The Red and the Black. Eternal Stories

The most famous and significant work of Stendhal is a novel that reflects France of the 19th century like a mirror: the splendor of Paris, conspiracies and intrigues, the possibility of rising from the lowest ranks, and the fate of dying on the scaffold. It is a story about love and pride, about the path upward and downfall, relevant even in our time.

Julien Sorel was born in the provincial town of Verrières, but he always dreamed of the honors and glory of Napoleon. His intellect and ambition allowed him to obtain a position as a governor in the wealthy household of the town's mayor, Monsieur de Rênal, but beauty played a cruel trick on him: the mistress of the house fell in love with him, and Julien reciprocated her feelings.

To escape from slander, the young man leaves for Paris, where, through patronage, he is hired as a secretary in an even wealthier household of de La Mole. And once again, fatal passion destroys everything: this time love ignites between him and the marquis's daughter, the beautiful and spoiled Mathilde. Shortly thereafter, this becomes known to Julien's first love, Madame de Rênal…