Monday, December 3, 2007

Stendhal: The Red and the Black.

I finally had time to watch Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette," however, three minutes into the movie, I understood why the critics didn't like it. So, I decided to spare myself the time. Nothing personal, Sofia. In fact, I enjoyed "Lost in Translation" very much.
Instead, I watched a film that I had long postponed: The Red and the Black, based on the novel by the same name by Stendhal, subtitled: 'Chronicle of 1830.'
It starts with a mysterious citation by Stendhal at the onset of the book:
"Un Roman : C'est un miroir qu'on promène le long d'un Chemin."
"A novel is a mirror that strolls along a highway."

I am not an expert on the subject, but I recommend this blog:
http://readingmiddlemarch.blogspot.com/2006/10/introducing-stendhals-red-and-black.html

And, of course, the Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_and_the_Black

In looking for its wider meaning in the Internet, I also came across this beautiful quotation:

"Il n'y a jamais nulle part où aller qu'en dedans." Doris Lessing

I hope you like it too.

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