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Joaquín asked this question about Le Rouge et le Noir:
I'm on page 105 of 614... and I am bored as f*ck. Why is this good anyway?
Alan Lindsay This book is a classic for good reason. But if you are not familiar with the state of France in the early days after Napoleon, then you're probably mi…moreThis book is a classic for good reason. But if you are not familiar with the state of France in the early days after Napoleon, then you're probably missing most of the subtext. The "plot" of any really good novel is not likely to be particularly entertaining. The development and exploration of ideas is. To understand what ideas the book is embroiled in, you may wan to spend some time reading about the book. The title gives you a start: the red (soldier, politics, the world) and the black (religion, priesthood, forsaking of the world). But even that is superficial. Rene Girard offers an interpretation of the book in Deceit, Desire and the Novel that places the interests in the realm of what he calls Mimetic Desire. Follow the path of the theme not the dull movement of Julien's love interest and you'll see why this novel deserves its reputation. If you're not yet ready to do that, put it aside and come back to it later.(less)
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Le Rouge et le Noir
by Stendhal
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