The Red and the Black
by Stendhal
A milestone in the development of psychological realism, Stendhal's masterpiece describes the young man's struggle with the dualities of nature. Julien Sorel, a young dreamer from the provinces whose imagination is full of Napoleonic ideals, sets out to earn his fortune in the Parisian society of the Restoration of France. The meetings and experiences he conducts along the way ignite a constant inner conflict, dragging him back and forth between sincerity and hypocrisy, idealism and cynicism, humility and pride, love and ambition.
