The Red and the Black

Stendhal, the author of this story, was born in France, on 1783.
At that moment, there were three classes on society in France. First Estate was important members of the Church. Second Estate was called as Aristocrats. Members of these rich, powerful families had served the rules of France for may hundreds of years.
33% of the land was owned by this Estate. The Third Estate contain poor, low-class, and middle-class people. They have to pay the largest amount of tax. 80% of the French people were peasants. They could not own their land.
Based on these situation of society, many people do not want a King to rule them any longer.
A group of people called Jacobins accused the King Louis of being a traitor. After King Louis was executed, Jacobins controlled France, almost every French aristocrat was killed. In 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte, he was so successful in war, become a leader of French army. Stendhal had worked for the army of Napoleon.
The Red and Black was written in these ages.

Julien Sorel was born as a peasant, his family was really poor. He had a intelligence and good memory. He hate his life, family, and the power in society. He decided to be a priests to obtain a power and money, then started to learn Bible and theology. One day, there appear the chance to change his life. A rich aristocrat, M de Renal, hope Julien to be a tutor of his sons. Even if Julien joined to high-class society, he never forget his thoughts. When he seduced the wife of M de Renal, he never felt true love for her. Just he want to obtain a power in society. He made a relationship with key person step by step in society to be closed to the Bishop of Agde. Through these process, he gradually recognized the true value of human-beings. But, everything was too late, when he recognized the tragedy of mind, he have to be destroyed by his own guilty.

I saw a principal of human-beings, and destiny in that decade from this story. But, many of the are still common in our decade.