The Red and the Black (Second Edition) (Norton Critical Editions) [Paperback]

Stendhal (Author), Susanna Lee (Editor), Robert M. Adams (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0393928837 | ISBN-13: 978-0393928839 | Publication Date: December 20, 2007 | Edition: Second Edition

Based again on Robert M. Adams’s highly regarded translation of Stendhal’s 1831 novel of ambition, love, and betrayal, this Second Norton Critical Edition of The Red and the Black is the most comprehensive and up-to-date edition available.

An extensively revised “Backgrounds and Contexts” section provides geographical and political insights into mid-nineteenth century France and places the novel in the context of contemporary authors and works. A map of 1830s France, political and literary chronologies, an account of the trial of Antoine Berthet, and related writings by Stendhal, Paul Valéry, and Jules Janin are included.

“Criticism” collects nine essays, seven of which are new to this edition, by Erich Auerbach, René Girard, Victor Brombert, Shoshana Felman, Peter Brooks, Sandy Petrey, Alison Finch, Lisa G. Algazi, and Susanna Lee.

A Chronology of Stendhal’s life and work, also new to the Second Edition, and an updated Selected Bibliography are included. 1 map

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Susanna Lee’s thoughtful revision of the footnotes for the Second Edition, expanding detailed references to historical figures and nineteenth-century French locales, will greatly assist students in understanding this complicated novel. She is Associate Professor of French at Georgetown University. She is the author of A World Abandoned by God: Narrative and Secularism, and has written numerous articles on nineteenth-century narrative literature, the history of ideas, and American crime fiction.

Robert M. Adams was Professor of English (Emeritus) at the University of California at Los Angeles. He was the author of many books, including Ikon: John Milton and the Modern Critics; Strains of Discord; Proteus, His Lies, His Truth: Discussion of Literary Translation; The Land and Literature of England; and Shakespeare—The Four Romances. In addition to the Norton Critical Edition of Utopia (he was translator and editor of the First and Second Editions), Professor Adams was editor of five other Norton Critical Editions, including The Prince by Machiavelli, Candide by Voltaire, and The Praise of Folly and Other Writings by Erasmus, the texts of which he also translated. He was a founding editor of The Norton Anthology of English Literature.

Product Details

• Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Second Edition edition (December 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393928837
• ISBN-13: 978-0393928839
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,476 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #95 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > French

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my favorite book, so it should be yours too, December 22, 2009

By 

Jonathan Daniel (NOLA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Red and the Black (Second Edition) (Norton Critical Editions) (Paperback)

This is a nice edition of the Red and the Black. It's compact and yet includes a number of additional materials including short historical and biographical sections, penetrating critical essays, and some excerpts from Stendhal's book on love and the autobiographical Life of Henri Brulard. I found the essays by Auerbach and Girard to be particularly good. Girard provides helpful historical/political context in his discussions of social psychology. His analysis, while being in accord with the tenor of Stendhal's own analyses, introduces a powerful terminology capable of addressing primary issues more explicitly. It's too bad that so much of his work remains untranslated. I think the essays are the real advantage of this edition. That said, I liked the translation, but I did not check it against the French or any other translations. It was clear and unencumbered by flowery or abstruse diction. My only point of comparison is the Oxford edition translated by Catherine Slater, which seems to match up well to the French. But this was some time ago. I couldn't really say if one was better than the other.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great classic in poor translation, May 20, 2009

By 

K. Mitova (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Red and the Black (Second Edition) (Norton Critical Editions) (Paperback)

Stendhal's classic does not need my praises; undoubtedly, this is one of the greatest French novels. However, the quality of the translation is below Norton's standards. There are misunderstandings, mistakes, and typos in it.