Stendhal's novel "The Red and the Black" is the most famous work of the French prose writer. The life and love story of Julien Sorel has become a textbook. Today the work is included in the compulsory school curriculum and is rich soil for literary researchers.
The novel "Red and Black" was published in 1830. It became Stendhal's third work and tells about the events of 1820, when France was ruled by King Charles X. The plot was inspired by a note the author read in a criminal chronicle. The scandalous story took place in 1827 in the city of Grenoble. The local court was considering the case of nineteen-year-old Antoine Berthe, the son of a blacksmith. Antoine was raised by the city priest and worked as a tutor in the house of a respectable noble family. Subsequently, Berthe was tried for the fact that during a church service he shot first at the mother of the family in which he worked, and then at himself. Berthe and his victim survived. Antoine, however, was immediately sentenced to death. The sentence was immediately carried out.
French society invariably condemned the scoundrel Berthe, but Stendhal saw something more in the executed young man. Antoine Berthe and hundreds like him are the heroes of the present. Ardent, talented, ambitious, they do not want to put up with the established way of life, they crave fame, dream of getting out of the world in which they were born. Like moths, these young men bravely fly towards the fire of the “big” life. Many of them get so close that they burn. New daredevils are taking their place. Perhaps some of them will be able to fly to the dazzling Olympus.
This is how the idea for the novel “Red and Black” was born. Let's remember the plot of the immortal masterpiece of the brilliant French writer.
Verrieres is a picturesque town in the French region of Franche-Comté. A visiting traveler will certainly be touched by the cozy streets of Verrieres, houses with red tiled roofs and neatly whitewashed facades. At the same time, the guest may be confused by a roar similar to continuous thunder on a clear day. This is how the huge iron machines of the nail factory work. The city owes its prosperity to this industry. “Whose factory is this?” - an inquisitive traveler will ask. Any inhabitant of Verrieres will immediately answer him that this is the factory of Mr. de Renal, the mayor of the city.
Every day Mr. de Renal walks along the central street of Verrieres. He is a well-groomed, pleasant man in his late fifties with regular facial features and noble gray hair that has silvered in places. However, if you are lucky enough to watch the mayor a little longer, the first pleasant impression will begin to wear off a little. In behavior, in the manner of speaking, holding oneself, and even in gait, one feels complacency and arrogance, and with them limitation, poverty, and narrow-mindedness.
This is the respected mayor of Verrieres. Having improved the city, he did not forget to take care of himself. The mayor has a magnificent mansion in which his family lives - three sons and a wife. Madame Louise de Renal is thirty years old, but her feminine beauty has not yet faded, she is still very pretty, fresh and good. Louise was married to de Renal while still a very young girl. Now the woman pours out her unspent love on her three sons. When Mr. de Renal said that he planned to hire a tutor for the boys, his wife fell into despair - would someone else really come between her and her beloved children?! However, it was impossible to convince de Renal. Being a governor is prestigious, and Mr. Mayor cares about his prestige more than anything else.
Father Sorel had three sons. The elders - real giants, excellent workers - were my father's pride. The younger one, Julien, was called by Sorel nothing more than a “parasite.” Julien stood out among the brothers because of his fragile build and looked more like a pretty young lady dressed in a man's dress. The elder Sorel could forgive his son's physical imperfections, but not his passionate love of reading. He could not appreciate Julien's specific talent; he did not know that his son was the best expert in Latin and canonical texts in all of Verrieres. Father Sorel himself could not read. Therefore, he was very glad to quickly get rid of the useless offspring and receive a good reward, which the head of the city promised him.
Julien, in turn, dreamed of breaking out of the world into which he had the misfortune of being born. He dreamed of making a brilliant career and conquering the capital. Young Sorel admired Napoleon, but his long-standing dream of a military career had to be rejected. To date, the most promising profession has been theology. Not believing in God, but guided only by the goal of becoming rich and independent, Julien diligently studies theology textbooks, preparing himself for a career as a confessor and a bright future.
Working as a tutor in the house of the de Renals, Julien Sorel quickly wins everyone's favor. The little pupils adore him, and the female half of the house is impressed not only by the education of the new tutor, but also by his romantically attractive appearance. However, Mister de Renal treats Julien arrogantly. Due to his spiritual and intellectual limitations, Renal sees in Sorel, first of all, the son of a carpenter.
Soon the maid Eliza falls in love with Julien. Having become the owner of a small inheritance, she wants to become Sorel’s wife, but is rejected by the object of her adoration. Julien dreams of a brilliant future; a wife-maid and a “small inheritance” are not included in his plans.
The next victim of the charming tutor is the mistress of the house. At first, Julien views Madame de Renal solely as a way to take revenge on her smug husband, but soon he himself falls in love with the madam. The lovers devote their days to walks and conversations, and at night they meet in Madame de Renal's bedroom.
The secret becomes clear
No matter how the lovers hide, soon rumors begin to creep around the city that the young tutor is having an affair with the mayor’s wife. Mister de Renal even receives a letter in which an unknown “well-wisher” warns him to keep a closer eye on his wife. It is the offended Eliza who burns with jealousy for the happiness of Julien and her mistress.
Louise manages to convince her husband that the letter is false. However, this only deflects the storm for a while. Julien can no longer stay in the de Renals' house. He hastily says goodbye to his beloved in the twilight of her room. Both hearts are gripped by a poisonous feeling as if they are parting forever.
Julien Sorel arrives in Besançon, where he improves his knowledge at the theological seminary. The self-taught applicant passes the entrance exams with flying colors and wins the favor of Abbe Pirard. Pirard becomes Sorel's confessor and his only comrade-in-arms. The inhabitants of the seminary immediately disliked Julien, seeing a strong rival in the talented, ambitious seminarian. Pirard is also an outcast from the educational institution; for his Jacobin views, they are trying in every possible way to get him out of the Besançon seminary.
Pirard turns for help to his like-minded person and patron, the Marquis de La Mole, the richest Parisian aristocrat. By the way, he has long been looking for a secretary who could keep his affairs in order. Pirard recommends Julien for this position. Thus begins the brilliant Parisian period of the former seminarian.
In a short time, Julien makes a positive impression on the Marquis. Three months later, La Mole entrusts him with the most difficult cases. However, Julien had a new goal - to win the heart of one very cold and arrogant person - Mathilde de La Mole, daughter of the marquis.
This slender nineteen-year-old blonde is developed beyond her years, she is very smart, insightful, she languishes among aristocratic society and endlessly refuses dozens of boring gentlemen who drag after her because of her beauty and her father's money. True, Matilda has one destructive quality - she is very romantic. Every year a girl mourns for her ancestor. In 1574, Boniface de La Mole was beheaded on the Place de Greve for having an affair with Princess Margaret of Navarre. The august lady demanded that the executioner give her lover's head, and buried it in the chapel herself.
An affair with the carpenter's son seduces Matilda's romantic soul. Julien, in turn, is incredibly proud that a noble lady is interested in him. A whirlwind romance breaks out between the young people. Midnight dates, passionate kisses, hatred, separation, jealousy, tears, passionate reconciliation - what happened under the luxurious arches of the de La Moley mansion.
It soon becomes known that Matilda is pregnant. For some time, the father opposes the marriage of Julien and his daughter, but soon gives in (the Marquis was a man of progressive views). Julien quickly gets the patent of the hussar lieutenant Julien Sorel de La Verne. He is no longer the son of a carpenter and can become the legal husband of an aristocrat.
Preparations for the wedding are in full swing when a letter from the provincial town of Verrieres arrives at the house of the Marquis de La Mole. The mayor's wife, Madame de Renal, writes. She reports “the whole truth” about the former tutor, characterizing him as a low person who will stop at nothing for the sake of his own greed, selfishness and arrogance. In a word, everything written in the letter instantly turns the marquis against his future son-in-law. The wedding is cancelled.
Without saying goodbye to Matilda, Julien rushes to Verdun. On the way he buys a pistol. Several shots alarmed the Verrieres crowd, who had gathered for the morning sermon in the city church. It was Father Sorel's son who shot the mayor's wife.
Julien is immediately arrested. During the court hearing, the accused does not try to dispute his guilt. Sorel is sentenced to death.
In a prison cell he meets Madame de Renal. It turns out that the wounds were not fatal and she survived. Julien is incredibly happy. Surprisingly, having met the woman who destroyed his brilliant future, for some reason he does not feel the same indignation. Only warmth and... love. Yes Yes! Love! He still loves Madame Louise de Renal, and she still loves him. Louise admits that her confessor wrote that fateful letter, and she, blinded by jealousy and frenzy of love, rewrote the text in her own hand.
Three days after the sentence was carried out, Louise de Renal died. Mathilde de La Mole also came to the execution; she demanded the head of her lover and buried it. Matilda no longer mourns for a distant ancestor, now she mourns for her own love.
The images of Madame de Renal and Mathilde de la Mole are interesting and unique. In the moral and psychological plan of the novel, they act as these poles, between which the short life of Julien Sorel flashed. It is the love for these two women that reflects the different facets of the hero’s character. The only thing that unites these dissimilar “novels” is that both of them began as a tactical move on Julien’s part, and over time turned into a real ardent passion, from which “all ... ambitious nonsense flew out of his head, and he became simply yourself". In creating female images, the author applied the theory of love, its types and “crystallization” in different eras and in different social environments, previously outlined in a special treatise.
Madame de Renal - a young woman from the provincial aristocracy, sincere and spontaneous, with an innate sense of disgust for everything base and vulgar, capable of deep and selfless feeling. Disappointed in the man, she abandoned personal happiness and devoted her life to children and God. However, the meeting with Julien awakened in her “love is passion, a high and noble form of love, accessible only to those who are alien to self-interest and ambition, hypocrisy and selfishness.” This feeling brings the heroine not only happiness, but also severe mental anguish, and even after her beloved almost took her life, the woman tries to become his support and joy in the terrible days of waiting for the verdict. When Julien passed away, “she tried to commit suicide, but three days after the execution she died, hugging her children”- the novel ends with these words.
Mathilde de la Mole belongs to the top of the capital's aristocracy and, no less important, to the era of romanticism, the peak of which in France was in the 20-30s of the 19th century. She can be said to personify romantic individualism and romantic fantasy in a specific female-aristocratic context. The attention of Matilda, who tramples spineless young aristocrats, is attracted by the commoner Sorel. Her feelings for Julien, which begins as a “feeling from the head” and is fueled mainly by ambition and vanity, subsequently do not change significantly - she is proud that, having decided on a relationship and marriage with the son of a peasant, she did something that no one else was capable of. one woman from her midst. Material from the site
When Sorel is imprisoned, Mathilde begins a furious fight to save him, but “Among all the heavy worries and fears for the life of her beloved, whom she did not intend to survive, Julien discerned in her a constant need to amaze the world with her extraordinary love, the greatness of her actions.” He felt that "Matilda's noble soul was constantly in need of an audience, a spectator." And after the execution of her beloved, Matilda acts in her own style: following Queen Margaret of Navarre, who personally buried the severed head of her lover Boniface de la Mole (Matilda’s ancestor, who lived in the 16th century), she is going to bury Julien’s head on the top of a mountain in his native land.
As the ambition in Julien's soul faded away, he moved away from Matilda and returned to Madame de Renal, love for her was revived and filled him again. The hero admits to himself that he has never felt as happy as during his meetings with this woman in prison in the last weeks of his life.
Didn't find what you were looking for? Use the search
On this page there is material on the following topics:
- female images in the novel red and black
- image of Mathilde de la Mole mail.ru
- female image in the novel red and black
- female image in the novel red black
- system of images of red and black stendhal
What is Stendhal's work "Red and Black" about? and got the best answer
Answer from Zly4ka-Kolyu4ka[guru]
Ooooh! This is a deep drama about how an ambitious young man tries to make a painful choice between a successful career, built, so to speak, not entirely purely and independently, and love. Moreover, two ladies are vying for him at once....
Answer from Galchonok[guru]
read it - you'll find out.
Answer from ArtPower[guru]
About love!
Answer from Laurel J.C. CherepanoFF[guru]
The novel by the French writer Stendhal “The Red and the Black” tells the story of the fate of a poor young man named Julien Sorel. Characters novel: the mayor, Monsieur de Renal, the rich man Valno, Abbe Cheland, the maid Eliza, Madame de Renal, the Marquis de La Mole, his daughter Matilda. The main events of the novel take place in the town of Verrieres. Mister de Renal, the mayor of the town wants to take a tutor into his house. There is no particular need for this, but due to the fact that the local rich man Valno has acquired new horses, the mayor decides to “outdo” Valno. The curé Mister Chelan recommends to Mister de Renal the son of a carpenter, “a young man of rare abilities,” Julien Sorel. He is a fragile eighteen-year-old young man; young girls look at him with interest. Madame de Renal does not like her husband's idea. She loves her children very much, and the thought that someone else will stand between her and her children makes her despair. Her imagination pictures a rude, disheveled guy who will yell at the children. Therefore, she is very surprised when she sees this “pale and frightened boy” in front of her. Less than a month passes before everyone in the house begins to treat Julien with respect. The young man himself behaves with great dignity, and his knowledge of Latin is admirable - he can recite any page from the Bible by heart. Soon the maid Elisa falls in love with Julien. She really wants to marry him, which she tells Abbot Shelan in confession. Julien learns about this from the abbot, but refuses, since most of all he dreams of glory and the conquest of Paris. Summer is coming. The mayor's family arrives in the village where their castle and estate are located. Here Madame de Renal spends whole days with her children and tutor. Gradually she comes to the conclusion that she is in love with Julien. And he wants to win her only in revenge on the “complacent Monsieur de Renal,” who talks to Julien condescendingly and even rudely. One day the young man tells Madame Do Renal that he will come to her at night. At night, leaving his room, he dies of fear. But when he sees Madame de Renal, she seems so beautiful to him that he forgets all his vain thoughts. A few days later he falls madly in love with her. The lovers are very happy, but then Madame de Renal's youngest son falls ill. The unhappy woman thinks that the cause of her son’s illness is her love for Julien. She pushes the young man away from her. The child is recovering. As for Mr. de Renal, he does not suspect anything, but the maid Eliza tells Mr. Valno that her mistress is having an affair with the tutor. That same evening, M. de Renal receives an anonymous letter informing him of the same thing. However, Madame de Renal convinces her husband of her innocence. Julien's mentor Abbe Chelan believes that he should leave the town for at least a year. Julien leaves for Besançon and enters the seminary. He is not a bad student, but the seminarians unanimously hate him. The main reason for this attitude towards Julien is his intelligence and talent. Through the rector of the seminary, Julien meets the Marquis de La Mole, who has been looking for a secretary for a long time.
Answer from Abakum Kravets[guru]
about why pride is a mortal sin - because it leads to death. And about love, of course. About how short a man's love is and how betrayed a woman's love is.
Answer from Marina[guru]
Stendhal (1783 1842) - real name Henri Bayle is one of those writers who made the glory of French literature of the 19th century. He wrote “The Parma Monastery”, “Lucien Level”, “Vanina Vanini”, but the pinnacle of the writer’s work was the novel “Red and Black”. An ordinary case from a criminal chronicle, which lies at the heart of the novel, became, at the hands of the subtle psychologist and brilliant stylist Stendhal, a human drama of the highest intensity and at the same time a social study of society. Julien Sorel, an ambitious and capable young man, experienced both romantic love and violent passion, which he could not resist and for which he paid with his life.
The novel “Red and Black” is often called a harbinger of psychological realism. Its author is Marie-Henri Bayle, better known as Stendhal.
"Red and black": summary
The events of the novel take place in France in the 1820s. Since the novel touches on social and political issues, a summary of The Red and the Black should begin with a description of the historical background. Thus, Stendhal’s work tells about the times of the reign of Charles X, who tried to restore the order that existed before 1789.
The mayor of the city of Veviers, Mister de Renal, decides to hire a tutor. The old curé recommended to him Julien Sorel, the 18-year-old son of a carpenter with rare abilities. Julien is very ambitious and is ready to do anything to succeed. It is worth noting that throughout the entire novel the main character faces a choice between a church career (the clergy wore clothing and military service (the officer’s uniform was red), which is why Stendhal called the novel “Red and Black.”
The summary tells that soon the wife of Mr. de Renal realizes that she loves her tutor. Julien also finds his mistress charming and decides to win her for the sake of self-affirmation and revenge on Mr. de Renal. They soon become lovers. But when Madame de Renal's son becomes seriously ill, it seems to her that this is punishment for her sin. Further, the novel “Red and Black,” a brief summary of which omits details, tells of an anonymous letter that reveals to Mr. de Renal the truth about But she convinces her husband that she is innocent, and Julien is forced to leave Veviers.
The main character moves to Besançon and enters the seminary. Here he makes friends with Abbot Pirard. The latter has a powerful patron, the Marquis de La Mole. Through the efforts of Pirard, the named aristocrat accepts Julien as his secretary. Further, “The Red and the Black,” a summary of which would be incomplete without social issues, describes the adaptation of Julien in Paris, and in particular, in the aristocratic world. Julien turns into a real dandy. Even Matilda, the daughter of the marquis, falls in love with him. But after Matilda spends the night with Julien, she decides to break off the relationship.
An acquaintance of Julien advises him to start courting someone else in order to make Matilda jealous. Thus, the proud aristocrat again falls into the arms of the protagonist. Having become pregnant, Mathilde decides to marry Julien. Upon learning of this, her father becomes furious, but still submits to his daughter. In order to somehow rectify the situation, the Marquis decides to create an appropriate position in society for his future son-in-law. But suddenly a letter appears from Madame Renal, describing Julien as a hypocritical careerist. Because of this, he is forced to leave Matilda
Further, “Red and Black,” a brief summary of which cannot convey the entire psychologism of the novel, tells about the events that took place in Verrieres. Julien enters the local church and shoots his ex-lover. While in prison, he learns that his former lover has survived. Now he understands that he can die in peace. But Matilda does her best to help him. Despite receiving a death sentence. In prison, Madame de Renal visits him and admits that the ill-fated letter was composed by her confessor. After this, Julien realizes that he loves only her, but on the same day he is executed. Matilda buries her ex-fiancé's head with her own hands.
The fate of the main character of the novel "Red and Black" reflects the peculiarities of social life in France at that time. This work is a kind of encyclopedia of the Restoration era.
Louise is the wife of the mayor of Verrieres, the mother of three sons. Her life flows calmly and serenely. She is not interested in her husband's affairs and gives the impression of a simpleton. But Julien Sorel, finding himself in the Renal house as a mentor-tutor, immediately draws attention to Madame de Renal, who is distinguished by “naive grace, pure and lively.” Louise doesn't love her husband. Before Julien, she had not yet known passion. But an all-consuming feeling for the young tutor turns Madame de Renal into an ardent and selfless woman. The power of this love is so great that it is able to overcome Julien’s egoism and ennoble his inner world. Julien realizes that this is not just a fleeting relationship with a married woman, it is something more. A reciprocal high feeling arises in him. But Julien’s ambitious plans prompt him to part with Madame de Renal. The letter that Louise sends to the Marquis de La Mole contains a shocking confession of her love affair with Julien Sorel. The half-crazed letter, written in a state of passion, was simply an attempt by Madame de Renal to prevent the marriage of her loved one with another woman. Louise cannot change anything in her own destiny, but the desire for happiness turns out to be irresistible. The madness of love awakens in her a strength of spirit that she had never suspected before. After Julien's sentence, Madame de Renal seeks a meeting with her lover, who was sentenced to execution. Julien returns in his feelings to Louise. At the end of his life, “he was drawn to gentleness and simplicity.” Julien seems to be confessing to Madame de Renal: “In those old times, when you and I wandered in the Vergis forests, I could have been so happy, but stormy ambition carried my soul into some unknown distances. Instead of pressing to my heart that lovely hand that was so close to my lips, I allowed the future to carry me away from you; I was completely absorbed in countless battles, from which I had to emerge victorious in order to win some unheard-of position... No, I probably would have died without knowing what happiness is, if you had not come to me here, in prison." It is to Madame de Renal that Julien turns to him with a request to take care of his child, whom Mathilde de La Mole is about to give birth to. Julien foresees that the fate of this child will be unenviable: Matilda will forget about him, just as over time she will forget about Julien himself. The feeling of grief and loss is so great that three days after Sorel's execution, Madame de Renal dies hugging her children.