Stendhal's classic novel, ambitiously subtitled "a Chronicle of the 19th Century", has been dramatised in three parts by Stephen Lowe.
Stendhal served In the Ministry of War during Napoleon's campaigns, turning to full-time writing after the Emperor's fall. This, his second novel, was published in 1830.
Its contemporary public read the book against the background of the Ideological struggle between the Liberals, holding republican views, and the Ultra-Royalists supporting Charles X.
After his death, Napoleon Bonaparte, the humble soldier who rose through the ranks to become Emperor, remains the inspiration for Julien Sorel, son of a provincial carpenter. The ruthless Sorel is determined to rise In society, but feels that the road to power no longer lies in the army (the "scarlet") but in the church (the "black").
On location with this big new costume drama
See Feature page 34