"Red and Black", analysis and content

Life and historical foundations of the novel.

Life basis- a court case, the son of the blacksmith Antoine Berthe, who was executed for shooting his former mistress.

Historical background– social life in France during the Restoration period

Conflict of the novel- This is a clash between the individual and society.

Main character- the son of a blacksmith, Julien Sorel, wants to get to the top of society and is faced with a choice: to remain a romantic, honest, but poor man and live his whole life without fame, or to adapt, to flatter himself, to use others to make a career at the cost of a ruined soul. Throughout the novel, we seem to be watching the line of his life.

Julien Sorel was of a very fragile build, even somewhat effeminate. The main character traits were: silence, romance, pride, ambition. Relations in the family were bad, he was treated like a degenerate, because he was significantly different from his entire family, not only in appearance, but also in character. Sorel’s main goal in life was to reach the cream of society under any circumstances, and it was for this that he began to study. He was engaged in teaching in the house of D'Renal, he taught Latin and the Gospel.

Julien had a hard time at D'Renal's house. He treated the owner of the house with contempt because he considered him a rich, stupid, self-righteous aristocrat. That is why Julien constantly tries, at the slightest opportunity, to hurt his owner’s pride and show his superiority over him. The young man is annoyed that Monsieur D'Renal treats him like a servant and Julien tries to achieve the love of the mistress of the house, not so much for the sake of love itself, but for the sake of revenge and ambition. But he does not immediately realize that he himself has fallen in love with Madame D’Renal. Julien leaves D'Renal's house due to a conflict caused by his love for his mistress. The young man leaves for Besançon to enter the seminary there.

Julien Sorel was smart and diligent, but he did not immediately understand that reasoning and common sense were not welcomed at the seminary. He only needed to show blind faith and passion for money, but not knowledge. It was precisely because he was a thinking and logical person that Sorel was different from other seminarians, and it was for this that his comrades did not like him.

Abbot Pirard, despite his life principles, became very attached to Julien, but tried not to show it, because it would only bring problems for Sorel.

The priest's career did not correspond in any way to Julien's dreams or calling. He dreamed of becoming a military man and performing heroic deeds, but at that time only aristocrats could join the army, and in order to reach high society, Julien was forced to become a priest, although his being resisted this.

What Julien was an honest man And interesting conversationalist, being kind to everyone, but not allowing himself to be humiliated, greatly helped him to settle well in the house of Mr. de’La Mole. At first, de'La Mole's daughter Matilda treated Julien as a toy with which she wanted to relieve boredom. She was a very proud and narcissistic person; at first she simply mocked Julien. In the end, Sorel got tired of this and began to answer her in kind. This pride and self-esteem did not leave Matilda indifferent - she fell in love without memory.

The Marquis de'La Mole did not really like that his daughter had a relationship with a commoner, he was ashamed of his daughter's honor, it was a shock to him.

Soon Matilda wanted to marry Julien, and this was not at all part of the Marquis’s plans, but the girl was very persistent, and de’La Mole had to help Sorel get the rank and title. When it became clear that Matilda had finally decided to marry Sorel, the Marquis de'La Mole decided to make inquiries about him from his aristocratic friends, because Julien was from ordinary people and little was known about him.

Madame De'Renal loved Julien very much, and naturally she was angry that he left her and decided to marry someone else, she understood that this was a marriage of convenience, only in order to become an aristocracy. Madame De'Renal realized that, like Matilda, she was just a tool for Sorel on his way to the top of society. She gave him very bad recommendations. She wrote to the marquis that Julien was using women, and thereby put an end to Sorel’s life and his future.

Julien Sorel tried diligently to achieve his goal, but the woman who swore eternal love to him betrayed him, and with one line crossed out all his efforts and intrigues. He was furious; he was simply destroyed. This was the main reason for the shot.

In prison, Sorel began to repent; he realized that he had wasted his life and abilities in vain. What the only woman whom he loved was Madame De'Renal and that he never cheated on her. In his last word Sorel in once again challenged the aristocrats and the society they created. He stood his ground until the end and did not allow himself to be broken.

Introduction

Topic of this course work is “Stendhal’s novel “Red and Black” - a chronicle of the 19th century.”

Relevance The work is that Stendhal’s work is very multifaceted, but has not been sufficiently studied.

When characterizing the degree of scientific development of the problem, it should be taken into account that this topic has already been analyzed by different authors in various publications: textbooks, monographs, periodicals and on the Internet. However, we tried to make our small contribution to the study of this problems.

Scientific significance determined by the fact that the work contains an analysis of the work.

Practical significance The work consists in the possibility of using research data in a course on the history of foreign literature of the 19th century, in special courses on this subject.

On the one hand, the research topic receives interest in scientific circles, on the other hand, as has been shown, there is insufficient development and unresolved issues. This means that this work will have theoretical, educational, and practical significance. The certain significance and insufficient scientific development of the problem determine scientific novelty of this work.

Target work is to study in more detail Stendhal’s novel “The Red and the Black”

Achieving the goal requires solving specific tasks :

Explore the life, work and worldview of Stendhal.

Research the writer’s theoretical works on this issue.

Analyze the novel “Red and Black” from the point of view of this topic.

Object research is Stendhal's novel "The Red and the Black", and subject - the chronicle genre in this novel. It is this work that is the material of literary critical and literary research conducted on the basis of literary works of both French, domestic and foreign Russian-speaking authors.

The interpretation of the work of this extraordinary French romantic has been carried out since the very different points view, but in Russian literary scholarship, special works devoted to the author’s features of Stendhal’s novel “Red and Black,” which largely explain many of the contradictory aspects of his work, have not been found. Addressing this problem reveals theoretical value this work .

Practical value of this study is the possibility of using of this material when becoming familiar with French critical realism for both students and teachers of higher educational institutions in the discipline “Foreign Literature”.

In this work, various methods : the typological method made it possible to trace the internal connections between the fundamental works of Stendhal and the works of his contemporaries, to discover in them common principles and trends in the development of the literary process; cultural-historical and comparative methods made it possible to explore the connections between cultures, mentality and ways of thinking reflected in domestic and foreign literature, to discover not only the reasons for the influence of the work of the French romantic on the works of subsequent generations, but also to trace the peculiarities of the influence of the main literary and philosophical theories on his work XX century; the sociological approach made it possible to interpret Stendhal's works of art from certain social and philosophical positions; psychological and psychoanalytic approaches made it possible to analyze the works of the French writer as a kind of derivative of the author’s complexes or experiences.

Work structure. This work consists of an introduction, two sections, a conclusion and a list of references. The introduction substantiates the relevance of the chosen topic, its novelty, formulates the purpose and objectives of the work, the object and subject of the study, the methods used in the work, and describes the structure. The first section examines life and creative path Stendhal. The second is dedicated Stendhal's novel "Red and Black" - a chronicle of the 19th century . Each section ends with brief conclusions. The conclusion shows the results of the work as a whole. The work is completed by a list of references used.

SECTION 1. Stendhal - the founder of the French realistic novel X I 10th century

1. The life and creative path of Stendhal.

Stendhal's work opens a new period in the development of not only French, but also Western European literature. It is he who takes the lead in substantiating the main principles and program of formation contemporary art, theoretically stated in the first half of the 1820s, when classicism still reigned, and soon brilliantly embodied in the artistic masterpieces of the outstanding novelist XIX V.

"Human XVIII century, lost in the heroic era of Napoleon,” Stendhal uniquely connected the two eras; like many intellectuals of his time, he saw in Napoleon a bearer of revolutionary ideals and an emperor who staked the fate of the peoples of Europe on his own ambition. It is no coincidence that the Napoleonism of Stendhal's heroes reveals the inner essence of their nature, helps to evaluate the relationship between the individual and society, and manifests itself in the metaphorical nature of the artistic image - the symbol of a hawk or an eagle.

STENDAHAL (Stendhal; pseudonym, real name – Henri Marie Beyle, Beyle) (1783–1842) - French writer, one of the founders of the French realistic novel of the 19th century. Born on January 23, 1783 in Grenoble into a middle-class family. Stendhal's father, Chérubin Bayle, a lawyer at the local parliament, and his grandfather, Henri Gagnon, a doctor and public figure, like most of the French intelligentsia of the 18th century, were passionate about the ideas of the Enlightenment. My father had in his library a “great encyclopedia of sciences and arts” compiled by Diderot and D'Alembert, and was fond of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. My grandfather was an admirer of Voltaire and a convinced Voltairian. But with the beginning of the French Revolution (1789), their views changed greatly. The family was wealthy. Stendhal's father even had to go into hiding, and he ended up on the side of the old regime.

After the death of Stendhal's mother (she died when her son was only 7 years old), the family went into mourning for a long time. The father and grandfather fell into piety, and the boy's upbringing was entrusted to the priest. This priest, Abbot Ralyan, whom Stendhal recalled with indignation in his memoirs, tried in vain to instill religious views in his pupil.

In 1796, Stendhal entered the Central School that opened in Grenoble. The task of these schools, established in some provincial cities, was to introduce public and secular education in the republic in order to replace the former - private and religious.

They were supposed to equip the younger generation with useful knowledge and ideology consistent with the interests of the emerging bourgeois state. At the Central School, Stendhal became interested in mathematics. With its accuracy and logical clarity, the writer later decides to enrich the art of depicting the human soul, noting in the drafts: “Apply the techniques of mathematics to the human heart. Base this idea on creative method and the language of passion. This is all art."

In 1799, having successfully passed his final exams, Stendhal went to Paris to the Ecole Polytechnique, but life made adjustments to his original plans. An influential relative appoints a young man to military service. He arrived in Paris a few days after the coup of the 18th Brumaire, when the young General Bonaparte seized power and declared himself first consul. Preparations immediately began for a campaign in Italy, where reaction again triumphed and Austrian rule was established. Stendhal was enlisted as a sub-lieutenant in a dragoon regiment and went to his duty station in Italy. He served in the army for more than two years, however, he did not have to participate in a single battle. He then resigned. Dreaming of “the glory of the greatest poet” equal to Moliere, he rushes to Paris. In 1802 he returned to Paris with the secret intention of becoming a writer.

Stendhal lived in Paris for almost three years, persistently studying philosophy, literature and English language. In fact, only here he receives his first real education. He becomes acquainted with modern French sensualistic and materialistic philosophy and becomes a convinced enemy of the church and all mysticism in general. While Bonaparte was preparing the imperial throne for himself, Stendhal hated the monarchy for the rest of his life. In 1799, during the coup of the 18th Brumaire, he was pleased that General Bonaparte had "become King of France"; in 1804, the coronation of Napoleon, for which the Pope came to Paris, seems to Stendhal an obvious “union of all deceivers.”

In 1822, Stendhal, having gone through scientific studies, wrote: “Art always depends on science, it uses methods discovered by science.”

What he obtained in science early years seeks to apply to art, and many of his conclusions and observations will find refraction in the mature aesthetic theory and practice of the writer.

The true discovery for young Stendhal was the theory substantiated by Helvetius, for whom the “pursuit of happiness” is the main incentive for all actions. Having nothing to do with the apology of egoism and egocentrism, the philosopher’s teaching asserted that a person, living in a society of his own kind, not only cannot ignore them, but must, for the sake of his own happiness, do good for them. The “hunt for happiness” was dialectically connected with civic virtue, thereby guaranteeing the well-being of the entire society. This teaching had a strong impact not only on the social views and ethics of Stendhal, who would derive his own formula for happiness: “A noble soul acts for the sake of its own happiness, but its greatest happiness lies in bringing happiness to others.” “The hunt for happiness” as the main driver of all human actions will become a constant subject of depiction by Stendhal the artist. At the same time, the writer, being, like his teacher-philosophers, a materialist, will attach the most important importance to the social environment, upbringing and characteristics of the era in the formation of the personality of the very “way” of its “hunt for happiness”

The writer faces a very prosaic problem. He is already 22 years old, and he does not have a specific profession that provides a constant income. Many of the comedies Stendhal began remained unfinished, and he decided to make a living through commerce. After serving for about a year in some trading company in Marseilles and feeling forever disgusted with trade, he decided to return to military service. In 1805, continuous wars with the European coalition began again, and Stendhal was enlisted in the commissariat. From that time on, he continuously traveled around Europe following Napoleon's army. In 1806, he entered Berlin with French troops, and in 1809 - Vienna.

In 1811, he spent a vacation in Italy, where he conceived his book “The History of Painting in Italy.” In 1812, Stendhal, of his own free will, went into the army that had already invaded Russia, entered Moscow, saw the fire of the ancient Russian capital and fled with the remnants of the army to France, retaining for a long time the memories of the heroic resistance of the Russian troops and the valor of the Russian people.

Stendhal emphasized in one of his letters: “What I saw and experienced, a stay-at-home writer would not have guessed in a thousand years.”

Napoleon's abdication in 1814 and the Bourbon restoration brought an end to Stendhal's military service.

Refusing the place offered to him by the new government, the writer left for Italy, which was then under Austrian yoke.

He settles in Milan, in the city that he fell in love with back in 1800, and lives here almost continuously for about seven years. As a retired Napoleonic officer, he receives a half pension, which allows him to somehow survive in Milan, but it is not enough to live in Paris.

In Italy, Stendhal published his first work - three biographies: “The Lives of Haydn, Mozart and Metastasio” (1814).

In 1814, Stendhal first became acquainted with the romantic movement in Germany, mainly from the book by A. V. Schlegel “Course of Dramatic Literature,” which had just been translated into French. Accepting Schlegel's idea of ​​the need for decisive literary reform and the fight against classicism for the sake of a freer and more modern art, he, however, does not sympathize with the religious-mystical tendencies of German romanticism and cannot agree with Schlegel in his criticism of all French literature and enlightenment.

Since 1816, Stendhal has been interested in Byron's poems, in which he sees an expression of modern public interests and social protest. Italian romanticism, which emerged around the same time and was closely associated with the Italian national liberation movement, aroused his ardent sympathies. All this was reflected in Stendhal’s next book, “The History of Painting in Italy” (1817) , in which he most fully outlined his aesthetic views.

At the same time, Stendhal published the book “Rome, Naples and Florence » (1817) , which attempts to characterize Italy, its political situation, morals, culture and the Italian national character. To make this picture of an entire country vivid and convincing, he sketches vivid scenes of modern life and retells historical episodes, revealing the brilliant talent of the narrator.

In 1820, the persecution of the Italian Carbonari began. Some of Stendhal's Italian acquaintances were arrested and imprisoned in Austrian prisons. Terror reigned in Milan. Stendhal decided to return to Paris.

In June 1821, he arrived in his homeland and immediately plunged into the atmosphere of stormy political and literary struggle. His homeland greets him unfriendly. His choice of new friends is also alarming, including the progressive publicist P.-L. Courier, soon killed by police mercenaries, and twice tried for his political songs by Bérenger. France is a lot like Italy.

Here, too, reaction is rampant and the opposition camp is opposing it in the same way. Stendhal returned to Paris at a time when the trial of participants in the republican conspiracy against the Bourbons was underway. Among them are friends of the writer’s youth. The situation in French literature, split into two warring camps - the romantics and the classicists, also makes us remember Italy. Stendhal, of course, is on the side of the former, although he does not accept everything in their orientation. Of the literary societies of that time, the salon of E. Delecluse was closest to him, where he most often visited, meeting with opposition figures. Here he meets his future colleague and friend - young P. Merimee.

In Paris, life was more expensive than in Milan, and Stendhal had to engage in genuine literature to earn money: write small articles for French and English magazines. He barely found time to write a novel.

During the restoration in France there was a dispute between the classics and the romantics. Stendhal took part in these debates, publishing two pamphlets, Racine and Shakespeare (1823 and 1825). The brochures attracted the attention of literary circles and played a role in the struggle between two literary movements.

In 1826, Stendhal wrote his first novel, “Armans” (1827), where he depicts modern France, its “high society,” an idle aristocracy, limited in interests, thinking only about its own benefits. However, this work of the writer, despite its artistic merits, did not attract the attention of readers.

It was one of the most difficult periods in Stendhal's life. The political state of the country plunged him into despondency, his financial situation was very difficult: work in English magazines ceased, and books provided almost no income. Personal affairs brought him to despair. At this time he was asked to compile a guide to Rome.

Stendhal happily agreed and in a short time wrote the book “Walking in Rome” (1829) - in the form of a story about the journey to Italy of a small group of French tourists. Impressions from modern Rome formed the basis of Stendhal’s story “Vanina Vanini, or some details regarding the last Venta” Carbonari, revealed in the Papal States." The story was published in 1829.

In the same year, Stendhal began writing his novel “The Red and the Black,” which made his name immortal. The novel was published in November 1830 with the date “1831”. At this time, Stendhal was no longer in France.

Among the wealthy bourgeoisie, self-interest and the desire to imitate dominate upper classes- original customs can only be found among the people. Passions can be noticed only when they break out in some act punishable by law. That is why, in the eyes of Stendhal, the "Court Gazette" is important document for the study of modern society. He found the problem he was interested in in this newspaper. This is how one of Stendhal’s best works arose - “Red and Black”. The subtitle of the novel is “Chronicle of the 19th Century.” By this “century” we should understand the period of the Restoration, since the novel was begun and mainly written before the July Revolution. The term "Chronicle" here refers to a true account of Restoration society.

M. Gorky characterized this novel remarkably: “Stendhal was the first writer who, almost the day after the victory of the bourgeoisie, began to insightfully and vividly depict the signs of the inevitability of the internal social decay of the bourgeoisie and its dull myopia.”

On July 28, 1830, on the day of the July Revolution, Stendhal was delighted to see the tricolor banner on the streets of Paris. In the history of France came new era: The big financial bourgeoisie came to power.

Stendhal quickly recognized the deceiver and strangler of freedom in the new king Louis-Philippe, and considered the former liberals who joined the July Monarchy to be renegades. Nevertheless, he began to bother about public service and soon became the French consul in Italy, first in Trieste, and then in Civita Vecchia , a seaport near Rome. Stendhal remained in this position until his death. He spent most of the year in Rome and often went to Paris.

In 1832, he began his memoirs about his stay in Paris from 1821 to 1830 - “Memoirs of an Egoist”, in 1835 - 1836 - an extensive autobiography, brought only up to 1800 - “The Life of Henri Brulard”. In 1834, Stendhal wrote several chapters of the novel Lucien Leuven, which also remained unfinished. At the same time, he became interested in old Italian chronicles he accidentally found, which he decided to process into short stories. But this plan was realized only a few years later: the first chronicle “Vittoria Accoramboni” appeared in 1837. During a long vacation in Paris, Stendhal published “Notes of a Tourist,” a book about his travels in France, and a year later the novel “The Monastery of Parma” was published, which reflected his excellent knowledge of Italy (1839). This was the last work he published. The novel on which he worked in the last years of his life, Lamiel, remained unfinished and was published many years after his death. Stendhal died in Paris on March 22, 1842.

1.2. Stendhal's worldview.

Stendhal's worldview, in general terms, was already formed in 1802-1805, when he read with great enthusiasm the French philosophers of the 18th century - Helvetius, Holbach, Montesquieu, as well as their more or less consistent successors - the philosopher Destutt de Tracy, the creator of the science of the origin of concepts , and Cabanis, a doctor who proved that mental processes depend on physiological processes.

Stendhal does not believe in the existence of God, in religious prohibitions and in the afterlife, and rejects ascetic morality and the morality of submission. He strives to verify every concept he encounters in life and in books with data from experience and personal analysis. He builds his ethics on the basis of sensualistic philosophy, or rather, he borrows it from Galvencia . If there is only one source of knowledge - our sensations, then we should reject any morality that is not connected with sensation, that does not grow out of it. The desire for fame, the well-deserved approval of others, according to Stendhal, is one of the most powerful incentives for human behavior.

Subsequently, Stendhal's views evolved: some indifference to social issues, characteristic of him in the era of the Empire, was replaced by an ardent interest in them. Influenced by political events and liberal theories during the Restoration, Stendhal began to think that constitutional monarchy was an inevitable stage on the path from the despotism of the Empire to the Republic, etc. But despite all this, Stendhal's political views remained unchanged.

Feature Modern French society, Stendhal believed, is hypocrisy. This is the government's fault. It is this that forces the French to hypocrisy. No one in France believes in the dogmas of Catholicism anymore, but everyone must assume the appearance of a believer. No one sympathizes with the reactionary policies of the Bourbons, but everyone should welcome them. From school, children are taught to be hypocrites and see this as the only means of existence and the only opportunity to calmly go about their business. Stendhal was a passionate hater of religion and especially the clergy. The power of the church over minds seemed to him the most terrible form of despotism. In his novel The Red and the Black, he portrayed the clergy as a social force fighting on the side of reaction. He showed how future priests are trained in the seminary, instilling in them crudely utilitarian and selfish ideas and by all means attracting them to the side of the government.

Brief conclusions on section 1.

The influence of Stendhal's work on the further development of literature was broad and imaginative. The reason for this worldwide fame lies in the fact that Stendhal, with extraordinary insight, revealed the main, leading features of modernity, the contradictions tearing it apart, the forces fighting in it, the psychology of the complex and restless XIX century, all those features of the relationship between man and society that were characteristic not only of France.

With deep truthfulness, making him one of the greatest realists, he showed the movement of his era, freeing itself from the bonds of feudalism, from the domination of the capitalist elite, making its way to still vague, but inevitably attractive democratic ideals. With each novel, the scope of his images increased and social contradictions appeared in great complexity and irreconcilability.

Stendhal's favorite heroes cannot accept the forms of life that emerged in the 19th century as a result of the revolution that led to the rule of the bourgeoisie. They cannot come to terms with a society in which feudal traditions have uglyly reckoned with the triumphant “purity”. The preaching of independence of thought, energy that rejects absurd prohibitions and traditions, a heroic principle that tries to break through to action in an inert and rough environment, is hidden in this revolutionary in nature, excitingly truthful creativity.

That is why even now, so many years after Stendhal’s death, his works are read in all countries by millions of people, whom he helps to understand life, appreciate the truth and fight for a better future. That is why our readers recognize it as one of the largest artists of the XIX century, who made an invaluable contribution to world literature.

Section 2. "Stendhal's novel "Red and Black" - a chronicle of the 19th century."

2.1. Stendhal's novel "Red and Black" - a reflection of the life of France 19

In 1828, Stendhal came across a purely modern plot. The source was not literary, but real, which corresponded to the interests of Stendhal not only in its social meaning, but also in the extreme drama of the events. Here was what he had been looking for for a long time: energy and passion. The historical novel was no longer needed. Now we need something else: a truthful depiction of modernity, and not so much political and social events, but psychology and mental state modern people who, regardless of their own desires, prepare and create the future.
“A man of the 18th century, lost in the heroic era of Napoleon,” these words of K. Stryensky, said about the great French writer Stendhal, can rightfully be attributed to the hero of his famous novel “Red and Black.”

Julien Sorel, subject, like many young people of that time, to the influence of the personality of the majestic emperor, experiences a difficult internal struggle, which determines the overall tragedy of his image.

The hero's story was largely copied by the author from the fate of a real person. Stendhal learned from the newspapers about the young man sentenced to execution, the son of a peasant who decided to make a career serving in the family of a local rich man. Antoine Berthe, who successfully began his career as a tutor, was caught having an affair with the mother of his pupils, and lost his job. Moreover, he was expelled from the theological seminary, and later from service in a Parisian aristocratic mansion, where he was compromised by his relationship with the owner’s daughter. The final point in the streak of failures was a letter from his former owner, Madame Mishu.

In desperation, the young man shoots Mrs. Misha and then tries to commit suicide. It was no coincidence that this court chronicle attracted the attention of Stendhal, who conceived a novel about the tragic fate of a talented plebeian in Restoration France.

However, the real source only awakened the creative imagination of the artist, who rethought the chronicle story. Stendhal took this plot as the basis for his novel, but significantly changed and deepened it.

2.2 The image of Julien Sorel in the novel "The Red and the Black".

Julien Sorel embodied all the characteristic features of his era, and in its history life path These are not simple ambitious desires, but complex mental torments, doubts, the struggle with the injustice of society and one’s own delusions. It is on the history of the hero’s spiritual life, the formation of his character, clashes with social environment and the plot of “Red and Black” is built.

Endowed with a sensitive soul, Julien constantly analyzes current events, evaluates himself and his role in them, doubts and ponders his every step before deciding to take any action. Therefore, the main thing that critics and researchers of the writer’s work highlighted in the novel was its subtle psychologism, “an accurate and heartfelt depiction of the human heart.”

Stendhal's hero, forced to live in the world of self-interest and profit, which was the high society of the 19th century, himself is sharply different from his environment. A talented young man, absolutely indifferent to money, Julien Sorel has unbridled courage and energy, honesty and fortitude, and perseverance in moving towards his goal. Being a representative of a lower class, infringed on its legal rights, the hero at the same time does not want to put up with his pitiful situation. He strives to change, if not the world, then at least his destiny.

Standing on the top of a cliff and watching the flight of a hawk, Julien dreams of being like this proud bird. “This was Napoleon’s fate,” he thinks. “Perhaps the same awaits me...” For Stendhal’s hero, Napoleon is the highest example of how one person can rise above the world around him. And although Sorel is closer in spirit to revolutionaries, he considers revolution his real element, insane ambition carries him into the opposite camp.

Julien makes daring plans to achieve fame. Inspired by the example of Napoleon and firmly confident in his strength, will, energy and talents, he has no doubts about success. However, it was impossible to achieve recognition in a direct and honest way in that era. Hence the complex mental struggle of the hero.

The contradictions caused by the combination in Sorel's soul of revolutionary, independent and noble aspirations and ambitious desires, leading to the path of hypocrisy and deception, determine the internal drama of this image. Julien, according to Roger Vaillant, “is forced to rape his noble nature in order to play the vile role that he imposed on himself.” Striving for recognition and glory, the hero comprehends the true essence of those in power. To enter this world means to become mired in moral uncleanliness, insignificance, greed and cruelty. Even without fully realizing everything, Sorel still strives into this world. And only after becoming Viscount de Verneuil and the son-in-law of the powerful Marquis, he understands the true meaninglessness of his aspirations.

Having achieved the desired happiness, Julien did not become truly happy, because the living human soul he is looking for more - light, pure, high, something that simply does not exist in the world of power and big money.

The hero understands the illusory nature of his ambitious aspirations for a career, and the awareness of true values ​​returns to him: love, friendship, kindness, humanity. He begins to be burdened by the secular mask that he is forced to wear - the mask of an embittered ambitious man and a daring seducer. After all, behind this mask lies a sensitive, noble, kind soul. And the hero’s love for Louise de Renal helps him revive this soul.

Unfortunately, the final rebirth of Julien's soul was destined to occur under the influence of tragic events. In the confusion caused by Louise's incriminating letter, he shoots the woman he loves. And at this moment the hero experiences a real storm of contradictory feelings: on the one hand, true all-consuming love for Louise, on the other, disappointment in the one who deceived his holy faith, betrayed him, and dared to interfere with his career. And yet the pure soul of Julien Sorel wins, he returns to his true essence, to his nature. Changing his attitude to his career, to the highest society itself, he changes his view of the people around him, in particular, of Matilda de La Mole, whose marriage he so counted on in a fit of ambitious aspirations.

Now the brilliant aristocrat appears before him in her true guise, so similar to the whole world of La Moley, de Renal, Valno and the like.

Now the true attitude of all these gentlemen towards him is revealed to him. Therefore, at the trial, he openly throws the terrible truth in the face of his judges: he is being tried not so much for shooting Louise de Renal, but because he, a plebeian, dared to rebel against his pitiful fate, dreaming of taking his worthy place in the world.

Unfortunately, overcoming ambition and the victory of true feeling in the soul of Julien Sorel lead him to the guillotine: he rejects Matilda’s offer and refuses salvation. The complex struggle taking place in the hero’s soul completely exhausted him. Life now seems aimless to Julien, he no longer values ​​it and prefers death.

Stendhal could not decide how the hero, who had overcome his delusions, should have rebuilt his life, and therefore death for him was the only and inevitable way out.

“Young people like Laffargue (one of the prototypes of the protagonist of the novel “The Red and the Black”),” wrote Stendhal, “if they manage to get a good upbringing, are forced to work and struggle with real need, which is why they retain the ability to have strong feelings and terrifying energy. At the same time, they have easily vulnerable pride." And since ambition is often born from the combination of energy and pride, Stendhal ended his characterization of the young man with the following remark: "Probably all great people will henceforth come from the class to which Mr. Laffargue belongs ( he was a cabinetmaker). Napoleon once combined the same characteristics: a good upbringing, a fervent imagination and extreme poverty.
Julien Sorel's psychology and behavior are explained by the class to which he belongs. This is the psychology created by the French Revolution. He works, reads, develops his mental abilities, carries a gun to defend his honor.

Julien Sorel shows daring courage at every step, not expecting danger, but preventing it.
So, in France, where reaction dominates, there is no scope for talented people from the people. They suffocate and die, as if in prison. Those who are deprived of privilege and wealth must, for self-defense and, especially, to achieve success, adapt. Julien Sorel's behavior is determined by the political situation.

It links into a single and inextricable whole the picture of morals, the drama of experience, and the fate of the hero of the novel.
Julien Sorel is one of the most complex characters of Stendhal, who pondered him for a long time. The son of a provincial carpenter became the key to understanding driving forces modern society and prospects for its further development. Julien Sorel is the future revolution.
Stendhal had long been confident that the revolution would be made by young people from disadvantaged sections of society who received an education and learned to think. He knew very well that the revolution of the 18th century was made by such young people - both its supporters and enemies spoke about this.
Julien Sorel is a young man of the people. K. Liprandi wrote down from the novel words that characterize Julien in social terms: “son of a peasant,” “young peasant,” “son of a worker,” “young worker,” “son of a carpenter,” “poor carpenter.” In fact, the son of a peasant who owns a sawmill must work at it, just like his father and brothers. By his social status, Julien is a worker (but not hired); he is a stranger in the world of the rich, well-mannered, educated. But even in his family, this talented plebeian with a “strikingly unique face” is like an ugly duckling: his father and brothers hate the “frail”, useless, dreamy, impetuous, incomprehensible young man. At nineteen he looks like a scared boy. And enormous energy lurks and bubbles within him - the power of a clear mind, proud character, unbending will, “fierce sensitivity.” His soul and imagination are fiery, in his eyes there is flame.
This is not a portrait of a Byronic hero like the Corsair, Manfred. Stendhal needed the reader to feel and see what enormous and precious human energy, awakened in the “lower” classes by the era of the French revolutions, overwhelms this gifted young man from the people and, finding no way out, feeds the “sacred fire” of ambition that is increasingly flaring up in him . Stendhal's novel was written about the tragic uselessness of this popular energy in a reactionary era. Julien stands at the foot of the social ladder. He feels that he is capable of great deeds that would elevate him. But circumstances are hostile to him.
In 1838, Stendhal noted that Julien's unbridled imagination was one of the most important features of his character: “Ten years earlier, the author, wanting to paint a sensitive and honest young man, made him, creating Julien Sorel not only ambitious, but also with a head overflowing with imagination and illusion.

In this combination (heightened sensitivity and honesty, the power of imagination, ambition and faith in illusion) is all the unique and individual originality of Julien’s character, the crystallization of his feelings, his through action.
In Julien Sorel, imagination is subordinated to frantic ambition. Ambition in itself is not a negative quality.

The French word "ambition" means both "ambition" and "thirst for glory", "thirst for honor" and "aspiration", "aspiration"; ambition, as La Rochefoucauld said, does not exist with spiritual lethargy; it contains “the liveliness and ardor of the soul.” Ambition forces a person to develop his abilities and overcome difficulties.
Whatever Julien undertakes, the liveliness and ardor of his soul perform miracles. Its psychophysiological organization is an apparatus remarkable in sensitivity, speed and impeccability of action; Stendhal the physiologist took care of this. Julien Sorel is like a ship equipped for a long voyage, and the fire of ambition in other social conditions, providing scope for the creative energy of the masses, would help him overcome the most difficult voyage. But now the conditions are not favorable for Julien, and ambition forces him to adapt to other people's rules of the game: he sees that to achieve success, rigid selfish behavior, pretense and hypocrisy, bellicose distrust of people and gaining superiority over them are necessary.
But natural honesty, generosity, sensitivity, which elevate Julien above his environment, conflict with what ambition dictates to him under existing conditions.
The through-and-through action of the ambitious Julien Sorel was typical of the era. Claude Liprandi notes that many pamphleteers, historians, journalists, and political publicists wrote with indignation during the Restoration years about careerism, the brutal struggle for a place in the sun, as “the abomination of the century.”

The hero of “Red and Black,” reminds K. Liprandi, “is characteristic of his time,” “deeply truthful.” And the writers of Stendhal's era saw that the image of Julien was “truthful and modern.” But many were confused by the fact that the author of the novel boldly, unusually clearly and vividly expressed historical meaning themes, making his hero not a negative character, not a sneaky careerist, but a gifted and rebellious plebeian, whom the social system deprived of all rights and thus forced to fight for them, regardless of anything.

Stendhal consciously and consistently contrasts Julien's outstanding talents and natural nobility with his “ill-fated” ambition. We are convinced of how disastrous for Julien’s personality was the path to which ambition pushed him.
Hero" Queen of Spades“Pushkin, Hermann, is a young ambitious man with the profile of Napoleon and the soul of Mephistopheles,” he, like Julien, “had strong passions and a fiery imagination.” But internal struggle is alien to him. He is calculating, cruel and with all his being directed towards his goal - conquest wealth. He really does not take anything into account and is like a naked blade.
Perhaps Julien would have become the same if he himself had not constantly appeared as an obstacle in front of him - his noble, ardent, proud character, his honesty, the need to surrender to immediate feeling, passion, forgetting about the need to be calculating and hypocritical. Julien's life is the story of his unsuccessful attempts to fully adapt to social conditions in which base interests triumph. The “spring” of drama in the works of Stendhal, whose heroes are young ambitious people, says the French writer Roger Vaillant in his book “The Experience of Drama,” “lies entirely in the fact that these heroes “are forced to rape their rich nature in order to play the vile role that they imposed on themselves." These words accurately characterize the drama of the internal action of "The Red and the Black", which is based on the spiritual struggle of Julien Sorel. The pathos of the novel lies in the vicissitudes of Julien's tragic combat with himself, in the contradiction between the sublime (Julien's nature) and the base (his tactics dictated by social relations).

Julien was poorly oriented in his new society. Everything there was unexpected and incomprehensible, and therefore, considering himself an impeccable hypocrite, he constantly made mistakes. “You are extremely careless and reckless, although this is not immediately noticeable,” Abbot Pirard told him. “And yet, to this day, your heart is kind and even generous, and your mind is great.”
“All the first steps of our hero,” Stendhal writes on his own behalf, “quite confident that he was acting as carefully as possible, turned out, like the choice of his confessor, to be extremely reckless. Misled by the arrogance that distinguishes people with imagination, he took his intentions for accomplished facts and considered himself a consummate hypocrite.

“Alas! This is my only weapon!” he thought. “If this were a different time, I would earn my bread by doing things that would speak for themselves in the face of the enemy.”
All these mistakes were, in essence, a cruel criticism of modern society in all its levels and at the same time a characteristic of the naive and “natural” Julien.
Education was difficult for him because it required constant self-abasement.

This was the case in Renal’s house, in the seminary, and in Parisian social circles. This affected his attitude towards the women he loved.

His contacts and breaks with Madame de Renal and Mathilde de La Mole indicate that he almost always acted as the impulse of the moment told him, the need to show his personality and rebel against any real or perceived insult. And he understood every personal insult as a social injustice.
Madame de Renal saw Robespierre in him, but Julien did not want to be Robespierre. Napoleon always remained a model for him, whom he wanted to imitate in everything. The desire to become Napoleon or Robespierre was a feature of the youth from poor families who created this era. Book publishers were only interested in works that depicted ardent passions that aroused the wild delight of readers and theater audiences. "These feelings were necessary for young people who wanted to follow the path of Bonaparte and Robespierre."
The character of Julien Sorel was outlined back in 1818, when Stendhal wrote the first version of "The Life of Napoleon", a decisive, gloomy character, not distracted by any childish fun, at first aroused the hatred of all the little Frenchmen, his schoolmates, who understood his firm determination as hostile attitude towards their vanity. Poor Napoleon short, moreover, confident that his homeland was being oppressed by the French, avoided all society.

Ten years later, Napoleon's character, his love of solitude and attitude towards others were expressed in Julien Sorel.
Julien's behavior is determined by the idea of ​​nature, which he wanted to imitate, but in the restored monarchy, even with the Charter, this is impossible, so he has to “howl with the wolves” and act as others act. His “war” with society occurs hidden, and to make a career, from his point of view, means to undermine this artificial society for the sake of another, future and natural one.

2.3. The theme of love in the novel "Red and Black".

Julien Sorel is a synthesis of two, seemingly directly opposite, philosophical and political trends of the 19th century. On the one hand, rationalism combined with sensationalism and utilitarianism is a necessary unity, without which neither one nor the other could exist according to the laws of logic. On the other hand, there is the cult of feeling and the naturalism of Rousseau.
He lives as if in two worlds - in the world of pure morality and in the world of rational practicality. These two worlds - nature and civilization - do not interfere with each other, because both together solve one problem, to build a new reality and find the right ways for this.
Julien Sorel strove for happiness. His goal was the respect and recognition of secular society, which he penetrated thanks to his zeal and talents. Climbing the ladder of ambition and vanity, he seemed to be approaching his cherished dream, but he experienced happiness only in those hours when, loving Madame de Renal, he was himself.
It was a happy meeting, full of mutual sympathy and sympathy, without rationalistic and class barriers and partitions, a meeting of two people of nature - the kind that should exist in a society created according to the laws of nature.
Madame de Renal completely surrendered to her feelings, but the home teacher acted differently - he was constantly thinking about his social position.

Julien's double worldview manifested itself in relation to the hostess of the Renal house - he insulted her when she offered him several louis d'or to buy linen and asked him not to tell her husband about it.

Madame de Renal remains for him a representative of the rich class and therefore an enemy, and all his behavior with her was caused by class enmity and a complete misunderstanding of her nature:
“Now for Julien’s proud heart to fall in love with Madame de Renal has become something completely unthinkable.” At night in the garden, it occurs to him to seize her hand - only to laugh at her husband in the dark. He dared to put his hand next to hers. And then he was overcome with trepidation; not realizing what he was doing, he showered passionate kisses on the hand extended to him - “but maybe,” adds Stendhal, “they seemed passionate only to Madame de Renal?”
This "maybe" has a double meaning. Julien himself now did not understand what he felt, and apparently forgot about the reason that forced him to risk these kisses. The social meaning of his relationship with the woman in love disappears, and love that began long ago comes into its own.
Having already succumbed to this feeling, he began to think, maybe it would be better to look after his mistress’s friend? After all, the hostess herself chose him as her lover because it was convenient for her to meet him here.
What is civilization? This is what interferes with the natural life of the soul. Julien's thoughts about how he should act, how others treat him, what they think about him are all far-fetched, caused by the class structure of society, something that contradicts human nature and the natural perception of reality. The activity of the mind here is a complete mistake, because the mind works in emptiness, without a solid foundation, without relying on anything. The basis of rational knowledge is a direct feeling, not prepared by any traditions, coming from the depths of the soul. The mind must check sensations in all their mass, draw correct conclusions from them and build conclusions in general concepts.
Julien enters Madame de Renal's bedroom. There is some confusion. “And then all his vain nonsense flew out of Julien’s head, and he became simply himself. To be rejected by such a lovely woman seemed to him the greatest misfortune. In response to her reproaches, he threw himself at her feet and hugged his knees. And since she continued to scold him... he suddenly burst into tears... the love that he inspired in himself, and the unexpected impression that her charms made on him, gave him a victory that he would never have achieved... with his clumsy cunning." This is how Julien Sorel turns from a man of civilization into a man of nature, with natural and, therefore, truly social feelings, on which the laws of society should arise.

And he, who had never known love before and was not loved by anyone, experienced the bliss of being himself.
The story of the relationship between the plebeian conqueror and the aristocrat Matilda, who despises the spineless secular youth, is unparalleled in the originality, accuracy and subtlety of the drawing, in the naturalness with which the feelings and actions of the heroes are depicted in the most unusual situations.
Julien was madly in love with Matilda, but never for a minute forgot that she was in the hated camp of his class enemies. Matilda is aware of her superiority over the environment and is ready to do “madness” to rise above it. But her romance is purely in the head.

She decided that she would become on par with her ancestor, whose life was full of love and devotion, dangers and risks.

Julien can take over the heart of a rational and wayward girl for a long time only by breaking her pride. To do this, you need to hide your tenderness, freeze passion, and prudently use the tactics of the experienced dandy Korazov. Julien forces himself: again he must not be himself. Finally, Matilda's arrogant pride is broken. She decides to challenge society and become the wife of a plebeian, confident that only he is worthy of her love. But Julien, no longer believing in Matilda’s constancy, is now forced to play a role. But pretending and being happy is impossible.
Just as in his relationship with Madame Renal, Julien was afraid of deception and contempt on the part of the woman in love with him, and Mathilde sometimes felt that he was playing a false game with her. Doubts arose often, “civilization” interfered with the natural development of feelings, and Julien feared that Matilda, along with her brother and admirers, would laugh at him as a rebellious plebeian. Matilda understood perfectly well that he did not believe her. “I just need to catch the moment when his eyes light up,” she thought. “Then he will help me lie.”
The beginning love, growing over the course of a month, walks in the garden, Matilda’s sparkling eyes and frank conversations, obviously lasted too long, and love turned into hatred. Left alone with himself, Julien dreamed of revenge. “Yes, she is beautiful,” said Julien, his eyes sparkling like a tiger, “I will take possession of her, and then I will leave. And woe to anyone who tries to detain me!” Thus, false ideas instilled by social traditions and sick pride caused painful thoughts, hatred of a beloved being and killed sound thought.

“I admire her beauty, but I fear her intelligence,” says the epigraph signed with Merimee’s name to the chapter entitled “The Power of a Young Girl.”
Matilda's love began because Julien became an argument in her struggle against modern society, against false civilization. He was for her a salvation from boredom, from a mechanical salon existence, news of a psychological and philosophical level. Then he became an example of a new culture, built on a different principle - natural, personal and free, as if even a leader in the search for a new life and thinking. His hypocrisy was immediately understood as hypocrisy, as a necessity in order to hide a genuine, morally more perfect, but unacceptable worldview for modern society.

Matilda understood him as something related, and this spiritual unity aroused admiration, real, natural, natural love that captured her entirely. This love was free. “Julien and I,” Matilda thought, as always, alone with herself, “no contracts, no notaries preceding the bourgeois ceremony. Everything will be heroic, everything will be left to chance.” And chance here is understood as freedom, the opportunity to act as thought requires, the need of the soul, the voice of nature and truth, without violence invented by society.

She is secretly proud of her love, because she sees heroism in it: to love the carpenter’s son, find in him something worthy of love and neglect the opinion of the world - who could do such a thing? And she contrasted Julien with her high-society fans and tormented them with offensive comparisons.
But this is a "fight against society." Just like the well-bred people around her, she wants to win attention, make an impression and, oddly enough, appeal to the opinion of the high society crowd. The originality that she seeks openly and secretly, her actions, thoughts and passions that flare up in the conquest of “an exceptional being who despises all others” - all this is caused by resistance to society, the desire to take risks in order to distinguish itself from others and rise to heights that no one else can achieve. achieve. And this, of course, is the dictate of society, and not the requirement of nature.
This love for oneself is connected with love for him - at first unconscious and not very clear. Then, after a long, painful analysis of the psychology of this incomprehensible and attractive personality, doubts arise - maybe this is just a pretense in order to marry a rich marquise? And finally, as if without great reason, the certainty triumphs that it is impossible to live without him, that happiness is not in oneself, but in him. This is the victory of a natural feeling pulsating in an alien, hostile society. The threat of losing everything that was planned, everything that she was proud of, made Matilda suffer and even, perhaps, truly love. She seemed to understand that her happiness was in him. The “inclination” towards Julien finally triumphed over pride, “which, since she could remember herself, had reigned supreme in her heart. This arrogant and cold soul for the first time I was overcome by a fiery feeling."

The struggle of nature with civilization, with an unnatural system public relations seems to end with the victory of natural human feelings. The thirst for honor and glory, the expectation of triumph in the world, which Matilda despises just like Julien, has disappeared. Obstacles have been overcome. For Matilda, there is only love-passion, which the book about love glorified as the only truly human, natural feeling. Julien was freed from the need to hide his passion from her.

If Matilda's love reached the point of insanity, then Julien became reasonable and cold. And when Mathilde, in order to save him from a possible attempt on his life, said: “Farewell! Run!”, Julien did not understand anything and was offended: “As it inevitably happens, that even in their best moments these people always manage to do something... something to hurt me!" He looked at her with a cold gaze, and she burst into tears, which had never happened before.
Having received vast lands from the Marquis, Julien became ambitious, as Stendhal says. He thought about his son, and this also obviously reflected his new passion - ambition: this is his creation, his heir, and this will create a position for him in the world, and perhaps in the state. His "victory" turned him into a different person. "My romance finally ended, and I owe it only to myself. “I managed to make this monstrous proud woman fall in love with me,” he thought, looking at Matilda, “her father cannot live without her, and she cannot live without me...” His soul reveled, he barely responded to Matilda’s ardent tenderness. He was gloomy and silent."

And Matilda began to be afraid of him. “Something vague, something like horror, crept into her feeling for Julien. This callous soul knew in her love everything that is available to a human being, nurtured among the excesses of civilization that Paris admires.”
Having learned that they wanted to make him the illegitimate son of some high-ranking de La Verne, Julien became cold and arrogant, as he assumed that he was really the illegitimate son of a great man. All he could think about was fame and his son. When he became a lieutenant in the regiment and hoped to soon receive the colonel's chip, he began to take pride in something that had previously irritated him. He forgot about justice, about natural duty and lost everything human. He stopped even thinking about revolution.

Brief conclusions on section 2.

Among the many assumptions about the meaning of the title of the novel “Red and Black”, one can find a version according to which Stendhal disguised under secret colors two feelings that raged and possessed the spirit of Julien Sorel. Passion - spiritual impulse, moral thirst, unbridled, unaccountable attraction, and ambition - thirst for rank, fame, recognition, action not according to moral convictions in the pursuit of a goal - these two feelings fought in Julien, and each had the right to own his soul. The author divided the hero into two parts, into two Juliens: passionate and ambitious. And both of them achieved their goals: Julien, prone to natural feelings, with an open soul, achieved the love of Madame de Renal and was happy; in another case, ambition and composure helped Julien win Matilda and a position in the world. But this did not make Julien happy.

We are convinced of how destructive the path that ambition pushed him turned out to be for Julien’s personality. The last thing Stendhal wanted was for his contemporaries, the young men living on the sixth floors, to recognize Julien Sorel exemplary hero worth emulating.

Stendhal depicted the fate of an energetic and gifted young man, in front of whom all doors were closed. Julien had to take a detour.

Instead of benefiting society and thereby becoming famous, as would have happened in another, more democratic era, he becomes a criminal.

The political reaction is to blame for this, contrary to the democratic trends of the century; everything that is monstrous and unnecessary was brought with it by the Restoration, which tried to crush the revolution and everything that it created.

The novel “Red and Black” is perhaps the most extraordinary in French literature XIX century, sounded like a formidable warning: the time will come when the Julien Sorelys - young plebeians who can passionately dream of a better future and fearlessly fight for their happiness - will be able to find the right path!

Conclusion

The influence of Stendhal's work on the further development of literature was broad and multifaceted.The reason for this world fame lies in the fact that Stendhal, with extraordinary insight, revealed the main, leading features of modernity, the contradictions tearing man apart, the forces fighting in it, the psychology of the complex and turbulent 19th century, all those features of the relationship between man and society that wereare not characteristic of France alone.

With deep truthfulness, which makes him one of the greatest realists, he showed the dynamics of his era. With each novel the scope of his images increased, his psychologism became deeper.Stendhal's favorite heroes cannot accept the forms of life that developed in the 19th century.Preaching independence of thought, energy that rejects ridiculous prohibitions and traditions.

That is why even now, so many years after Stendhal’s death, his works are read in all countries by millions of people, whom he helps to understand life, appreciate the truth and fight for a better future.That is why our readers recognize him as one of the greatest artists of the 19th century, who made an invaluable contribution to world literature.

It was then, on the eve of the general crisis and global wars, that Stendhal’s novel “Red and Black” was born, embodying the philosophical and sociological problems of that time. Stendhal's novel "Red and Black" can rightfully be called an "encyclopedia of vanity" Andat the same time, it is a warning novel, whose educational role in Stendhal’s attempt to show the reader of the 19th century the paths of love, always lying far away from the seductive and disastrous road of vanity.The action of the novel dates back to 1827-1831, reflects the mores of the 19th century, and at the same time it will always be modern, because love, on the basis of which the struggle of human vanities unfolds, will never die in any era.

Thus, in this work, the novel “Red and Black” was considered as a unique work that is able to talk about the future not as something distant, but as something inevitably approaching. This work consists of two sections. The first section examines the life, work and worldview of Stendhal, as well as the writer’s theoretical works on this novel. The second is dedicated to the novel “Red and Black” - a chronicle XIX century. Each section ends with brief conclusions.

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The story described in Stendhal's novel The Red and the Black could be described as a story of extreme ambition at its most extreme. Taking real story about the young cabinetmaker Laffargue, read from a newspaper, Stendhal transformed and supplemented it, creating a truthful image of French modernity, and not so much political and social events, but the psychology and mental state of modern people who, regardless of their own desires, are preparing and creating the future. The author analyzes the thoughts and actions of a man of a turning point - the period of the Bourbon restoration - his contradictory life views and aspirations.

Leaving the resemblance to the real character (a cabinetmaker and a carpenter's son, both from peasant families, both having a love affair with the wives of the fathers of their students, etc.), he introduced and guided the main character through all three social circles that formed the basis of the Restoration regime : the circle of the bourgeoisie (the house of Mr. de Renal), the Catholic Church (the Besançon seminary) and the circle of the family nobility (the Parisian mansion of the Marquis de La Mole).

Always remembering his plebeian origin, which everyone around him also constantly reminds him of, he did not want to come to terms with his position in society, feeling that under other conditions (for example, in Napoleon’s army) he could have won his worthy place in the sun. Moreover, Sorel could not be accused of self-praise or excessive pretense about his own abilities. He really had enough intelligence (which those around him could not help but appreciate), and intelligence, and hard work, and responsibility for the assigned work (which de La Mole was convinced of when he sent Julien to the Duke), and energy to accomplish great feats. But he did not have the most important thing that “frees the hands” of any ambition - he did not have an aristocratic origin and the prefix “de” to his surname. Therefore, all his behavior and claims were perceived by the society around him only as impudence and impudence.

Julien has nothing to think about making a decent career in a direct and honest way. The contradictory combination in Julien’s nature of the plebeian, revolutionary, independent and noble principles with ambitious aspirations leading to the path of hypocrisy, revenge and crime forms the basis of the complex character of the hero. The confrontation of these antagonistic principles determines the inner drama of Julien, “forced to rape his noble nature in order to play the vile role that he imposed on himself,” wrote Roger Vaillant E.G. Petrova, E.A. Petrash. History of foreign literature of the 19th century. .

Julien Sorel's psychology and behavior are explained by the class to which he belongs. This is the psychology created by the French Revolution. He works, reads, develops his mental abilities, carries a gun to defend his honor. Julien Sorel shows daring courage at every step, not expecting danger, but preventing it. Julien makes daring plans to achieve fame, relying on his own will, energy and talents, the omnipotence of which the hero does not doubt. Ibid. . By nature, honest, generous, sensitive, but also ambitious, Julien is forced to adapt to other people's rules of the game: he sees that to achieve success, rigid selfish behavior, pretense and hypocrisy, bellicose distrust of people and gaining superiority over them are necessary. The path to the top that the hero takes in the novel is the path of his loss of his best human qualities. But this is also the way to comprehend the true essence of the world of those in power. Having begun in Verrieres with the discovery of moral uncleanliness, insignificance, greed and cruelty of the provincial pillars of society, it ends in the courtly spheres of Paris, where Julien discovers essentially the same vices, only skillfully covered up and ennobled by luxury, titles, and the high-society gloss of E.G. Petrova, E.A. Petrash. History of foreign literature of the 19th century. .

Sorel does not change his behavior in relationships with women. There were two of them in his life, and both played fatal role in his destiny. But they were opposite to each other in essence. One - Louise de Renal - a subtle, integral nature - embodies the moral ideal of Stendhal. Her feeling for Julien is natural and pure. Behind the mask of an embittered ambitious man and a daring seducer who once entered her house, she discovered the bright appearance of a young man - sensitive, kind, grateful, learning for the first time the selflessness and power of true love. Only with Louise de Renal did the hero allow himself to be himself, taking off the mask in which he usually appeared in society. The other, Mathilde de La Mole, was distinguished by a sharp mind, rare beauty and remarkable energy, independence of judgment and action, and a desire for a bright life full of meaning and passion.

At first, remembering that Louise de Renal is a representative of the rich class, i.e. society hostile to him, he behaved with her like an invader with an unfriendly fortress: “... he watched her as if he were an enemy with whom he had to fight... His soul was drowned in bliss - not because he was in love with Ms. de Renal, but because this monstrous torture was finally over... Julien felt danger: “If Madame de Renal goes into the living room now, I will again find myself in the same unbearable position in which I spent the whole day today. I have held her hand in mine for so little time that this cannot be considered a right won by me, which will be recognized for me once and for all." Stendhal. Red and black. . At first he felt neither passion nor love for her: he wanted to take her hand in his and kissed only to laugh at her husband. First of all, he thought only about how he would not look like a laughing stock in the eyes of the de Renals. While Louise completely surrendered to her feelings, the home teacher. all the time he thought about his social position. He could not even think that she could love him truly, sincerely. Vanity left him only in her bedroom: “And then all his vain nonsense flew out of Julien’s head, and he became simple. by yourself. To be rejected by such a lovely woman seemed to him the greatest misfortune. In response to her reproaches, he threw himself at her feet and grabbed her knees. And since she continued to scold him. he suddenly burst into tears. the love that he inspired in himself, and the unexpected impression that her charms made on him, gave him a victory that he would never have achieved. with his clumsy tricks" Ibid. . Here he reveals all the charm of a relationship with a loving and beloved woman. Here he can be himself, without fear of being insulted or ridiculed in his feelings. But this did not last long: thanks to Valno and other “well-wishers” Julien was forced to leave Madame de Renal and go to Besançon.

A year and a half of his life in the seminary has passed, and he ends up in the Parisian house of de La Moley. Here he is met by Matilda, an exorbitant and capricious prideful woman. And this is a completely different relationship - it is love-competition, love-rivalry, love-hate. She gives herself to him only because duty obliges her to do so: “And yet I must force myself to talk to him,” she finally told herself, “after all, it’s customary to talk to a lover”... in the end, she decided so: if he will have the courage to come to her, climbing the garden stairs, as she wrote to him, she will become his beloved. But it is unlikely that such loving speeches have ever been pronounced in such a cold and courteous tone... After long hesitation, which to an outside observer might have seemed the result of the most undoubted hatred - with such difficulty even Matilda’s strong will overcame natural feminine feelings, modesty, pride - she finally forced herself to become his mistress. Passionate love was for her rather a kind of model that should be imitated, and not something that arises by itself. Mademoiselle de La Mole believed that she was fulfilling a duty towards herself and her lover... She would gladly agree to condemn herself to eternal torment, just to avoid this terrible necessity that she imposed on herself." Stendhal. Red and Black . And on Julien’s part there were similar feelings: “Julien felt in highest degree confused; he didn’t know how he should behave and didn’t feel any love... “And this is a woman in love!” thought Julien. “And she still dares to say that she loves! In essence, what does it matter! I’m not in love with her ! I triumph over the Marquis in the sense that, of course, it must be unpleasant for him that he was replaced by someone else, and even more unpleasant that this other is me”... A few moments later, this “you”, devoid of all tenderness, no longer gave Julien any pleasure; he himself was surprised that he did not experience any happiness, and in order to evoke this feeling in himself, he turned to reason... True, this was not at all the spiritual bliss that he sometimes experienced near Madame de Renal. There was absolutely nothing tender in his feelings now. It was simply a stormy delight of ambition, and Julien was, first of all, ambitious." Ibid. The struggle of two vain prides ended with the breaking of one of them: "My romance, in the end, ended, and I owe it only to myself. “I managed to make this monstrous proud woman fall in love with me,” he thought, looking at Matilda, “her father cannot live without her, and she cannot live without me.” Ibid. But having won, Julien did not become happier. By the time the hero had already reached goal, having become Viscount de Verneuil and the son-in-law of the powerful Marquis, it becomes quite obvious that the game was not worth the candle. The prospect of such happiness cannot satisfy the hero. The reason for this is the living soul that was preserved in Julien despite all the violence done to her by E.G. , E.A. Petrash. History of foreign literature of the 19th century.

But pride still lives in Sorel until the ill-fated letter written by Madame de Renal at the instigation of her confessor. Once in prison, Julien looked differently at his whole life and at his goals, towards which he had been so consistently moving for so many years. And only in prison conditions did he realize the futility of his hard-won victories. The experience, like the catharsis of an ancient Greek tragedy, morally enlightened and raised the hero, cleansing him of the vices instilled by society. Finally, Julien discovered the illusory nature of his ambitious career aspirations, with which he had recently associated the idea of ​​happiness. Therefore, while awaiting execution, he so resolutely refuses the help of the powers that be, who are still capable of freeing him from prison, returning him to his former life. Ibid. .

Julien's moral revival is also reflected in the change in his attitude towards Mathilde de La Mole, who now becomes for him the embodiment of his ambitious aspirations, for the sake of which he was ready to make a deal with his conscience. So the hero’s natural beginning takes over; he dies, but emerges victorious in the fight against society.

With all the paramount importance that it acquires critical analysis In fact, one of the most important problems for the great masters of realism remains the problem of the positive hero. Realizing the complexity of its solution, Balzac notes: "vice is more effective; it catches the eye. Virtue, on the contrary, shows only unusually thin lines to the artist's brushes... vice is diverse, multi-colored, uneven, bizarre" E.G. Petrova, E.A. Petrash. History of foreign literature of the 19th century. . In essence, Balzac's images are “flowers of evil.” The main effect of "The Human Comedy" is surprise at the contrasts of Parisian life, at the moral monsters that stir at the bottom of the big city M. Livshits. Balzac's artistic method. .

The “multiple and multi-colored” negative characters of Balzac’s “Human Comedy” are always opposed by positive heroes, who at first glance are not very, perhaps “winning and catchy.” It is in them that the artist embodies his unshakable faith in man, the inexhaustible treasures of his soul, the limitless possibilities of his mind, perseverance and courage, willpower and energy. It is this “positive charge” of the “Human Comedy” that gives special moral force to Balzac’s creation, which absorbed the specific features of the realistic method at its peak. classic version E.G. Petrova, E.A. Petrash. History of foreign literature of the 19th century. .

In general, the career novel - both in Balzac and in Stendhal - not only reflected new phenomena of social reality. Here a way of interaction between the hero and the world, characteristic of the later realistic novel, was developed: how more active hero works on the practical implementation of his ideal, the more he moves away from it; The more persistently he strives to overcome the circumstances surrounding him, the more dependent he becomes on them. This can be clearly seen in the lives of the heroes of both authors. G.K. Kosikov writes: “Subjectively, while continuing to remain a bearer of the ideal, objectively the hero turns into a bearer of degradation. In order for the hero, in the bright light of moral values, to be able to see the path he has taken and the result to which he has arrived, most often an event is required due to which the “ideal” and “life” logic would come face to face so that the hero would not be able to evade the awareness of the insurmountable discord between them (as was the case with Julien Sorel in last chapters novel). Therefore, the final “rebirth” of such a hero, a return to the point of view of the ideal, leads him to understand the futility of not only the entire previous search, but also any search in general." I.V. Kabanova. Foreign literature. "Lost Illusions" by O. de Balzac. .

Everyone finds in front of him an enchanted world, completely unsuitable for him, with which he must fight, since this world opposes him and, in its unyielding strength, is not inferior to the passions of the hero... But this struggle and these battles in the modern world are nothing more than apprenticeships years, the education of the individual in the existing reality, and in this they acquire their true meaning. For the end of these student years is that the subject breaks off his horns; he is imbued with his desires and opinions by existing relationships and their rationality, enters into the cohesion of circumstances in the world and wins for himself a corresponding position in it M. Livshits. Balzac's artistic method. .

Stendhal's novel The Red and the Black is the pinnacle of French realism. There is amazing detail here, and the political, social and psychological realities of the time are described in detail. However, the hero of the novel, Julien Sorel, belongs to romantic heroes, therefore, his existence in circumstances typical of the era turns into a tragedy.

“Red and Black” is a book whose title has been making readers think and analyze what is behind it for many years. When reading the work, the answer to this question does not become obvious and assumes multiple options, which everyone resolves for themselves. Direct associations appear primarily with the internal state of Julien Sorel, which combined the desire to find oneself, accomplish a feat, become an educated person, but at the same time self-interest, vanity, and the goal of achieving success by any means. The title also indicates the general theme of the work. These two colors: red and black, in their combination symbolize a certain anxiety, a struggle that occurs within people and around them. Red is blood, love, desire, black is base motives, betrayal. In their mixture, these colors give rise to the drama that occurs in the lives of the heroes.

Red and black are the colors of roulette, a symbol of passion, which has become the life force of the main character. He alternately bet on the red (on the help of his mistresses, on his charm, etc.) and on the black (on deceit, meanness, etc.). This idea is suggested by the fatal hobby of the author himself: he was a passionate gambler.

Another interpretation: red is a military uniform, black is a priest’s cassock. The hero rushed between dreams and reality, and this conflict between the desired and the actual destroyed him.

Also, the combination of these colors forms the tragic ending of the ambitious hero: blood on the ground, red and black. The unfortunate young man could do so much, but he could only stain the ground with the blood of his mistress.

In addition, many researchers suggest that the contrasting combination of colors signifies the main conflict of the novel - the choice between honor and death: either shed blood or allow oneself to be denigrated.

What is the book about?

Stendhal tells readers about the life of a young man, Julien Sorel, who gets a job as a tutor in the house of Mr. de Renal and his wife. Throughout the book, the reader observes the internal struggle of this purposeful person, his emotions, actions, mistakes, managing to be indignant and empathize at the same time. The most important line of the novel is the theme of love and jealousy, complex relationships and people's feelings different ages and different positions.

The young man’s career took him to the very top and promised many joys, among which he was looking for only one - respect. Ambition pushed him forward, but it also drove him into a dead end, because the opinion of society turned out to be more valuable to him than life.

The image of the main character

Julien Sorel is the son of a carpenter, fluent in Latin, a smart, purposeful and handsome young man. This is a young man who knows what he wants and who is ready to make any sacrifice to achieve his goals. The young man is ambitious and smart, he craves fame and success, dreaming first of a military career and then of a career as a priest. Many of Julien’s actions are dictated by base motives, a thirst for revenge, a thirst for recognition and worship, but he is not a negative character, but rather a contradictory and complex character placed in difficult life conditions. The image of Sorel contains the character traits of a revolutionary, a gifted commoner who is not ready to put up with his position in society.

The plebeian complex makes the hero ashamed of his origin and look for a way to another social reality. It is this painful conceit that explains his assertiveness: he is sure that he deserves more. It is no coincidence that Napoleon, a native of the people who managed to subjugate dignitaries and nobles, becomes his idol. Sorel firmly believes in his star, and that’s all, and therefore loses faith in God, in love, in people. His unscrupulousness leads to tragedy: trampling on the foundations of society, he, like his idol, finds himself rejected and expelled by it.

Topics and problems

The novel raises many issues. This is the choice of life path, the formation of character, and the conflict between a person and society. To consider any of them, it is important to understand the historical context: the Great French Revolution, Napoleon, the mindset of an entire generation of youth, Restoration. Stendhal thought in these categories; he was one of those people who personally saw the breakdown of society and were impressed by this spectacle. In addition to global problems that are social in nature and related to the events of the era, the work also describes the complexities of relationships between people, love, jealousy, betrayal - that is, what exists outside of time and is always taken to heart by readers.

The main problem in the novel “Red and Black” is, of course, social injustice. A talented commoner cannot make his way into the ranks, even though he is smarter than the nobility and more capable. This person also does not find himself in his own environment: he is hated even in his family. Inequality is felt by everyone, so a gifted young man is envied and in every possible way prevented from realizing his skills. Such hopelessness pushes him to desperate steps, and the ostentatious virtue of priests and dignitaries only confirms the hero’s intention to go against the moral foundations of society. This idea is confirmed by the history of the creation of the novel “Red and Black”: the author found a note in the newspaper about the execution of a young man. It was this brief account of someone else’s grief that inspired him to fill in the missing details and create a realistic novel dedicated to the problem of social inequality. He suggests that the conflict between personality and environment should not be assessed so unambiguously: people do not have the right to take Sorel’s life, because it was they who made him this way.

What is the meaning of the novel?

The story itself contained in the novel is not fiction, but real events that greatly impressed Standhal. That is why the author chose Danton’s phrase “Truth. Bitter truth". It so happened that one day, while reading a newspaper, the writer read about the court case of Antoine Berthe, from whom the image of Sorel was copied. In this regard, the social problems of the work become even more obvious, which characterizes a difficult era and makes us think about it. Then a person was faced with a very acute question of choice: to preserve his spiritual purity in poverty or to go straight ahead and head over heels to success. Although Julien chooses the second, he is also deprived of the opportunity to achieve something, because immorality will never become the basis of happiness. A hypocritical society will willingly close its eyes to her, but only for a certain time, and when it opens, it will immediately isolate itself from the criminal taken by surprise. This means that Sorel’s tragedy is a verdict on unprincipledness and ambition. The real victory of the individual is self-respect, and not the endless search for this respect from the outside. Julien lost because he could not accept himself for who he is.

Psychologism of Stendhal

Psychologism is a characteristic feature of Standhal's work. It manifests itself in the fact that, along with the story about the actions and deeds of the character and the general picture of the events described, the author, at a higher level of analysis, describes the reasons and motives for the hero’s actions. Thus, the writer balances on the brink between boiling passions and the mind analyzing them, creating the feeling that at the same time when the hero commits an act, he is being continuously monitored. For example, this all-seeing eye shows the reader how Julien carefully hides his sentence from view: little Napoleon, whose veneration has already left its mark on the actions of the hero from the very beginning of his journey. This expressive detail points us to the soul of Sorel - a trembling moth striving for fire. He repeated the fate of Napoleon, winning the desired world, but failing to keep it.

Genre originality of the novel

The novel combines the features of romanticism and realism. This is evidenced by the vital basis of the story, filled with deep and varied feelings and ideas. This is a feature of realism. But here is the hero - romantic, endowed specific features. He is in conflict with society, but at the same time he is outstanding, educated and handsome. His loneliness is a proud desire to rise above the crowd; he despises his environment. His intelligence and abilities tragically remain unneeded and unfulfilled. Nature follows in his footsteps, framing the feelings and events in his life with its colors.

The work is often characterized as psychological and social, and it is difficult to disagree with this, since it unusually mixes the events of reality and a detailed assessment of the internal motives of the characters. Throughout the entire novel, the reader can observe a constant correlation between the external world as a whole and the inner world of a person, and it remains unclear which of these worlds is the most complex and contradictory.

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“Red and Black” analysis: theme, idea, composition

The Red and the Black is an 1830 novel by Stendhal. Sometimes it is also called a chronicle of the 19th century. The novel reveals the tragic story of Julien Sorel. Showing the life of the hero, the author simultaneously describes three social strata of French society after the revolution of 1793: the bourgeoisie, the clergy, and the nobility.

Genre "Red and Black": socio-psychological novel

Style: realism

Subject“Red and Black”: the confrontation of a talented individual with society.

These two colors - red and black - reflect idea novel, social problems of society and the dialectics of the hero’s soul.

Conflict of the novel: man and society

Main characters: Julien Sorel, Madame de Renal and her husband Monsieur de Renal, Mathilde de la Mole, her father Marquis de la Mole, Monsieur Valnot, Abbe Pirard (rector of the seminary), Abbe Cheland (cure), Fouquet (friend of Julien)

Location: Verrieres, Besançon, Paris

Life basis: the life of Antoine Bert, who was sentenced to death for the attempt on the life of his former mistress Madame Mishou.

Composition “Red and Black”:

Exposition A story about the life of Julien Sorel in his father's house. The guy's inability to physical labor, his passion for books causes a hostile attitude towards him on the part of his carpenter father and brothers

The beginning The mayor of the city, Mr. de Renal, invites Julien to be a tutor to his children

Development of action Love of Madame de Renal, studying at the Besançon seminary; meeting the Marquis de La Mole, Matilda's love. Julien's promotion. Question about marriage to Matilda. Letter from Madame de Renal in response to a request from the Marquis de La Mole about the identity of Julien Sorel

Cool censure Shot in the church at Madame de Renal. Sorel's desire to die with dignity

Denouement Reflections of Julien Sorel in prison. The behavior of Madame de Renal and Mathilde de La Mole. Execution of the main character. The death of Madame de Renal and Mathilde's deep grief and passions

The symbolism of the name “Red and Black”:

• red - thirst, love, passion; black is a symbol of evil, mourning, death;
• red is a symbol of the guillotine, aggression, the color of blood. Black is the color of Julien's everyday clothes;
• red - spiritual purity and sincerity of Julien Sorel; black - his ambition and cold calculation;
• red is the color of the uniform of a soldier in Napoleon’s army; black is the color of the priest’s cassock;
• red - revolution; black - reaction.

Signs of realism “Red and Black”

• a comprehensive depiction of the development of the protagonist’s inner world;
• heroes are not idealized, they have positive and negative traits;
• searching for the causes of social movements;
• panorama of the socio-historical life of France during the Reformation era.

Features of romanticism in the realistic novel “Red and Black”

• problem tragic conflict a lonely, proud personality;
• symbolism of flowers;
• predictions of events, prophecies regarding future life and death (Julien in the church)
• Matilda's romantic love;
• adventurism;
• shocking finale;
• description of mountain landscapes.