You mean his cunning escapes and Jacobin fervour and calm cool in the face of the knowledge that the police were looking for him? Or the kindly grandfather bit? I loved his politics and how he dealt with it.
I think as an over all character he was interesting to me from start to finish - his early years seemed like they just needed fleshing out to stand alone as an interesting story and his later years were just fun to see, as he steers events to look after his granddaughter despite being immobile. He is a really good character all the way through.
I agree. He has it all.
True. But I would have liked him to have more shades of grey. As it is he is really Raoul from Vicomte de Bragelonne: a noble, heroic, good side character rather than one with the interest of a lead. I am worried that if he were to carry a book alone we would get The Last Cavalier.
True, I was thinking he'd need to not the Valentine side to his character as that was what seemed the biggest flaw in both him and Raoul as characters - both so in love with their respective women that they don't have enough else to them.
Yes. And it is part of what ruined René in last Cavalier as well.
And The Last Cavalier was mostly bad because almost every chapter we were reminded of how he could juggle cannon balls etc. If he'd been less superman and we'd not been reminded he was all the time, I think it would have been more interesting.
Or if he had been slightly less perfect. What makes the musketeers good is that they all have flaws.
True. I never had a problem with that when it came to Danglars, precisely because he had been established as a schemer with ambitions already in the beginning. I can see him getting rich by stabbing people in the back along the way. Fernand is a bigger problem for me. He never seemed to have the know-how or ambition. There is of course the possibility that betraying Dantés gave him the idea to petray Ali Pasha when he was in a position to do so, and that that set him up with the money &c., but I find it less natural.
I think Fernand overshadows Danglars as he is really unbelievable but Danglars still seems too fast for him to have risen on his own, given the level he starts at. I think for both Dumas has sacrificed credible rises for getting them to a level where the Count has to work to destroy them and not simply swat them, as he would at their previous levels.
Probably.
That would have been good. Do you mean doubt on the reader's part?
I do, I think she would have been much more interesting if there had been a hint that she might not be all sweetness and light but was putting on an act while secretly poisoning her way to what she wanted.
Indeed. That would have made her a Complicated character, though, and I have learnt not to expect that from Dumas except in a very few cases.
Yes. I suspect this book is a ripe field for a feminist analysis.
It is a bit. There is a good range of female characters so it is interesting to see how Dumas treats them.
I agree. Her function in the plot is reflected in the Count's use of her in the beginning (again, the plot as theme bit intrigues me). But the change from slave to love object strikes me as too sudden.
It was on the Count's part but it I thought there was a clear undercurrent from her that he was what mattered to her and not just as a father but as a man.
I agree.
It seemed a bit strange from him though, as not long before he was trying to set her up with Morrel and treating her as a daughter then suddenly he has realised she is the one for him. It felt very rushed.
It feels a bit icky is what it feels like. It reminds me of Bleak House and Jarndyce's attentions to Esther. The whole switch from child to wife thing is a trend of the period, I think.
*MySmiley*
structured procrastinator
structured procrastinator
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - Book Club now open!
- 25/01/2010 10:54:37 PM
2718 Views
Les characters.
- 25/01/2010 10:56:23 PM
1585 Views
Why does the book have enduring appeal?
- 25/01/2010 10:57:37 PM
1548 Views
Or rather, does this book share any traits in common with pornography?
- 25/01/2010 11:14:01 PM
1678 Views
I think the revenge plot is actually fairly weak.
- 26/01/2010 03:43:04 AM
1609 Views
Re: I think the revenge plot is actually fairly weak.
- 26/01/2010 11:12:19 AM
1647 Views
In that case, the "release" is quite unsatisfying.
- 27/01/2010 01:42:28 PM
1753 Views
Which is precisely part of what makes the book interesting
- 27/01/2010 02:06:58 PM
1643 Views
He would not have known the book would be ruined by water. He thought he was being buried.
- 27/01/2010 02:15:02 PM
1531 Views
Oh, and your point on revenge - that's just reading too much into the text.
- 27/01/2010 02:16:05 PM
1476 Views
There is no such thing
- 27/01/2010 02:18:46 PM
1531 Views
I fundamentally disagree with your post-modern take on the novel.
- 27/01/2010 02:25:25 PM
1582 Views
Re: Which is precisely part of what makes the book interesting
- 27/01/2010 03:40:36 PM
1539 Views
Maybe it's of the same importance as the Lost Symbol.
- 27/01/2010 03:44:55 PM
1589 Views
I think one important question to ask is...
- 26/01/2010 12:00:17 AM
1636 Views
I like it, but it is purely on the adventure story level, and I've read the unabridged version.
- 26/01/2010 12:03:01 AM
1462 Views
I'm fairly certain I read the unabridged version. It was 1500 pages. *NM*
- 26/01/2010 02:36:10 AM
826 Views
I have read the abridged version a couple of times. I am reading the unabridged version this time.
- 26/01/2010 03:25:50 AM
1601 Views
I have read both
- 27/01/2010 01:37:00 AM
1650 Views
I actually didn't mean the people here on the site so much as readers in general.
- 27/01/2010 01:44:46 AM
1647 Views
Re: I actually didn't mean the people here on the site so much as readers in general.
- 27/01/2010 01:48:11 AM
1576 Views
Re: I got here too late, so I offer Umberto Eco's thoughts on the matter:
- 22/02/2010 06:59:13 PM
1757 Views
The book was very childish.
- 26/01/2010 03:05:01 AM
1699 Views
Granted, The Master and Margarita is also very much a fantasy book. *NM*
- 26/01/2010 03:07:45 AM
851 Views
No, it really isn't.
- 26/01/2010 03:10:08 AM
1633 Views
You know, this is a problem.
- 26/01/2010 03:43:14 AM
1610 Views
Thank God, I've never even heard of "Skol". Popov, yes, but Skol?
- 26/01/2010 03:49:08 AM
1597 Views
I've not tried it, but every time I go into liquor stores, it sits on the bottom shelf.
- 26/01/2010 03:57:03 AM
1496 Views
There's really nothing I can say to this that Greg didn't just say above.
- 26/01/2010 06:32:02 AM
1686 Views
Re: No, it really isn't.
- 26/01/2010 10:57:19 AM
1552 Views
Having Camilla concur with me on literary matters is very encouraging.
- 26/01/2010 01:37:23 PM
1580 Views
- 26/01/2010 01:37:23 PM
1580 Views
I do not agree with your complete dismissal of The Count of Monte Cristo, though
- 26/01/2010 04:58:58 PM
1588 Views
You make some rather odd claims here, Tom
- 27/01/2010 12:43:41 AM
1631 Views
My claims are far from odd. In fact, they're quite common.
- 27/01/2010 01:57:41 AM
1597 Views
In some circles; in others, they're rather antiquated nowadays
- 27/01/2010 02:21:03 AM
1538 Views
If you were trying to write literature, wouldn't the label sting for you?
- 27/01/2010 01:25:14 PM
1574 Views
I think it's easier to think of stories fitting into genre(s) than to think the same of authors
- 27/01/2010 02:40:29 PM
1651 Views
Allow me to clarify: I'm talking about authors' reactions to their books being so labelled.
- 27/01/2010 03:08:47 PM
1700 Views
But yet their reactions vary widely
- 27/01/2010 11:33:25 PM
1568 Views
My fundamental premise is that genre has the most utility when applied to derivative fiction.
- 28/01/2010 09:39:17 PM
1555 Views
And yet that term is mostly used as a non-loaded term that doesn't attempt to ascribe quality levels
- 29/01/2010 02:49:20 AM
1479 Views
I like my definition of science fiction better than the one you quoted.
- 29/01/2010 05:16:36 AM
1533 Views
I think estrangement is a key element, though
- 30/01/2010 11:00:19 PM
1556 Views
I don't think estrangement is a necessary element.
- 30/01/2010 11:47:07 PM
1691 Views
I mean it as a literary effect, that of creating a distance between text and reader
- 31/01/2010 12:03:34 AM
1526 Views
Even if that's the meaning, I still disagree.
- 03/02/2010 12:49:58 AM
1499 Views
Depends on how you view SF, I suppose
- 03/02/2010 04:20:56 AM
1342 Views
I thought that was what we were mulling over
- 03/02/2010 04:38:35 AM
1513 Views
Your unscientific anecdotal evidence sounds very odd to me.
- 28/01/2010 12:15:10 AM
1569 Views
It might. I'm not purporting to speak for all of humanity (at least on this point).
- 28/01/2010 09:43:40 PM
1647 Views
- 28/01/2010 09:43:40 PM
1647 Views
So, what you're saying is that watching the 2002 movie was sufficient? Good!
*NM*
- 26/01/2010 06:34:53 AM
807 Views
*NM*
- 26/01/2010 06:34:53 AM
807 Views
I'm not through it quite yet, but I do have a question
- 26/01/2010 12:24:14 PM
1522 Views
Wait...you VOTED for this book?
- 26/01/2010 01:41:00 PM
1575 Views
I honestly can't remember.
- 26/01/2010 01:55:39 PM
1518 Views
Doctor Zhivago is one of the best novels ever written.
- 26/01/2010 02:12:35 PM
1567 Views
Right, so now we all know that if we'd just listen to me more often, the world would be better.
- 26/01/2010 02:20:56 PM
1539 Views
The problem was that the suggestions were generally not that good.
- 26/01/2010 02:32:50 PM
1597 Views
You really are ignornant of what A.S. Byatt writes, aren't you?
- 27/01/2010 12:51:00 AM
1584 Views
- 27/01/2010 12:51:00 AM
1584 Views
Oh, I fucking hate epistolary novels. Thank you for warning me.
- 27/01/2010 02:00:34 AM
1473 Views
It's funny because I think it's a question of taste level.
- 26/01/2010 02:32:08 PM
1627 Views
Curious George is a tale of many layers, as told by Werner Herzog
- 26/01/2010 02:34:27 PM
1695 Views
On what basis?
- 26/01/2010 02:51:40 PM
1644 Views
It's a children's book. Get over it. Democracy failed.
- 26/01/2010 02:55:03 PM
1651 Views
Usually does, when those who know better keep silent.
- 26/01/2010 02:57:54 PM
1528 Views
Regarding comfort zones
- 26/01/2010 05:08:50 PM
1637 Views
Camilla, let's be honest here...
- 26/01/2010 05:40:08 PM
1679 Views
Re: Camilla, let's be honest here...
- 26/01/2010 09:10:47 PM
1618 Views
If that's your goal, Camilla, you failed.
- 27/01/2010 01:35:52 PM
1691 Views
Possibly
- 27/01/2010 01:38:39 PM
1535 Views
I have not been ranting and raving. I've been highly critical of the book, with much justification.
- 27/01/2010 01:45:05 PM
1568 Views
Re: I've been highly critical of the book, with much justification.
- 27/01/2010 01:53:28 PM
1555 Views
I was wondering how long it would take for you to blame me and Greg.
- 27/01/2010 02:26:12 PM
1692 Views
Don't you get it? We bring this place down.
- 27/01/2010 02:42:32 PM
1523 Views
Heh heh heh. Pink cardigan-wearing suburban cul-de-sac. I like it.
*NM*
- 27/01/2010 03:11:25 PM
790 Views
*NM*
- 27/01/2010 03:11:25 PM
790 Views
Re: I was wondering how long it would take for you to blame me and Greg.
- 27/01/2010 02:43:11 PM
1530 Views
While that was not the intent, that is an added bonus.
- 27/01/2010 02:48:47 PM
1537 Views
why is it a bonus?
- 27/01/2010 02:52:58 PM
1510 Views
I said see above. You should have before the thought police, Rebekah, started to delete.
- 27/01/2010 02:59:07 PM
1783 Views
Well, you wouldn't grow tired of us calling a novel shit if you chose a novel that wasn't shit.
- 27/01/2010 03:11:57 PM
1521 Views
Re: Regarding comfort zones
- 27/01/2010 11:57:03 AM
1632 Views
So. I really liked it.
- 26/01/2010 08:57:02 AM
1715 Views
Yes, fearless leader, this is where I stand.
- 26/01/2010 11:04:23 PM
1543 Views
Re: Yes, fearless leader, this is where I stand.
- 26/01/2010 11:49:03 PM
1606 Views
We were talking about this last night.
- 27/01/2010 11:14:21 AM
1681 Views
Re: We were talking about this last night.
- 27/01/2010 11:37:04 AM
1693 Views
If you do that, I'm posting on the deeper meaning of Dan Brown.
- 27/01/2010 01:46:35 PM
1662 Views
Feel free to.
- 27/01/2010 01:51:23 PM
1628 Views
Your post-modern take on the novel is shit, shit, shit.
- 27/01/2010 02:28:56 PM
1548 Views
Re: Your post-modern take on the novel is shit, shit, shit.
- 27/01/2010 02:45:41 PM
1620 Views
I'm not setting up a straw man. I'm challenging your touchy-feely approach.
- 27/01/2010 03:15:00 PM
1474 Views
My touchy-feely approach?
- 27/01/2010 05:09:04 PM
1539 Views
Yes...using passing references in the text to justify a deeper analysis.
- 27/01/2010 05:16:10 PM
1550 Views
Doesn't touchy-feely mean that it is steeped in or based on emotion?
- 27/01/2010 06:40:31 PM
1541 Views
I think between the two of you I agree more with Tom here.
- 27/01/2010 07:01:08 PM
1504 Views
Re: I think between the two of you I agree more with Tom here.
- 27/01/2010 08:29:32 PM
1578 Views
See my reply to Tom for clarification, then.
- 27/01/2010 08:57:18 PM
1642 Views
Re: See my reply to Tom for clarification, then.
- 27/01/2010 09:09:47 PM
1551 Views
Er. Whose position are you arguing - mine or yours?
- 27/01/2010 10:33:01 PM
1440 Views
- 27/01/2010 10:33:01 PM
1440 Views
Mine. Which is more complicated than a simple rejection. That is what I am saying.
- 01/02/2010 12:53:58 PM
1457 Views
Do it. I'd read that.
- 27/01/2010 01:55:23 PM
1690 Views
All righty, that's enough of that. For Tom, Greg, and... no, pretty much just you two.
- 27/01/2010 04:33:00 PM
1597 Views
I call bullshit. I have been conducting the debate in a measured fashion.
- 27/01/2010 04:50:35 PM
1565 Views
And ANOTHER THING
- 27/01/2010 05:05:17 PM
1460 Views
Not everyone has finished reading it yet *NM*
- 27/01/2010 05:12:10 PM
882 Views
Okay, so you'll get one or two stragglers in a week to a month. It changes nothing.
- 27/01/2010 05:17:51 PM
1630 Views
Re: Okay, so you'll get one or two stragglers in a week to a month. It changes nothing.
- 27/01/2010 06:41:11 PM
1573 Views
We are discussing this book. We're discussing its faults.
- 27/01/2010 07:30:49 PM
1529 Views
In the interest of discussing Dumas' intentions...
- 27/01/2010 08:03:24 PM
1672 Views
Re: We are discussing this book. We're discussing its faults.
- 27/01/2010 08:30:19 PM
1646 Views
The text doesn't warrant "close attention" any more than Dan Brown's works do.
- 27/01/2010 09:10:45 PM
1515 Views
Also, do you think a good book would have generated this level of discussion? Of course not.
- 27/01/2010 05:21:45 PM
1556 Views
What discussion?
- 27/01/2010 06:42:32 PM
1579 Views
I said that we couldn't discuss the book on its own terms.
- 27/01/2010 07:35:32 PM
1656 Views
Which I still think we can.
- 27/01/2010 08:35:35 PM
1528 Views
Perhaps you shouldn't be breaking things down at all.
- 27/01/2010 09:06:59 PM
1620 Views
Re: Perhaps you shouldn't be breaking things down at all.
- 27/01/2010 09:12:22 PM
1567 Views
I apologize if I'm part of the reason you feel ganged up on.
- 27/01/2010 10:40:36 PM
1566 Views
Re: I apologize if I'm part of the reason you feel ganged up on.
- 01/02/2010 12:56:03 PM
1483 Views
Deary me.
- 27/01/2010 05:19:58 PM
1771 Views
By "respect" do you mean that you want me to drop my debates?
- 27/01/2010 05:24:03 PM
1524 Views
Not at all.
- 27/01/2010 05:35:34 PM
1670 Views
I'm sorry as well - if I had any kind of willpower, it wouldn't have gotten that far.
- 27/01/2010 06:29:43 PM
1594 Views
On the nature of the "Book Club"
- 28/01/2010 09:23:23 PM
1434 Views
Any chance of seeing some shorter suggestions?
- 28/01/2010 10:20:59 PM
1690 Views
Yes, shorter would be good.
- 28/01/2010 10:23:28 PM
1487 Views
Well, you should have known better!
- 29/01/2010 01:29:40 AM
1533 Views
- 29/01/2010 01:29:40 AM
1533 Views
All I can say is The Master and Margarita better be one by March. WE WAS ROBBED.
*NM*
- 29/01/2010 02:31:48 AM
771 Views
*NM*
- 29/01/2010 02:31:48 AM
771 Views
Well I'm late to the party
- 29/01/2010 06:21:18 AM
1511 Views
No, you're early
- 01/02/2010 01:26:10 PM
1382 Views
I still have yet to see that discussion, Camilla. *NM*
- 03/02/2010 12:46:24 AM
834 Views
Interesting way of dismissing what has already been discussed about the book
- 03/02/2010 04:22:26 AM
1654 Views
Nah, there's been discussion, here and there inbetween the fighting.
*NM*
- 03/02/2010 04:39:24 PM
779 Views
*NM*
- 03/02/2010 04:39:24 PM
779 Views
An interesting quote from the book - does it jibe with your experience?
- 29/01/2010 11:23:54 PM
1519 Views


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