{"product_id":"the-red-and-the-black-isbn-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\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\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 Rênal, 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. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\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.Praise for \u003cb\u003eBurton Raffel’s translations\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor \u003cb\u003eBalzac’s \u003ci\u003ePère Goriot\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Raffel’s \u003ci\u003ePère Goriot\u003c\/i\u003e is both faithful and beautiful, and that makes it a masterpiece.” —Alain Renoir\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I predict that this translation will give Balzac’s great novel a new life for English and American readers. . . . The definitive translation for this generation.” —Peter Brooks\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[Raffel’s] translation has the vigor and elasticity of Balzac’s style, and catches with uncanny accuracy the tone of the period.” —Guy Davenport\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor \u003cb\u003eCervantes’s \u003ci\u003eDon Quijote\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[Raffel’s \u003ci\u003eDon Quijote\u003c\/i\u003e] recasts the original into lively English, without losing the complexity and flavor of the Spanish. . . . This \u003ci\u003eQuijote\u003c\/i\u003e flows smoothly and reads, in fact, like original prose rather than a translation.” —Adrienne Martin\u003cb\u003eHenri Marie Beyle\u003c\/b\u003e, known through his writing as Stendhal, was born in Grenoble in 1783 and educated there at the École 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 From his earliest childhood he had experienced moments of rapture. Then, he would dream with delight that he would one day encounter the beautiful women of Paris, and would compel their attention by some famous deed. Why should he not be loved by one of them as Bonaparte, while still poor, had been loved by the brilliant Mme de Beauharnais? For many years, scarcely an hour of Julien's life passed without his telling himself that Bonaparte, an obscure and penniless lieutenant, had made himself the master of the world with his sword. This idea consoled him for his sufferings, which he thought great, and redoubled his happiness when he had any.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe construction of the church and the Justice of the Peace's judgements suddenly enlightened him; and idea came to him which made him distraught for some weeks,  and seized hold of him with the overwhelming force belonging to the first idea with which a passionate nature believe itself to have been inspired.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'When Bonaparte made people talk about him, France was in danger of invasion; military talent was necessary and fashionable. Today one sees 40-year-old priests with stipends of a hundred thousand francs, that is to say, three times more than Napoleon's famous generals. They need people behind them to support them. Look at this Justice of the peace, so sensible, such a fine upstanding man until now, so established, who has dishonoured himself for fear of offending a young clergyman of thirty. It is necessary to be a priest.'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn one occasion, in the midst of this new piety, and after he had already been studying theology for two years, he was betrayed into a sudden eruption of the fire that consumed his soul. At M. Chélan's dwelling, during a dinner for the clergy to whom the good curé was presenting him as a prodigy of tuition, he found himself fervidly praising Napoleon. He bound his right arm across his chest, pretending it had been dislocated in moving a pine trunk, and carried it in this irksome position for two months. After this bodily penance, he absolved himself. This was the young man of nineteen - but so seemingly frail that one would have taken him for no more than seventeen - who, carrying his little parcel under his arm, entered the magnificent church of Verrières.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe found it sombre and solitary. To mark a festival all the church windows had been covered with crimson cloth. The sun's rays shone through to produce a dim light, most pious and imposing. Julien shivered. Alone in the church, he established himself in the pew that had the finest appearance. It bore the arms of M. de Rênal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e On the payer desk Julien noticed a fragment of printed paper, spread out as though to be read. He directed his eyes towards it and saw:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDetails of the execution and the last moments of Louis Jenrel, executed at Besancon, on the...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe paper was torn off. On the other side could be seen the first words of a line, which were: The first step.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e- Who could have put this paper here? said Julien. Poor devil, he added with a sigh, his names ends like mine... and he crumpled the paper.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLeaving, Julien thought he saw blood next to the holy water stoup - it was holy water that had been spilled: the reflection from the red blinds covering the windows gave it the appearance of blood.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEventually Julien was ashamed of his secret terror.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e- Am I a coward! he said to himself, To arms!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis phrase, so often repeasted in the Surgeon-major's accounts of battles, represented the heroic for Julien. He raised himself up and walked rapidly towards M. de Rênal's house.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e  In spite of these fine resolves, from the moment he saw it twenty paces away, he was seized with an overpowering timidity. The iron grille was open; to him it seemed magnificent; and it was up to him to enter in.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46299746762981,"sku":"NP9780140447644","price":11.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780140447644.jpg?v=1767741187","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-red-and-the-black-isbn-9780140447644","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}