Sorel, J.

…The protagonist of the novel The Red and the Black by the French author Stendhal. Born into a lower-class family in a remote area, this young man is blessed with intelligence and good looks, and carves out a path to success using hypocrisy as his only weapon. He is often considered a synonym for an ambitious man, but what should be emphasized is that he is an ambitious man who is frustrated. Although he is armed with hypocrisy, his true nature is that of a passionate dreamer, and while he aims to be clear-sighted and cool-headed, he is constantly betrayed by his inner passion and his own sensitivity, and finally heads for ruin. He defines himself as a "country boy who rebelled against the lowliness of his status," and is a man born of the times and who rebels against the times, and can only be crushed by the times and die. …

*Some of the terminology that mentions "Sorel, J." is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…フランスの作家スタンダールの小説《赤と黒》の主人公。片田舎の下層階級の出身ながら，才智と美貌に恵まれ，偽善を唯一の武器として立身の道を切りひらいてゆくこの青年は，しばしば野心家の代名詞とされるが，むしろ強調すべきは彼が挫折する野心家だという点であろう。偽善に身をよろいつつも彼の本質は情熱的夢想家であり，明晰冷徹を旨としながら彼は絶えず内面の情熱，自らの感受性に裏切られ続け，ついに破滅へと向かう。〈己の身分の卑しさに反抗した田舎者〉と自らを規定する彼は，時代が生んだ，時代に反抗する人物であり，時代に押しつぶされて死ぬほかない。…

※「Sorel，J.」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

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