The Red and the Black

Julien Sorel is a product of post-Revolutionary France. How do his ambitions reflect the social mobility and contradictions of the Restoration era?

Examine the role of hypocrisy in The Red and the Black. How does Stendhal portray social, political, and religious hypocrisy? To what degree does Julien’s character reflect the hypocrisy of his environment?

Compare and contrast the characters of Mme. de Rênal and Mathilde de La Mole. How does each woman represent a different aspect of love, society, and femininity in the novel?