The Red and the Black by Marie-Henri Beyle (Stendhal) | Heritage Press 1954 Book

Le Rouge et le Noir, meaning The Red and the Black in English, is a historical psychological novel in two volumes by Stendhal, published in 1830. It chronicles the attempts of a provincial young man to rise socially beyond his modest upbringing through a combination of talent, hard work, deception & hypocrisy. He ultimately allows his passions to betray him. The novel's original full title, Le Rouge et le Noir: Chronique du XIXe siècle (The Red and the Black: A Chronicle of the 19th Century), indicates its twofold literary purpose as both a psychological portrait of the romantic protagonist, Julien Sorel, & an analytic, sociological satire of the French social order under the Bourbon Restoration (1814-30). The title is taken to refer to the tension between the clerical (black) & secular (red) interests of the protagonist but it could also refer to the then-popular card game "rouge et noir," with the card game being the narratological leitmotiv of a novel in which chance & luck determine the fate of the main character. Condition: Pre-Owned, Good. This book was issued to my great-uncle, a member of the Heritage Club in the 1960's & it's in excellent vintage condition for a book that's more than half a century old; you can tell it was valued dearly by him. The binding is square & tight & there are no signs of prior ownership such as an inscription or a bookplate. The inside front cover & page edges show a few spot stains & the slipcase shows visible storage color fading.