The Red and the Black (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Marie-Henri Beyle
- First Published: 1830
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: Early nineteenth century
- Setting: France
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: Power, personal or social, France or French people, Love or romance, Nineteenth century, Capital punishment, Pregnancy, Adultery, Ambition, Priests, Tutors or tutoring
- Locales: France
Characters Discussed
Julien Sorel (zhew-LYAH[N] soh-REHL), the son of a lawyer, an opportunist whose brilliant intellect, great ambition, and self-pride elevate him for a time, only to defeat him in the end. The youthful protégé of a local priest in the French town of Verières, Julien becomes the beloved tutor of the mayor’s children and the lover of that aristocratic official’s wife. Brazen, hypocritical, but shrewd, this contradictory hero espouses Napoleonic sentiments yet believes that his own salvation is through the church. Pushed by scandal into a seminary, he...
[The entire page is 1023 words long]
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