The Red and the Black

“The Red and the Black” is a psychological and historical novel by Stendhal, written in two volumes, published in 1830. The book tells of the attempts of a young Frenchman, Julien Sorel, which in the French, period of the restoration (1814-1830), want to climb socially over his modest social background: he is the son of a humble Carpenter who beats him for his intellectual interests. The young will try through talent, hard work, but also through deception and hypocrisy to achieve success. The title of the book " The Red and the Black" refers precisely to the tension between the clerical and secular interests. For a turbulent love will be sentenced for fraud and he died guillotined.