The Red and the Black is a powerful character study of Julien Sorel, a clever and idealistic young opportunist who attempts to rise above his station through a combination of talent, deception, and hypocrisy. He uses his powers of seduction and charm to secure advancement, only to find himself betrayed by his own passions and outwitted by the larger political and social intrigues of post-Napoleonic France.

Stendhal's rich, nuanced portrait of Julien and early-19th-century France brilliantly anticipates modern literature in its psychological depth and realism.