completely chaotic but a very good portrait of what war really is.

The title, The Red and the Black, comes from Julien Sorel’s life caught between two extremes: the life he would have wanted as a general in Napoleon’s army (though he was born too late to have been able to participate in the glory of Napoleon’s battles) (the red) and the life he has been pushed into as a priest of the Church (the black). A career in the Church is the only way Julien has of advancement and glory in his life as the new regime in France would not have permitted military advancement to a country plebeian like himself. Julien, however, does not really understand the society that he moves in and in turn this leaves him as a peon in many other people’s political ploys.

Julien is a very passionate person and the story is in a large part a psychological examination of Julien’s character. At the same time, he’s not always a particularly appealing character. When he first sets out on his conquest of Mme de Rênal (the wife of his employer and the mother of his students), she really feels for him but the scene where he is daring himself to hold her hand shows that for him it was merely a conquest, a way of proving something to himself. His feelings for her do, in time, evolve but in the beginning it’s portrayed more as a military conquest than anything else.

In many ways Julien is a cruel character. He almost always allows his passions to dictate his actions, which of course land him in any number of sticky spots. His ambition and the way he tends to look down on those around him. He seems to live in this bubble that doesn’t really fit the societies he moves in. The way that he treats those around him often lead to him making powerful enemies, which is never displayed as prominently as at the end of the novel when he is on trial for attempted murder.

The novel is in two parts. The first is a chronicle of Julien’s life in provincial France, his affair with Mme de Rênal and his life in the Church. The second half is about Julien’s life in Paris where he works for M. de la Mole and eventually embarks on an affair with his daughter, Mathilde. This affair and the marriage that is to come of it bring to light Julien’s previous affair with the deeply religious Mme de Rênal who had confessed the whole to her confessor, who had then bullied her into passing the story on to Mathilde’s father. It had to be pointed out that Mme de Rênal is a very weak-minded character and often finds her actions dictated by the other characters around her.

I didn’t mind Julien’s affair with Mme de Rênal so much, but as things were getting going with Mathilde, I was getting very frustrated. The two of them are constantly in love then no longer in love then in love again, punishing each other with words, lack of words, actions, snubs… It’s a very complicated “courtship” that eventually got to the point where it was just ridiculous. I know that that was Stendhal’s intentions and that the book is a satire of French society after the fall of Napoleon, but it did get to be a tad too much for my tastes. Mathilde herself was fighting her feelings for Julien and the fact that these feelings were for someone socially inferior to her. To say that Mathilde is his wife, if I mention that the last line of the novel is about Mme de Rênal, I consider that that speaks volumes about Julien and his story as a whole.

Julien’s crime of passion is based on an event that actually took place and Stendhal created a whole chronicle about how our passions can be a powerful motivator in our actions. There’s no doubt that the novel is an incredibly advanced psychological look at the characters and it is, of course, one of the first examples of a novel where the characters’ thoughts and inner monologues are presented. It is without a doubt a masterpiece.

Bill Homewood does the novel justice as the narrator. All of the characters seem to speak in breathy whispers, but I’m willing to overlook that as Homewood’s diction was spot on!

I’ve read the book once in French and now listened to it in English. I have to say that the audio experience was the better of the two but that is mostly because Bill Homewood’s voice brought new volumes to the story for me. Also, while listening to it I was able to get a fair amount of work done on both my crochet blanket and my knitted one!

All in all, this was a very positive experience for me, even if Julien Sorrel (and Mathilde) drove me to distraction at times. 4.5 stars(less)

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About Stendhal

Henri-Marie Beyle , better known by his pen name Stendhal , was a 19th-century French writer. Known for his acute analysis of his characters' psychology, he is considered one of the earliest and foremost practitioners of realism in his two novels Le Rouge et le Noir (The Red and the Black, 1830) and La Chartreuse de Parme (The Charterhouse of Parma, 1839).

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