The Three Musketeers

[S. Gomez]

Spoiler Warning.

Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers was on my to-read list for a long time before I saw a modern, lauded translation on the shelf with a pretty attractive cover and just had to pick it up. (The translator's name is Richard Pevear, if anyone's interested.)

This was an awesome read. One of the problems with being a voracious reader is that you're always thinking about the next book, and sometimes at the expense of the one you're on. Not this time. From beginning to end, I was completely caught up in the story and the only reason I was in a "rush" to finish it was because I wanted to know what happened. And what happened was pretty darn breathtaking. The whole last three chapters or so (Milady's execution) took me completely off-guard; I was so unprepared to have that happen to her that it was almost horrifying in its ritualism. Despite everything she did, and no matter how much she may have deserved it, I couldn't help feeling slightly sympathetic. As you can probably tell, although I knew of the book and its reputation, I knew nothing of the plot--a real advantage, I think.

I can't wait to read The Count of Monte Cristo! (Not to mention the rest of the D'Artagnan Romances.)

 

[Neroon]

Obviously, your thread concerns the literary work, and I don't want to divert the thread from that focus. However, I will be interested in seeing your opinion of the various film adaptation of this great, great story. Not just comparisons of Lana Turner with Rebecca DeMornay in their portrayals of the Countess deWinter. But it's always interesting to see how well a book translates to the screen - especially when that book is a recognized classic work.

Incidentally, I wasn't aware of additional works involving D'artagnan. Cool!

 

[TGTheodore]

I can't wait to read The Count of Monte Cristo! (Not to mention the rest of the D'Artagnan Romances.)

I hope you haven't seen the latest film version of Cristo which changed MANY major plot points -- and for the worse.

The novel itself is an interesting read. Remember, it (like most of the "novels" of the period), were originally written as serials, not novels. So prepare yourself for some interesting story "off-ramps".

And enjoy!!

--Ted

 

[Orintho]

Not just comparisons of Lana Turner with Rebecca DeMornay in their portrayals of the Countess deWinter. But it's always interesting to see how well a book translates to the screen - especially when that book is a recognized classic work.

And how did you possibly miss the best film version of the 'Three Musketeers':

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072281/

 

[TGTheodore]

... the best film version of the 'Three Musketeers':

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072281/

Agreed. Seeing it on the BIG screen was just a real blast. And I'm glad they split it into two movies rather than whittle it down to one.

Even Return of the Musketeers (with largely the same cast) was much better than most swashbucklers. Though it really paled next to the "original", it was still fun spending time with that cast again.

--Ted

 

[darkwing_duck1]

I just know I'm gonna get smacked for this, but my favorite version of TTM is the Disney adaptation...

 

[Neroon]

I hope you haven't seen the latest film version of Cristo which changed MANY major plot points -- and for the worse.

Do you mean the one with Jim Caveziel and Guy Pierce?

The novel itself is an interesting read. Remember, it (like most of the "novels" of the period), were originally written as serials, not novels. So prepare yourself for some interesting story "off-ramps".

I never knew that. It does lend a certain insight to those books, given that they weren't created as a complete, self-contained work.

 

[S. Gomez]

I hope you haven't seen the latest film version of Cristo which changed MANY major plot points -- and for the worse.

Do you mean the one with Jim Caveziel and Guy Pierce?

No I haven't seen it yet, or any of the film versions. Yet again I'll be going into it with no knowledge of the plot.

The novel itself is an interesting read. Remember, it (like most of the "novels" of the period), were originally written as serials, not novels. So prepare yourself for some interesting story "off-ramps".

I never knew that. It does lend a certain insight to those books, given that they weren't created as a complete, self-contained work.

Oh yeah, I know these are serials. But I don't think that necessarily means that the books published that way weren't intended as a complete work; the authors made plot notes for the overall story and looked ahead to a planned ending, just like you would do with book novel. And while I was reading T3M I actually had a tought time placing where the divisions would have been originally.

Still, I've been meaning for a while to read a Dickens novel at one installment a week to get something of the original effect.

 

[TGTheodore]

I hope you haven't seen the latest film version of Cristo which changed MANY major plot points -- and for the worse.

Do you mean the one with Jim Caveziel and Guy Pierce?

Yes. A few of the changes were actually good, but some of the really big story elements were changed to ... well ... lessen the impact and consequences of things done by major characters.

--Ted

 

[CorporalClegg]

You know, I've never read the full version of this.

I have two copies of it and they're both abridged. Same goes for Montie Cristo.

 

[TGTheodore]

The full-length Cristo is about 1200 pages, (depending on the font size, of course).

--Ted

 

[CorporalClegg]

Yeah, but I read fast.

 

[Neroon]

Yes. A few of the changes were actually good, but some of the really big story elements were changed to ... well ... lessen the impact and consequences of things done by major characters.

--Ted

Without veering from the original topic too much, there is one especially egregious change that to me completely changes the whole thrust of the story (Mercedes staying with Edmund at the end). I cannot recall how much of that is done with The Three Musketeers, however.

 

[S. Gomez]

^Gah! I haven't read Monte Cristo!

 

[sojourner]

^ I WAS going to make a joke about needing spoiler warnings for a 100+ year old book.....

 

[Vendikarr]

I remember reading the Dumas works in high school. I was taking French in school, and we were assigned Monte Cristo. It was such a facinating book, I continued on with the others on my own.

I once tried reading a translation of Monte Cristo, and while it gets all of the plot points right, the feeling was a bit off. Dumas had a way with a phrase that just got lost. Some books are meant to be read in their original language.

 

[Shaytan]

I can't wait to read The Count of Monte Cristo! (Not to mention the rest of the D'Artagnan Romances.)

The 2nd book of the Musketeers trilogy (Twenty years after) is certainly my favorite. It kept the dark mood of Milady's execution. The last one (Bragelonne) is a very long novel. Not my favorite but it's still good.
Monte Cristo is the ultimate vengence story with a little something of a fairy tale. I enjoyed it a lot.
After that if you can find a good translation of the Valois romances, go for it. La Dame de Monsoreau (2nd book) is my favorite Dumas so far. It takes place during the Renaissance years during the wars of religion.
The great ambition of Dumas was to re-write all the history of France. Of course it's different from what happened in reality but, like he said : on peut tromper l'histoire tant qu'on lui fait de beaux enfants. That can be translated by "you can cheat on history if you give it beautiful children".

 

[S. Gomez]

^ I WAS going to make a joke about needing spoiler warnings for a 100+ year old book.....

...until you realized it was still possible for people not to have read it and thus not know what happens?

 

[CaptainCanada]

I read The Count of Monte Cristo over the summer; it's a good read, though long (length has some advantages, since even if you know the broad outline from films and such, there are plenty of excised plots and characters to keep things interesting).

 

[TGTheodore]

^ I WAS going to make a joke about needing spoiler warnings for a 100+ year old book.....

...until you realized it was still possible for people not to have read it and thus not know what happens?

Well, not everyone in every instance can know which OLD classic books have or haven't been read by a particular person. The end of Gone With the Wind is so well-known, that one could hardly not talk about it in case someone hasn't read it yet.

That said, you DID say you hadn't read Cristo, so I avoided any spoilers in discussing it.

Then that other guy came along ... But there's a lot more to enjoying the book than the one plot point that was revealed earlier.

--Ted