The Red and the Black Author:Stendhal Novel by Stendhal, published in French in 1830 as Le Rouge et le noir. — Set in France during the Second Restoration (1815-30), the novel is a powerful character study of Julien Sorel, an ambitious young man who uses seduction as a tool for advancement. The Red and the Black is generally considered the author's major work and one of the great... more »est 19th-century novels.« less