I have that but haven't gotten around to reading it.
Not that I recall.
He mentionned it in Lector in Fabula (or at least in the same book this essay was from, in the edition I have), and IRRC in a late 90s essay I only know as Six Promenades dans les bois du roman, and again in his recent essay on translation, Eco elaborates on the idea that attempting to abridge Monte Cristo, cut down all its disgressions and redundancies would deprieve it of devices meant to slow things down, intrisically necessary to the very concept of revenge, following the saying that it's a dish best eaten cold.
He's mentionned Monte Cristo in several interviews over the years, though essentially he reprises the same core ideas from his original essay each time : "One of the most fascinating novels of all times/one of the most badly written novels of all literatures and times". He discussed it in one of his "three musketeers" conferences with Salman Rushdie and Vargas Llosa too - they debated his claim that it was a "bad novel" for a while.
At the time of Foucault's Pendulum, he had spoken of its influence (and in a more general way, Dumas's) on that novel, thought that's so long ago I don't remember what he said about that.
Once, he spoke of the likes of Dantès and D'Artagnan in comparison to Emma Bovary and Julien Sorel, but I don't remember in which of his books that was. Essentially, he was fascinated with the fact that you can take Dantès and D'Artagnan out of Dumas, that these characters were myth and had a life of their own outside the novels they come from, and can exist in other stories (and Monte Cristo and D'Artagnan have inspired many other novels), but that in comparison without Flaubert's words, Emma Bovary was just another boring provincial adultress and Sorel just another ridiculous fool never doing what he should do. That Monte Cristo and similar popular literature (which for him is a return to Homer or Sophocles) was fascinating for its power to generate a myth independent of the artistic quality of its vehicle, while works like Stendhal's Le Rouge et le Noir, or Madame Bovary, were "solely" works of art.
He speaks of Monte Cristo in 'The Art of Creating a Legend" piece e he wrote for the Guardian a few years back.
This message last edited by DomA on 11/01/2010 at 07:25:36 PM
The Count of Monte Cristo was a terrible choice for a book discussion.
09/01/2010 07:41:01 PM
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Hey, now (copy/paste)
09/01/2010 07:48:56 PM
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People should think about these things before recommending books.
09/01/2010 08:13:10 PM
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Which is why I voted for Bulgakov's M & M.
09/01/2010 10:56:00 PM
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I disagree slightly
09/01/2010 09:07:12 PM
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Well, by that standard a Jackie Collins novel is worthy of debate.
10/01/2010 01:08:04 AM
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Oh, I almost forgot
10/01/2010 01:11:50 AM
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Ooh...I'd love to hear them!!! What did Eco say to trash Dumas? *NM*
10/01/2010 01:19:43 AM
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Here's the French translation from Eco's work on supermen
10/01/2010 01:39:28 AM
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I love it. Strangely enough, though, he wrote an introduction to the book.
10/01/2010 01:54:24 AM
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Not really strange as Eco has long been fascinated by this book
11/01/2010 05:01:56 PM
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Did he mention it in his book on ugliness?
11/01/2010 05:12:55 PM
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Re: Did he mention it in his book on ugliness?
11/01/2010 05:52:29 PM
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Re: Here's the French translation from Eco's work on supermen
11/01/2010 03:49:15 PM
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That's fascinating. Of course, I disagree with Eco's praise.
11/01/2010 05:12:25 PM
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Re: That's fascinating. Of course, I disagree with Eco's praise.
11/01/2010 06:22:24 PM
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I agree that abridging it would not work well.
12/01/2010 04:06:26 PM
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I think there are plenty of things that can be discussed.
09/01/2010 10:00:06 PM
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Discussed and put to rest in 5 minutes or less, perhaps.
10/01/2010 01:17:02 AM
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Depends on who you are, one would imagine.
10/01/2010 08:16:11 AM
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<pretentious>Well, why should we cater to the lowest common denominator?
11/01/2010 02:17:03 AM
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I'd laugh...
11/01/2010 07:21:38 PM
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I don't get that. Well, of course I do from Tom, but let's put him aside for this discussion.
12/01/2010 03:35:21 AM
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It's frustrating though...
12/01/2010 04:18:37 AM
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I think if you posted that (or something like it) people would reply to it.
12/01/2010 05:08:53 AM
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Perhaps.
12/01/2010 05:26:38 AM
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Given the people who have read the Kushiel books, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.
12/01/2010 05:58:33 AM
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You're not.
12/01/2010 02:16:09 PM
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Her next series sounds interesting
12/01/2010 02:20:17 PM
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It does, but the reviews I've seen aren't too enthusiastic.
12/01/2010 02:29:26 PM
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Yes, but how so?
12/01/2010 02:39:59 PM
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Well...
13/01/2010 07:03:08 PM
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Honestly...
13/01/2010 07:51:14 PM
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Absolutely.
14/01/2010 12:55:00 PM
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Re: Absolutely.
14/01/2010 01:57:47 PM
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In short, not a good name for a daughter. At least not one with an interest in Classics.
15/01/2010 05:32:35 AM
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I'm staying far, far away from Seneca.
15/01/2010 02:01:49 PM
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Ah, yes. The Apocolocyntosis. Possibly the least amusing humor ever penned. I hate Seneca. *NM*
16/01/2010 02:14:32 AM
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I really don't think it would.
12/01/2010 07:49:32 AM
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I have tried before.
12/01/2010 01:59:24 PM
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If it is well-written and defends the value of the book, I don't see why you shouldn't post it.
12/01/2010 05:12:58 PM
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I'm quite enjoying it.
09/01/2010 10:40:30 PM
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A kid's book of adventure doesn't translate into a good book club discussion.
10/01/2010 01:21:11 AM
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I have to agree
11/01/2010 12:36:55 AM
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How did you find deeper meaning (pun intended) in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? *NM*
11/01/2010 02:17:55 AM
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