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What is the setting of Stendhal's novel The Red and the Black?
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Stendhal
Stendhal, oil painting by Pierre-Joseph Dedreux-Dorcy; in the Bibliothèque Municipale de Grenoble, France.
The Red and the Black, the major novel by the French author Stendhal, is set in France during the period of the Second Restoration, spanning from 1815 to 1830.1
The narrative follows the protagonist, Julien Sorel, as he navigates the social and political climate of this era, moving from his provincial life to a seminary and eventually to Paris. The setting reflects the tensions of the time, characterized by a climate of fear, political opportunism, and the conflict between the military and the church as paths for social advancement.1