Showing results for title "The Red and The Black", by author "Stendhal" in Historical Fiction

So what would Al Gore choose if he had a book club? Gore named Stendhal's The Red and the Black, a 19th century classic chock full of adultery, betrayal, and moral vacuity, as his favorite book on a recent broadcast of Oprah. It's a bit shocking of a choice, given his wife and running mate's position on clean, wholesome literature. Listen and decide for yourself the merit of this presidential pick.

Young Julien Sorel, the son of a country timber merchant, carries a portrait of his hero Napoleon Bonaparte and dreams of military glory. A brilliant career in the Church leads him into Parisian high society, where, 'mounted upon the finest horse in Alsace', he gains high military office and wins the heart of the aristocratic Mlle Mathilde de la Mole. Julien's cunning and ambition lead him into all sorts of scrapes.

Algunos lo interpretan como el contraste entre dos epocas, otros dicen que se refiere a la suerte de la ruleta o al contraste entre la vida militar y la religiosa. Lo cierto es que su protagonista lucha contra una sociedad que no lo comprende y que acaba destruyendolo.