The Red and the Black: A Chronicle of 1830

About this book

Julien Sorel, the clever, ambitious son of a carpenter in a small French town, worships Napoleon, but after the Emperor's fall the only road upwards for a poor young man is the Church. Hired as tutor to the children of the mayor, Monsieur de Rênal, he seduces the mayor's wife, then trains at a seminary and becomes secretary to a great nobleman in Paris, whose proud daughter Mathilde falls in love with him. At every step he calculates, and at every step his true feelings betray his plans.

Context and significance

Stendhal, the pen name of Henri Beyle (1783–1842), who had served in Napoleon's armies, published the novel in 1830 and based it on a real criminal case. Its title probably refers to the army and the Church, the two careers open to ambitious young men. With its sharp analysis of motives, it is a founding work of the psychological novel. Compare Madame Bovary.

About the author