The Red and the Black in World Library Top 100 Books of All Time

Jul 31, 2025 J_BlueFlower rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: catching-up-read, ereolen

It seems there are two different way to understand the book: Julien is a character that is formed by his surroundings in a way that is about 130 years ahead of time, or Julien is whatever fits the story that Stendhal picked up from the newspapers.

Julien starts out as a son of a carpenter with a good intelligence and a photographic memory. He want to escape and analysis there are two routes: The army (red) and the clergy (black). He analysis that the clergy has most power, and therefor picks that It seems there are two different way to understand the book: Julien is a character that is formed by his surroundings in a way that is about 130 years ahead of time, or Julien is whatever fits the story that Stendhal picked up from the newspapers.

Julien starts out as a son of a carpenter with a good intelligence and a photographic memory. He want to escape and analysis there are two routes: The army (red) and the clergy (black). He analysis that the clergy has most power, and therefor picks that route, even though he does not believe in God. This part reminded me of the escape in Middlemarch.

His affair with Madame de Rênal does not seem like a move towards power though money, more like a move of curiosity and passion. That is ok with me: It is still an escape from carpentry.

Next major development is Paris and stepping up in diplomacy. Again: I do not see that as a change of character: He is still moving in the direction that takes him upwards and away from carpentry. The affair with Mathilde is again curiosity and passion. However this time, the woman is extremely shaped by her upbringing and not easy to understand. For me this was the best part of the book (5 star material): after the duel were a rumor is started that Julien is of noble birth (“How could I possibly admit to having fought a duel with Monsieur de La Mole’s secretary”). This rumor is used so excellently that even Julien himself starts asking if it may be truth. Wow! The affair with Mathilde the inner dialogue of Julien seeing the situation from two perspectives is also extremely well written. French Dostoevsky.

Then comes the next major development: Julien shots Madame de Rênal while she is praying in a Church. This time Stendhal ‘lost’ me as a reader. That was too out of character. It was not something he did out of a moments insanity: He had to travel for some days and get guns.

Again in the prison: Julien has abandoned his former character, and is now the major drama queen complaining about not being able to close the prison cell door and seems to want to die. The end shows that Julien has became a NPC that now is made to fit into Mathilde’s story.

Most of the way the book is sharply satire. But you sometimes have to read carefull “Three seconds later, the ladder was under the arching linden trees, and Mathilde’s honor had been preserved.” Well, that is after the second visit, and Mathilde had already become pregnant. Honor is a super flexible thing only depending on what other people see (and today, ahem: Coldplay concerts…. (If this is completely mysterious for someone reading in 2030+ try google “Coldplay concert kiss cam affair scandal July 2025”))

The book as a whole varied between 2 and 5 stars. Never predictable.

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Note to myself: Started reading Rødt og Sort (Danish translation from Ereolen), but it turned out to be artificially archaic and maybe not full complete (slightly shortened to 90%?). Shifted to Lloyd C. Parks translation audio book and Burton Raffel (ebook). Not ideal. Internet somewhat seems to agree that Roger Gard translation is the best, but library didn’t have it. ...more

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May 03, 2017 Valerie rated it really liked it

Shelves: top-100

I can't decide if Stendhal wanted me to LOL and fist-pump at the end of this, but really. That ending! High-fives all around.

This tragicomedy is like if all the idiocy of Shakespeare's characters had brain-dumps in between lines of dialog. I had thought Rastignac and Raskolnikov were perfect villains, but they're really nothing to Julien Sorel. ...more

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Nov 19, 2016 Lost Owl rated it it was amazing

Shelves: top-100

Julien Sorel is all too human. It seems he cannot quite keep his failures and his successes separate, even in his own mind.
Stendahl's ability to reveal Julien's inmost thoughts is astounding.
Fantastic book; highly recommended. ...more

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