À Paris, la position de Julien envers madame de Rênal eût été bien vite simplifiée ; mais à Paris, l’amour est fils des romans. Le jeune précepteur et sa timide maîtresse auraient retrouvé dans trois ou quatre romans et jusque dans les couplets du Gymnase, l’éclaircissement de leur position. Les romans leur auraient tracé le rôle à jouer, montré le modèle à imiter ; et ce modèle, tôt ou tard, et quoique sans nul plaisir, et peut-être en rechignant, la vanité eût forcé Julien à le suivre. (Le Rouge et le noir, ch 7, pp 37-38)
my translation:
In Paris, the position of Julien vis-à-vis Madame de Rênal would soon have been simplified; but in Paris, love is the child of novels. The young tutor and his timid mistress would have found in three or four novels, and even in the couplets of the théâtre du Gymnase, the explanation of their situation. The novels would have mapped out the role to play, shown the model to imitate; and it is this model, sooner or later, and even though it would have been without pleasure and perhaps even with reluctance, that vanity would have forced Julien to follow.
like. the concept of romantic love has to be taught to people...this guy does not want a mistress he does not care about this lady but if he had KNOWN there were expectations he would have been like damn guess i better start seducing her or my life doesn't make any sense. because that is what the script says. amatonormativity as propagated through popular culture in 1820s france





















