The Red and the Black
Henri Beyle Stendhal
IB English Literature
Spring 2015
The Red and the Black stands at the crossroads of eighteenth and nineteenth-century French
literature. Like most romantic novelists, Stendhal treated such themes as individualism, passion,
the pursuit of happiness, and intrigue. But he was also profoundly influenced by the works of
Voltaire, especially Candide. He thus scorned religious sentimentality, openly criticized the
Catholic Church, and mocked flamboyant prose. As a result, Julien Sorel is both a romantic hero
and an awkward simpleton. Although Stendhal organizes his narrative around Julien's love
affairs, he uses his protagonist's experiences to satirize the Restoration government. In this
context, both Candide's and Julien's travels expose not only their personalities, but also the flaws
of absolutist monarchies.
Stendhal is a constant presence in The Red and the Black. He does not hide behind his characters,
but judges and mocks them, gently or with extreme disdain. For example, Julien thinks of
himself as a master at seducing women, but actually has no idea what he is doing. Stendhal also
pokes fun at Mathilde de la Mole, who is a passionate romantic but also mentally unstable.
Stendhal's protagonists often closely resembled him, and Julien Sorel is no exception. Julien
shares Stendhal's admiration for Napoleon as well as his love for the army. Indeed, the cadence
and tone of Stendhal's prose closely mirrors that of the Napoleonic code.
The Red and the Black was also one of the first novels to emphasize psychological observation
with regard to love. Stendhal considered himself to be a scientist of love, of which he
distinguished four types: passion-love, vanity love, physical-love, and stylish-love. Unlike the
traditional romantic hero, Julien does not whimsically fall in love with Mme. de Rênal and
Mathilde, but instead follows a set of formulas stipulated by Stendhal. Rather than love blindly,
he feels vanity-love: Mme. de Rênal's high social status flatters his ego. In return, Julien
manipulates Mathilde into loving him with a wide array of mind games. Stendhal's persistent use
of triangular desire, or love through an intermediary character, also introduces the fundamental
step of jealousy into each relationship.
Another major theme of the novel is the cyclical role of history. Stendhal firmly believed that
history repeated itself: Julien thinks he is the next Napoleon, while the Marquis de la Mole fears
that Julien could be the leader of a new Terror. The author's emphasis on history also criticizes
the Restoration's attempt to turn back the clock to the way things were before the French
Revolution in 1789. Mathilde and Julien's intense boredom with Parisian society and the "dull
nineteenth century" are symptoms of this effort to ignore the military and political excitement of
the Revolution and Napoleon's subsequent reign. Their escapism into history is thus a rejection
of the stagnated French political system.
Author Biography
Marie-Henri Beyle (1783-1842), 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, as is evident in the novels Le Rouge et le Noir
(The Red and the Black, 1830) and La Chartreuse de Parme (The Charterhouse of Parma, 1839).
Born in Grenoble, France, to a respectable middle-class family, Stendhal was an unhappy child,
disliking his "unimaginative" father and mourning his mother, who died when he was seven. His
closest friend was his younger sister, Pauline, with whom he maintained a steady correspondence
throughout the first decade of the 19th century. Of a fiery and rebellious nature, Stendhal
declared himself early to be an atheist and a liberal — an expression of revolt, no doubt, against
his father.
He attended the Ecole Centrale in Grenoble, excelling at art and math and developing a
background in logic and the sciences before leaving for Paris in 1799. Abandoning his plans for
continuing his education, he secured a position in Napoleon’s War Ministry and shortly
thereafter joined the army and took part in the Napoleonic wars. He travelled extensively in
Germany and Italy and was part of Napoleon Bonaparte‘s army in the 1812 invasion of Russia.
After the 1814 Treaty of Fontainebleau, he left for Italy, where he settled in Milan. He formed a
particular attachment to Italy, where he spent much of the remainder of his career, serving as
French consul, and where he entered into many love affairs. Stendhal’s stay in Milan ended in
deep emotional disappointment: Métilde Dembowski, the woman whose memory was to haunt
him for the rest of his life, rejected him as a lover. His political reputation as a liberal had
meanwhile compromised him in the eyes of the Austrian occupying authorities, which led him to
leave Milan in 1821. Stendhal died in 1842 in Paris following a series of strokes.
Stendhal’s France
Stendhal was born in the reign of Louis XVI and died in the reign of Louis Phillippe. He lived
through the most unstable and fascinating period in French history that saw huge changes in the
tastes, hopes, expectations, and beliefs of all levels of society.
1774
1783
1789
1792
1793
1794
1799
1804
1808
1812
1814
1815
1824
1830
1842
Louis XVI crowned
Henri-Marie Beyle born
French Revolution, storming of La Bastille
Louis XVI is tried for treason and convicted; the monarchy is abolished
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette are guillotined in Paris
Robespierre overthrown
Napoleon Bonaparte named First Consul
Napoleon crowns himself emperor
Napoleonic Code goes into effect
Napoleon defeated in Russia
Napoleon abdicates the throne and is exiled to Elba; Louis XVIII crowned king
Napoleon returns to Paris, the beginning of the “100 Days”
Louis XVIII dies and his brother Charles X is crowned king
“Three Glorious Days” of the July Revolution; Charles X abdicates in favor of his
grandson, but the chamber refuses to ratify his decision; Louis-Philippe is crowned king
Henri-Marie Beyle dies
How did Stendhal derive the title The Red and the Black?
Stendhal took a lot of time and care in deciding what the title of his novel would be. He first
considered Julien Sorel, since it would appropriately reflect the novel’s focus on the protagonist.
But Stendhal was wary of the romantic tradition of naming a novel after the protagonist. He
especially disliked Chateaubriand and his use of proper names in titles. As a result, Stendhal
chose a more abstract and symbolic title, coupled with the subtitle "a chronicle of 1830." The
colors red and black refer to the different colors worn by the army and the clergy in nineteenthcentury France. The black robes and suits worn by priests and Julien in the novel are clear
references to the Catholic Church. The red color of the military uniforms that Julien wears
evokes the French army.
The juxtaposition of these two colors in the title represents the tension between the army and the
clergy in the novel. Yet the two institutions are not at odds with each other. Indeed, the Marquis
de la Mole tries to form an army led by the Vatican. Instead, the tension involves a career
decision that Julien must make. Julien dreams of the military glory of Napoleon and a more
adventurous epoch and thus, given the choice, would enlist in the army. But Julien realizes that
during the Restoration, the most powerful and influential political leaders belong to the clergy.
Julien's hypocritical devotion to the Church and his constant wavering between a life in the
clergy and a career in the military are thus implied by the novel's title. The coupling of the two
colors can thus be said to restrict Julien's free will in that he only has two choices in life. To rise
in French society he can only change in and out of red or black clothing: he can not wear what he
wants to. In this context, the two colors also evoke a roulette table. Julien must gamble to make
his fortune, but he only has two choices.
Finally, the subtitle, "a chronicle of 1830," is further revealing. Although Stendhal was writing
during the 1830 Revolution, the subtitle suggests a historical novel, or chronicle, about
something that happened far in the past. This subtitle thus further confines Julien's actions to the
events of history. Contemporary readers of Stendhal would have known that the Marquis de la
Mole's conspiracy and Julien's desire for military glory during the Restoration were futile
because of the impending revolution. Julien's possibilities for success are limited by the
evolution of French society implicit in the title.
What role does French history play in the novel? How does it mold Stendhal's narrative
technique?
Stendhal consistently emphasizes the importance of French history throughout The Red and the
Black. Having lived during the French Revolution, Napoleon's rise to power, the Restoration and
the 1830 Revolution, Stendhal was very interested in the way that history shaped the fortunes
and destinies of men and women. As a result, two of his main characters, Julien and Mathilde,
are obsessed with the past. Julien adores Napoleon and tries to live his life according to his hero's
example. Mathilde likes to pretend that she is Queen Margot and that Julien is Boniface de la
Mole. This reliance on the past paradoxically foreshadows their present and futures.
By subtitling the novel a "chronicle of 1830," Stendhal also makes the cast of characters
historical archetypes of the political and social environment during the final years of the
Restoration. M. Valenod is a typical liberal, while the Marquis represents the dying aristocracy.
The course of French history thus establishes and shapes not only their ultimate failures and
successes, but the narrative structure of the novel as a whole.
What is triangular desire, and what role does it play in the novel?
Stendhal thought that he had mastered the psychology of love. He designated triangular desire, or
love through an intermediary person, as a necessary ingredient to making someone fall in love.
For example, Mathilde thinks that Julien loves Mme. de Fervaques, which makes her grow
extremely jealous and love Julien even more than before. Julien is aware of the power of
triangular desire, demonstrating Stendhal's attempt to introduce psychology into the novel.
Traditional romantic novels used love as a simple plot device without any further analysis.
Stendhal rejects this tradition by emphasizing the negative aspects of love, such as manipulation,
and expressing the power of emotional control. This denial of the basic purity of love represents
a watershed moment in nineteenth-century French literature.
Character List
Julien Sorel ____________________________________________________________________
Mme. de Rênal _________________________________________________________________
M. de Rênal ___________________________________________________________________
Mme. Derville _________________________________________________________________
Abbé Chélan ___________________________________________________________________
Abbé Maslon___________________________________________________________________
Old Sorel _____________________________________________________________________
Abbé Pirard ___________________________________________________________________
Fouqué _______________________________________________________________________
Valenod ______________________________________________________________________
Marquis de la Mole _____________________________________________________________
Mathilde de la Mole _____________________________________________________________
Abbé Frilair ___________________________________________________________________
Norbert de la Mole ______________________________________________________________
Mme. de la Mole _______________________________________________________________
Mme. de Fervaques _____________________________________________________________
Altamira ______________________________________________________________________
Croisenois ____________________________________________________________________
Géronimo _____________________________________________________________________
M. de Beauvoisis _______________________________________________________________
Prince Korasov _________________________________________________________________
Bishop Agde ___________________________________________________________________
Abbé Castanède ________________________________________________________________
Tanbeau ______________________________________________________________________