num_pages: 512
description: Handsome and ambitious, Julien Sorel is determined to rise above his humble peasant origins and make something of his life-by adopting the code of hypocrisy by which his society operates. Julien ultimately commits a crime-out of passion, principle, or insanity-that will bring about his downfall. The Red and the Black is a lively, satirical picture of French Restoration society after Waterloo, riddled with corruption, greed, and ennui. The complex, sympathetic portrayal of Julien, the cold exploiter whose Machiavellian campaign is undercut by his own emotions, makes him Stendhal's most brilliant and human creation-and one of the greatest characters in European literature. Translated with an introduction by Margaret R. B. Shaw.
language: English
title: Scarlet and Black: A Chronicle of the Nineteenth Century
titlecomplete: Scarlet and Black: A Chronicle of the Nineteenth Century
characters: Chélan, Mathilde de la Mole, Fouqué, Madame de Rênal, Valenod, Elisa, Marquis de la Mole, Julien Sorel, Pirard
genres: Fiction, 19th Century, French Literature, Classics, France, Classic Literature, Historical Fiction, Romance, Literature, Novels
ratings_count: 72533
places: France, Paris, Verrières, Paris, Besançon
publisher: Penguin Classics