Stendhal (also translated as Stendhal) was a famous French writer whose main work was The Red and the Black. Since the 1990s, the book has been very popular among Chinese readers, bringing joy and awareness of French culture to many readers.
The book is a novel about a carpenter's son, Jullien, who is intelligent, handsome, and likable, but has been abused and bullied by his brothers, and when he grew up, in order to escape this life, he found a job as a tutor in the home of a noblewoman. Because of her handsome appearance, the noblewoman fell in love with him and became Jullien's lover, but was soon discovered by the man and driven out of the house. Later, Jullien went to a seminary, and because of his love of learning and talent, he fell in love with Miss Martel, the daughter of the dean of the seminary. With the help of this relationship, Yu Lian entered the upper class and met many celebrities. At a time when lian was moving forward and his career was constantly rising, he received an anonymous report letter exposing some of the ugly things he had done before, which was written by the noblewoman who had loved him deeply before, but she also had to write it, not the original intention of the noblewoman. Subsequently, Jullien was arrested and imprisoned, and during this prison he was received and cared for by the noblewoman, which allowed him to see the sincerity of the noblewoman (de Rui), and since then Jullien has fallen madly in love with her and spent the most unforgettable time in prison. Eventually, Jullien was sentenced to death, and de Regina died shortly thereafter. After the young Martel buried Jullien, he was disheartened and ran away from home.
Stendhal's portrayal of Jullien has a dual personality, he is witty on the one hand, and indecisive on the other hand. On the one hand, it is very tender, on the other hand, it is very cruel. During the period of feudal restoration, young people like Jullien were not only unable to exert their talents, but also unable to obtain beautiful love, and in the face of the cruel reality, they could only self-destroy and self-destruct.
This book seems to be a love novel, but in fact it is a critical novel with realistic themes, which effectively exposes the decadent and hypocritical social atmosphere of the time, strongly attacks the reaction of the aristocracy during the Restoration Dynasty, the darkness of the church and the despicable vulgarity of the new bourgeois aristocracy, and the desire for profit, giving basic sympathy to the young generation. In short, in Stendhal, it is not the youth that is evil, but the social environment, and it is the evil bourgeoisie and the unjust social system that together lead to the tragedy of Jullien's life.