Genre
A novel
Setting and Context
XIX century, France
Narrator and Point of View
Third person narration
Tone and Mood
Stendhal's novel does adhere to some conventions of a romance-based novel. All feelings, emotions are showed so deeply, so we can feel it together with characters. But it is also very realistic novel, because of the fact that we can see the depiction of social problems of that time.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist is Julian and Antagonist is his destiny with all its problems and obstacles. Also, in the role of Antagonist can be the society that dishonored him and didn’t see his talent.
Major Conflict
The whole novel is built on conflict Julian with his destiny, his dreams with reality, his expectations with a result.
Climax
The climax coincides with the final part of the story. Having arrived in jail, Julien faces a choice. He could have avoided punishment by gaining support from influential de la Moley, and for this he needs to constrain his nature, to renounce his own personality. And he contemptuously rejects this option. So Julien signs a death sentence, refusing to stay in a world where it is only false. Only through hypocrisy, he could achieve something, but he couldn’t refuse proud directions and choose death.
Foreshadowing
A whole novel is built on foreshadowing about hypocrisy of society. Author shows a lot of examples from lives of the characters how bad is lie, insincerity, and dishonesty. And he tries to convey his idea to the reader to make him not to do such mistakes as did characters in the novel.
Understatement
N/A
Allusions
The story alludes to such poets as Antoine Barnave, Quintus Ennius, Joseph-Marie de Maistre, also to historical figures such as Duke d’ Orléans, Napoleon de Bonaparte, Prince de Conde.
Imagery
See the imagery section
Paradox
Paradoxical is the fact of love between Julien and Madame de Renal. In a society of that time it was unacceptable.
Parallelism
The developing of the story in the novel is happening in parallel with the developing of French society.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The nature of variety of places in the novel plays a role of kind of a person that listen to the characters. When they felt upset or felt other emotions which they couldn’t open to anyone, characters went to the mountains, or to a garden and there they could to think over life, while talking with nature, personified in humanity.
