{"product_id":"the-red-and-the-black-9780140447644","title":"The Red and the Black","description":"\u003cb\u003eCharts the rise and fall of an ambitious young social climber in a cruel, monarchical society\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHandsome, ambitious Julien Sorel is determined to rise above his humble provincial origins. Soon realizing that success can only be achieved by adopting the subtle code of hypocrisy by which society operates, he begins to achieve advancement through deceit and self-interest. His triumphant career takes him into the heart of glamorous Parisian society, along the way conquering the gentle, married Madame de R?nal, and the haughty Mathilde. But then Julien commits an unexpected, devastating crime--and brings about his own downfall. \u003ci\u003eThe Red and the Black\u003c\/i\u003e is a lively, satirical portrayal of French society after Waterloo, riddled with corruption, greed and ennui, and Julien--the cold exploiter whose Machiavellian campaign is undercut by his own emotions--is one of the most intriguing characters in European literature. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Roger Gard's fine translation remains faithful to the natural, conversational tone of the original, while his introduction elucidates the complexities of Julien's character. This edition also contains a chronology, further reading and an appendix on Stendhal's use of epigraphs. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHenri Marie Beyle\u003c\/b\u003e, known through his writing as Stendhal, was born in Grenoble in 1783 and educated there at the ?cole Centrale. A cousin offered him a post in the Ministry of War, and from 1800 he followed Napoleon's campaigns in Italy, Germany, Russia and Austria. In between wars, he spent his time in Paris drawing rooms and theatres.\u003cp\u003eAfter the fall of Napoleon, he retired to Italy, adopted his pseudonym and started to write books on Italian painting, Haydn and Mozart, and travels in Italy. In 1821 the Austrian police expelled him from the country, and on returning to Paris he finished his book \u003cb\u003eDe l'amour\u003c\/b\u003e. This was followed by \u003cb\u003eRacine et Shakespeare\u003c\/b\u003e, a defense of Romantic literature. \u003cb\u003eLe Rouge et le noir \u003c\/b\u003ewas his second novel, and he also produced or began three others, including \u003cb\u003eLa Chartreuse de Parme \u003c\/b\u003eand \u003cb\u003eLucien Leuwen\u003c\/b\u003e. None of his published works was received with any great understanding during his lifetime.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeyle was appointed Consul at Civitavecchia after the 1830 revolution, but his health deteriorated and six years later he was back in Paris and beginning a \u003cb\u003eLife\u003c\/b\u003e of Napoleon. In 1841 he was once again recalled for reasons of illness, and in the following year suffered a fatal stroke. Various autobiographical works, \u003cb\u003eJournal\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eSouvenirs de l'egotisme\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eLa Vie de Henri Brulard\u003c\/b\u003e, were published later, as his fame grew.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoger Gard\u003c\/b\u003e was educated at Abbotsholme School, Derbyshire, and at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Before his death in 2000 he was Emeritus Reader in English at Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London. Among his publications are books on Henry James, Jane Austen and the teaching of fiction in schools. He also translated Alfred de Vigny's \u003cb\u003eThe Servitude and Grandeur of Arms\u003c\/b\u003e, and edited Henry James's \u003cb\u003eA Landscape Painter and Other Tales\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eThe Jolly Corner and Other Tales \u003c\/b\u003eand a selection of his literary criticism, \u003cb\u003eThe Critical Muse\u003c\/b\u003e, for Penguin Classics.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Penguin Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50613689188626,"sku":"9780140447644","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e4796433-6bc3-436d-afd1-2ddf9e965538.jpg?v=1737286134","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-red-and-the-black-9780140447644","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}