---
product_id: 5948747
title: "The Red and the Black (Penguin Classics)"
price: "€ 35.46"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.com.cy/products/5948747-the-red-and-the-black-penguin-classics
store_origin: CY
region: Cyprus
---

# The Red and the Black (Penguin Classics)

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## Description

desertcart.com: The Red and the Black (Penguin Classics): 9780140447644: Stendhal, Gard, Roger, Gard, Roger: Books

Review: Still the most charismatic novel ever written - This novel has everything: political intrigue, the psychological detail of detective work, the ambiguity of love and romance; it's a comedy of manners, but also a saga of helplessness and tragedy, incisive social commentary. Published in 1830, The Red and The Black, is timeless: its relevance to contemporary Westernized or Americanized, bureaucratic, and capitalist-developed nations is both a condemnation and a triumph. The Red and the Black first caught my attention 25 years ago in January 1983; a stack of copies were set out on a table in the Tattered Cover Bookshop, Denver (then on 1st Avenue in the Cherry Creek area). At that time, the Penguin edition was a new translation to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the author, Henri-Marie Beyle, January 23, 1783. I don't know how or why I decided to buy a copy; maybe it had something to do with the brief review on the back cover, which was perhaps then as it is now: "Handsome, ambitious Julien Sorel is determined to rise above his humble provincial origins." Maybe I saw something of Julien in myself, or maybe like Mathilde de la Mole, I was looking for a life outside the script dictated by parents and society, or trying to find a world beyond materialism and utilitarianism, something inspirational and possibly Romantic. It was with this novel that I first realized that a writer could communicate intimately across centuries; I fell in love with Stendhal. I wanted to know about his life. He wrote with integrity; he wrote what he knew to be true about life, and he did not let the marketplace dictate what he should write. Beyle was a human being first, then a writer. In January 1983, as now in January 2008, reading The Red and the Black, I am astounded with the author's ability to move smoothly from the character's interior thoughts into action or landscape while encompassing his characters in their political/social matrix. Whether in a high-society drawing room or in the stillness of night, Stendhal gave his work movement, dynamism. There is something uncanny about the author's ability to draw characters like Madame de Renal and her husband, a small-town merchant, politician, religious hypocrite. It is the Renals of the world who have the power to destroy the Romantically inspired Juliens and Mathildes, and yet a market-driven nation doesn't seem to function without the Renals. An unusual but appropriate companion reading to Stendhal's work might be Tocqueville's Democracy in America; volume one published in 1835.
Review: The arrogance of youth - This book has been on my list for about 50 years. The French novel it reminded me of most is Flaubert’s SENTIMENTAL EDUCATION. Both concern ambitious, yet basically foolish, young men who dream of joining a higher social caste and leading a life of romantic intrigue. THE RED AND THE BLACK’s youthful protagonist is Julien Sorel, son of a carpenter, whose gift for Latin and his prodigious memory are recognized at an early age and lead to his being groomed for the clergy. He is a nice young man with enormous potential. He becomes a sought-after tutor among the bourgeoisie. His natural charm and good looks take him a long way up the social ladder. He learns how to seduce women of high society. However, his youthful arrogance and ignorance of just how the social caste system works lead to his downfall. I found it quite entertaining and remarkably cinematic in the way a scene would sometimes “dissolve” into the next scene. It’s a long book, but I found it fast moving. FOUR STARS

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #84,031 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #599 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction #1,347 in Classic Literature & Fiction #4,938 in Literary Fiction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.2 out of 5 stars 597 Reviews |

## Images

![The Red and the Black (Penguin Classics) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81l4PIdMwTL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Still the most charismatic novel ever written
*by T***E on February 20, 2008*

This novel has everything: political intrigue, the psychological detail of detective work, the ambiguity of love and romance; it's a comedy of manners, but also a saga of helplessness and tragedy, incisive social commentary. Published in 1830, The Red and The Black, is timeless: its relevance to contemporary Westernized or Americanized, bureaucratic, and capitalist-developed nations is both a condemnation and a triumph. The Red and the Black first caught my attention 25 years ago in January 1983; a stack of copies were set out on a table in the Tattered Cover Bookshop, Denver (then on 1st Avenue in the Cherry Creek area). At that time, the Penguin edition was a new translation to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the author, Henri-Marie Beyle, January 23, 1783. I don't know how or why I decided to buy a copy; maybe it had something to do with the brief review on the back cover, which was perhaps then as it is now: "Handsome, ambitious Julien Sorel is determined to rise above his humble provincial origins." Maybe I saw something of Julien in myself, or maybe like Mathilde de la Mole, I was looking for a life outside the script dictated by parents and society, or trying to find a world beyond materialism and utilitarianism, something inspirational and possibly Romantic. It was with this novel that I first realized that a writer could communicate intimately across centuries; I fell in love with Stendhal. I wanted to know about his life. He wrote with integrity; he wrote what he knew to be true about life, and he did not let the marketplace dictate what he should write. Beyle was a human being first, then a writer. In January 1983, as now in January 2008, reading The Red and the Black, I am astounded with the author's ability to move smoothly from the character's interior thoughts into action or landscape while encompassing his characters in their political/social matrix. Whether in a high-society drawing room or in the stillness of night, Stendhal gave his work movement, dynamism. There is something uncanny about the author's ability to draw characters like Madame de Renal and her husband, a small-town merchant, politician, religious hypocrite. It is the Renals of the world who have the power to destroy the Romantically inspired Juliens and Mathildes, and yet a market-driven nation doesn't seem to function without the Renals. An unusual but appropriate companion reading to Stendhal's work might be Tocqueville's Democracy in America; volume one published in 1835.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The arrogance of youth
*by K***N on February 15, 2019*

This book has been on my list for about 50 years. The French novel it reminded me of most is Flaubert’s SENTIMENTAL EDUCATION. Both concern ambitious, yet basically foolish, young men who dream of joining a higher social caste and leading a life of romantic intrigue. THE RED AND THE BLACK’s youthful protagonist is Julien Sorel, son of a carpenter, whose gift for Latin and his prodigious memory are recognized at an early age and lead to his being groomed for the clergy. He is a nice young man with enormous potential. He becomes a sought-after tutor among the bourgeoisie. His natural charm and good looks take him a long way up the social ladder. He learns how to seduce women of high society. However, his youthful arrogance and ignorance of just how the social caste system works lead to his downfall. I found it quite entertaining and remarkably cinematic in the way a scene would sometimes “dissolve” into the next scene. It’s a long book, but I found it fast moving. FOUR STARS

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Essential classic
*by G***. on February 2, 2017*

Stendhal concludes this tale with a dedication: TO THE HAPPY FEW. After we read about Julien Sorel, the protagonist, and the people he encounters, it is an apt way to finish the book because what is missing from the story is happiness. The few times it happens, it is always conditional. Even when Julien experiences love, he is overwhelmed by feelings of triumph, not passion. Because this classic was written in 1830, today’s readers can be forgiven if some of the plot lines, psychological exposition, obvious use of foreshadowing and characters seem a bit familiar. It is easy to envision a young Theodore Dreiser, Erich Maria Remarque, Saul Bellow or Willa Cather holed up in a corner devouring every word as it sowed the seeds for their writing (I found so many parallels with An American Tragedy and Augie March). Stendhal’s story delves deeply into a particular society in a unique period of history. Julien indeed feels a bit lost; he would rather have been marching with his hero Napoleon in an earlier time. At times it seems tedious, which Stendhal comically acknowledges: “The total boredom of the life led by Julien, without real interests, will no doubt be shared by the reader. These are the flatlands of our journey.” Yet the journey takes us to a conclusion that has a lasting effect. I doubt it can be forgotten by anyone once read. Like training for a long race, it makes all the toil that came before it more enjoyable and relevant. I can better understand why, in life, there are but a happy few.

## Frequently Bought Together

- The Red and the Black (Penguin Classics)
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*Product available on Desertcart Cyprus*
*Store origin: CY*
*Last updated: 2026-03-06*