The Novel as Political History: Stendhal’s ’Le rouge et le Noir’ - Professor Belinda Jack

An Examination of the possibilitis and problems in using novels to inofrm our understanding of history: Can a novel tell us something about political history that can’t be gleaned from other sources? Stendhal’s famous Le rouge et le noir (The Red and the Black) provides vivid insights into both the secret and overt machinations of the aristocracy and clergy of his day. How historically accurate can a novel be?