读书报告

红与黑读书报告

《The Red and The Black》— By Stendhal

The author

Stendhal was a French author who represented critical realism. He was regarded as the most important and the earliest realism founder. The most two famous work are 《The Red and The Black》 and 《The Charterhouse of Parma》. In his short lifetime, he contributed a lot to human literature. He had experienced a period of turbulent times, including the France Revolution, Napoleon Empire and Bourbon Dynasty restoration.

but wanting to change his social statue and break through limit of class. He refused to appeal and confess to indicate his protest. Mr. de Renal abandoned her family and come to Paris. She went to the prison everyday to pay a visit to Julien. As a result, their affection became deeper and deeper. But three days after Julien died, Madame de Renal died as well because of exceeded sorrow. While Mathilde buried her lover’s head with her own hands just like her ancestor.

Evaluation

It was said that the story of this book is based on a death penalty case in local newspaper. The author used monologue and free imagination to described character’s psychology and showed the fierce fight and contradiction in the first of 19th century in France profoundly. It portrayed decayed and hypocritical of the whole society as well. These all reflect author’s realistic style. Julien was in inferior class, but he wanted to change his circumstance. So he chose to be a soldier or a priest to climbed to high class. In this procedure, he used all ways. While Mathilde was a woman who was brave to pursue her dream. Mayor’s wife disgusted her husband, but she dad to live with him. At last, she loved Julien. These reflected the fierce contradiction that low class had no prospect, and they fought against the class, however, high class could not live a happy life. The whole book portrayed a figure of Julien mainly by monologue in mind and other characters’destiny. Julien’s ambition from forming to developing to ruin reflected the big gap of different class in reality and the suffering of low class. Personally speaking, I like this book so much because of the realistic style. The author use exquisite description and profound critical with small see big to let people know the situation of France in that time and suffering resulting from social revolution.

Background

The book was written in 1828---1829. France experienced a bourgeoisie revolution which is the most thoroughly revolution in Europe about forty years ago. When he wrote the book, Bourbon Dynasty came back again. There were sharp contradictions in society, and the fight between bourgeoisie and feudal class was so fierce that whether the history advancing or reversing was a great question. In Napoleon Empire, young people, especially the common youth, could join revolution army. They could advance unceasingly depending on building a military exploit self position. They make themselves famous by brave and arms. However, after Bourbon Dynasty restoration, the common young people had no way to succeed, but the only way for them is to be a clergyman. It was a stagnant and no energetic society that individual deposition and trait were suppressed absolutely.

The book is named《The Red and The Black》, and red stood for revolution, military exploit and bourgeoisie, while black stood for the black robe of clergyman, church, clergyman occupation and the period of restoration. These are two ways of youth’s development at that time. The contrast of red and black reflected a furious fighting and contradiction in society.

The leading character named Julien. By describing his individual struggle experiences and final failure, especially his two experiences of love, the book criticized the darkness of feudal forces and church, the corruption and turpitude of bourgeoisie and the money worship of general mood of society. At the same time, all these embodied author’s critical realism character.

Words and Sentences

Enlist vi. 应募，入伍；积极参与 Priestly adj. 僧的，僧侣似的

Obscure adj. 昏暗的，朦胧的；晦涩的，不清楚的；不引人注目的 Consolation n. 安慰，慰问；起安慰作用的人（或事物） Congregation n.（教堂里的）会众；集会；集合；人群；圣会 Confessional n. 忏悔室，（教堂内的）告解室 Reign vi. 当政，统治；占主导地位 Personage n. 人，（尤指）要人，名人

Summary

Julien was born in a small business family. He was very smart and was not satisfied his social

situation, so he want to rise to fame. Because he had learned theology and he could recipe Latin《The New Testament》, he was elected as a tutor in Mr. de Renal family. In order to revenge mayor’s contempt, Julien decided to occupied mayor’s wife and he succeed. However, as time goes by, he and mayor’s wife fell in love truly. When the affair was disclosed, he had to transfer to Besancon. Mr. Pirard was push aside, so before he left Seminary, he introduced Julien to a nobleman Mr. de la Moleto to work as his secretary. Gradually, Julien began to fall in love with Mathilde who is the daughter of Mr. de la Moleto, and forced marquis to agree with their marriage. In order to make Julien become nobility, the marquis trumped up Julien’s life experience of nobility, so Julien rose to his fame swiftly. While his enemy compelled Madame de Renal to denounced

Julien and disclosed his behavior in past time. Julien was very angry, so he returned to Verrieres and fired two shots to Madame de Renal. There was no doubt that he was led away to prison. When he was in prison, his conscious of the common people was awakened. He knew his guilty was not shot,

Ⅰ Death, in itself, was not horrible in his eyes. His whole life had been merely a long preparation for misfortune, and he had certainly never forgotten what is reckoned the greatest misfortune of all.

Ⅱ But soon this will change, ultimately resulting in the visitor feeling that this man’s

talent is confined to securing the exact payment of whatever is owed to him and to postponing payment till the last possible moment when he is the debtor. Such is the Mayor of Verrieres, Mr. de Renal.

Ⅲ I shall run away tonight ; in two days I can enlist as a soldier, and, if necessary,

cross the border into Switzerland. But then, good-by to everything, good-by to that fine priestly profession which is a stepping-stone to everything.

Ⅳ Life, which had always crawled for her at a snail’ pace, but now flew.