The Red and the Black

The Marquis de la Mole hires Julien to copy out letters and perform administrative tasks on his behalf. Though Abbé Pirard has recommended Julien as intelligent, the marquis notices a spelling error in one of Julien’s first letters. He worries that he has hired a “clumsy” provincial man to work as a secretary. When Julien dines with the family, however, he impresses people through his intelligence, his critical thinking, and his knowledge of Latin. He is introduced to the marquis’s family, including the marquis’s wife, the marquise, and his two children, Mathilde and Norbert.

Mathilde is intrigued by Julien when she meets him in the library. She is one of the few people who shares Julien’s interest in literature, though she plans to read books which her father has forbidden. Norbert lacks his sister’s intellect, but he jovially invites Julien to ride with him, leaving Julien “utterly charmed” (258). Julien has only ridden a horse on a few occasions. He is honest about his lack of experience and charms the dinner table when he frankly recounts how he fell off his horse. His candor, his “boldness,” and his departure from traditional etiquette warms people to him.

The marquise hosts a salon, where many “pathetic creatures” (262) come to petition the wealthy, powerful de la Mole family for patronage and assistance. Julien is invited, but he finds the conversation among the hangers-on to be superficial and dull. He notices that few people are willing to discuss politics or anything important, for fear of breaching etiquette. He is intrigued by Mathilde, however, who distinguishes herself through her ability to mock and satirize the other guests in a “merciless” manner. She is not afraid to make fun of the rich and powerful.

The marquis is impressed by Julien’s talents. He soon gives Julien more responsibility and begins to trust his young secretary. Abbé Pirard introduces Julien to his Jansenist friends, and Julien notices that the Jansenists are sincere and pious, confounding his previous belief that everyone involved in religion was a hypocrite in some fashion. Count Altamira also stands out to Julien as a sincere and religious man, though he is an unabashed liberal who has been exiled from his own country for his beliefs. Julien tries to fit into high society by taking fencing lessons and learning to ride. He worries that he will appear too provincial, and he struggles to notice the small actions which step “beyond the bounds of propriety” (276).

While visiting a coffee house, Julien gets into an altercation with an unknown man. He demands the man’s address, planning to fight a duel, and the man responds by throwing cards at Julien. Since Julien has few actual friends, he recruits his fencing partner to stand as his second. They go to the address on the card, where they are made to wait by a wealthy diplomat named M. de Beauvoisis. When Julien meets with him, however, he quickly realizes that M. de Beauvoisis is not the man from the coffee house. Julien and his second leave in “a very bad temper” (281), only to recognize the coachman as the offensive figure. Julien beats the coachman and, recognizing the offense by a servant as cause enough for a duel, M. de Beauvoisis agrees to duel with Julien. The duel is over quickly; M. de Beauvoisis shoots Julien in the arm. He then insists on accompanying Julien to the doctor and, having been intrigued by the time they spent in one another’s company, he makes inquiries about Julien. Since he cannot be seen to be acquainted with a peasant, M. de Beauvoisis spreads a rumor that Julien is “the illegitimate son of a rich gentleman” (284), someone who is a friend of the marquis. This false rumor is convenient and elevates Julien’s social position.

The marquis is struck by gout and confined to bed. During this period, he comes to depend on Julien, and they become close. Julien’s honesty and aptitude impress the marquis. The marquis insists on buying a new suit for Julien; this suit is blue, in contrast to the black suit in which Julien conducts most of his affairs. When Julien speaks to the marquis in his black suit, he is treated like an employee. When he wears the blue suit, the marquis is willing to treat him almost as an equal. The marquis is aware of the false rumor of Julien’s parentage, and since this benefits him, he is willing to indulge it. He sends Julien to London on business. As Julien is elevated in the marquis’s household, people come to see him as a way to win the marquis’s patronage. M. de Valenod visits Julien, explaining that he has now replaced M. de Rênal as the mayor. Furthermore, M. de Rênal has “been discovered to be a Jacobin” (291) M. de Valenod wants Julien to speak to the marquis on his behalf to secure a position in their hometown. Julien mentions this to the marquis, who accepts M. de Valenod’s request. At the same time, Julien secures an important position for his father in Verrières. The marquis congratulates Julien on his developing aptitude for the social bargaining that is a part of life in the aristocracy.

As he becomes more of a Parisian dandy, Julien becomes colder toward Mathilde. When she returns to Paris, she notices how much he has changed in her absence. She is still intrigued by Julien, since he is so unlike the aristocratic men who normally surround her, so she asks Norbert to invite Julien to a lavish ball thrown by an acquaintance. Julien attends the ball but, when Mathilde spots him, she cannot seem to get his attention. He is curt with her, and she is surprised because she knows that she is beautiful and that other men are keen to speak to her at any opportunity. Julien has a chance to speak to Count Altamira at the ball. Altamira explains that he faces execution if he returns to his own country. Julien is impressed by a man who is willing to fight and die for his political beliefs.

Mathilde wants to speak to Julien, but she is intrigued by the conversation which is holding Julien so rapt. With her brother beside her, she awkwardly eavesdrops on the intense and passionate conversation. As she listens, she feels that her boredom has “vanished” (305). The following day, as Julien thinks about the conversation, he is annoyed to be interrupted by Mathilde. She is dressed in mourning and wants to know what “really interesting” subject he is thinking about. Distracted, Julien gives an honest answer. The seditious and liberal nature of his answer shocks Mathilde, who departs quickly.

Julien attends dinner; Mathilde is the only family member dressed in mourning. Later, Julien conjures up a pretext to ask a fellow diner why she is dressed in this fashion. The academician explains to Julien that Mathilde takes her family history very seriously. Centuries earlier, he explains, Boniface de la Mole was executed by Catherine de Medici for attempting a dramatic rescue of the imprisoned King of Navarre. Queen Marguerite of Navarre, supposedly Boniface’s lover, asked for Boniface’s severed head and conducted her own burial. Mathilde’s mourning is an attempt to pay tribute to her deceased ancestor on the anniversary of his “famous execution” (315). Mathilde continues to try to speak to Julien. Her flashes of intellect break through, and they have regular conversations. As their relationship intensifies, Julien wonders whether this aristocratic young woman may be in love with him. He decides that he should try to seduce her.

Mathilde is famous for her cutting wit. She is not only beautiful and aristocratic, but she also has the power to put down anyone in her company with a scathing comment and targets their insecurities with great accuracy. She is also fueled by a lack of care as to what other people think about her. Since the men who normally pursue her affections are all the “same perfect man” (321), she is intrigued by Julien. His pride, his contempt for those around him, and his intelligence make him stand out from the dull aristocrats who normally petition Mathilde. Added to this, his lower social status intrigues Mathilde, though she is sure that he will “make a name for himself” (323). She suspects that she loves Julien and comes to see him as an equal, despite their very different standings and fortunes.

In her mind, Mathilde compares Julien to Boniface de la Mole. She sees herself as Marguerite. When she talks about Julien to her brother and his aristocratic friends, however, they dismiss him as an upstart peasant who would arrange for them all to be guillotined if the French Revolution were to happen again. While this worries Mathilde at first, she is excited about the idea of Julien as a revolutionary figure, comparing him to Georges Danton. She wonders whether she is experiencing love for the first time.

When he first suspects that Mathilde loves him, Julien is suspicious. He worries that this is a “Machiavellian” joke being played on him by the aristocrats. He cannot deny her beauty or her status, but he cannot get over his suspicions, so he begins to treat her coldly. As Julien grows more distant, Mathilde becomes increasingly scathing with those of her own class. In particular, she insults the Marquis de Croisenois, to whom she is expected to be wed. Julien prepares to leave Paris on a business venture for the Marquis de la Mole, but Mathilde comes to him. She asks him to stay, then writes a love letter to him. Julien is thrilled by this “declaration of love” (335), but his immediate sense is that of victory over the Marquis de Croisenois.

Mathilde is swept up in a passionate romance. The thought of Julien thrills and scares her in equal measure. Having read her declaration of love, Julien delays his trip. He performatively sends his case downstairs, however, to trick Mathilde into thinking that he has left. Julien stays, and later that day, Mathilde writes to him again. He responds, again dodging anything that truly commits him to loving her. Mathilde urges Julien to visit her that night by using a ladder to “climb up to [her] room” (344).

Julien is thrilled by the idea of sneaking into Mathilde’s bedroom, but he cannot dismiss the fear that she and her brother are setting a “trap” (346) for him. He imagines Norbert and his aristocratic friends waiting in the bedroom to attack him. He fears their mockery more than he fears dismissal. In spite of his fears, he cannot completely refuse Mathilde. He fears that he would be a coward if he did not accept her invitation. He decides to go to her, but he takes precautions. He makes copies of her letters and hides them in the house, while also sending copies to Fouqué with explicit instructions that they should be sent to newspapers around France if Julien is troubled. This will cause a scandal, Julien knows, as it contains the details of the prospective romance between one of France’s foremost young aristocratic women and the son of a peasant. He plans to go to her room.