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Who is Mathilde de La Mole in The Red and the Black?
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Stendhal
Stendhal, oil painting by Pierre-Joseph Dedreux-Dorcy; in the BibliothĂšque Municipale de Grenoble, France.
In Stendhalâs novel The Red and the Black, Mathilde de La Mole is an aristocratic woman and the daughter of the Marquis de La Mole, who serves as the second employer of the protagonist, Julien Sorel.1
After Sorel moves to Paris to work for her father, he successfully seduces Mathilde as part of his calculated efforts to advance his social standing. Their relationship progresses to the point of a projected marriage, which would have significantly elevated Sorel's status. However, the engagement is ultimately jeopardized when Mme de RĂȘnal, Sorel's former lover, reveals information that leads to the collapse of his plans and his eventual execution for her attempted murder.1