The Red and the Black Love Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

Happiness flooded across his heart: it was not that he loved Madame de Rênal, but the horrible torture was over. (1.9.10)

The narrator clearly tells us that Julien isn't in love with Madame de Rênal (yet). But if that's the case, then why is he going to such lengths to seduce her? Well the truth is that the guy wants to be a great man, and he thinks that seducing the women he meets in his life's journey is how he's supposed to play the part.

Quote #5

What strange effects marriage has, in the form practiced by the nineteenth century! The boredom of married life certainly kills love, if love has preceded marriage. (1.23.68)

Stendhal is a bit skeptical when it comes to the institution of marriage. For him, the boring routine of marriage totally kills love. And that's assuming that two people loved each other before they got married. During his time, there was never a guarantee of this, either.

Quote #6

"I'm in love, I'm in love, I am, I am! A young girl at my age, beautiful, spirited, where could I find such emotion, except in love?" (2.11.14)

Mathilde de La Mole has a lot of strong feelings around Julien, but it takes her a while to figure out what they are. At first, it just seems like she's offended that Julien ignores her all the time. She eventually has no choice but to conclude that she's in love with him, which goes to show how hard it can be to recognize love when you're not familiar with the feeling.