Le Rouge et Le Noir aka The Red and The Black by Stendhal

 Le Rouge et Le Noir aka The Red and The Black by Stendhal


A different version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:


-              https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E and   http://realini.blogspot.ro/


Le Rouge et Le Noir is a masterpiece.

This chef d’oeuvre has been included on the Norwegian Book club list of best books ever written, available here: 


- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/may/08/books.booksnews


Julien Sorel is the ultimate romantic hero.

He belongs to the same fraternity as Romeo, Don Giovanni and other famous lovers.


Julien was born within the lower classes and therefore his ascension to an important position appears impossible.

That does not prevent him from aspiring to become an important man and to join the upper classes, the aristocracy. 


Positive psychology has a principle recognized by all experts and it is:


- Gratitude- be satisfied with what you have


It did not work in the case of Julien Sorel and we could argue that he is exactly a case in point, demonstrating the hedonic treadmill theory.

Which translates approximately thus: we get used with the pleasures we obtain and we come back to a base level of life satisfaction.


It is of course more complex than that, but I felt at various points that the young man gets depressed to easily and after he has reached a certain goal.

Harvard Professor Daniel Gilbert writes in his classic Stumbling Upon Happiness that we do not know what makes us happy.


- We keep saying that I will be happy if I become an University Professor, if I move to California, if I get this new car and it turns out to be wrong


I was thinking about this in the case of Julien Sorel, especially when he is loved by Mathilde de la Mole.

He seemed to have everything, a beautiful young woman, rich, powerful and aristocratic is in love with Sorel…


And yet, he is dissatisfied with what he has and gets restless and engages in an act that appears to show his true colors.

And in the process, maybe his real feelings for someone else, reminding me of the descriptions of Marcel Proust.


- We do not want what we have and long for the affection of those who do not express any interest…words to that effect


Stendhal is credited with having written a novel that is ahead of its time:


- “André Gide said that The Red and the Black was a novel ahead of its time, that it was a novel for readers in the 20th century… he is considered the creator of the psychological novel”


In the first part of the novel, Julien Sorel becomes a tutor for the children of the family of Monsieur Madame de Rênal

And he quickly falls in love with Madame de Rênal.


A reader could well read yet another classic of psychology: Games People Play by Eric Berne to search for clues.

The love affair seems to end and Julien Sorel is deeply involved- or isn’t he? - With the heiress of a fortune:


- Mathilde de la Mole


But disrespecting Epicurus and the aforementioned positive psychology principle, he is finally unhappy with what he has and longs for what is out of reach.


The psychology of the individual is much more complex than that, because he appears to want to kill the one he loves…


- Or hates?

- Loves and hates is probably the best guess…


A fundamental classic of paramount importance.

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