Wednesday Widening Gyre

[evelyn_b]

What I've Finished Reading

How Dear is Life - war comes to Europe, Philip joins the local Territorials, suffers embarrassment and shame, and is marched all over France and Belgium. At home, a familiar situation: the number of news sources has exploded, but no one knows what's true and what's false, and hardly anyone has the time to wonder in the

Comments

[osprey_archer]

Oh Fernand. I must confess I felt a tiny twinge of sorrow for him when he shot himself, because he had just lost absolutely everything he cared about and, well, of course that's exactly what he did to Dantes so you can't say it's unjust, but. I did still feel a little sorry for him.

Also: aaagh, Valentine! Does Dantes realize that his little poisoning scheme has gotten out of hand now that three people have died? Or was his plan always to have Villefort's entire family die around him before Mme Villefort finally gets around to killing him? Dantes, Dantes! But thank goodness Noirtier is there to act as Valentine's guardian angel. All he can do is blink and he's still tougher than his son.

I am a couple chapters ahead of you, I think. All the Eugenie scenes are A++ material, even by the high standards Dumas has set for himself (although nothing will ever top the scene where Mercedes comes to beg the Count's clemency for her son).

[evelyn_b]

:( :( :(

From the way he reacted to Maximilian, I got the impression that Dantes intended the poisonings to cut as wide a swath through Villefort's family as possible, because of the sins of the fathers etc.. Now he's rethinking the sins of the fathers thing, but he hasn't totally convinced himself out of it. He's flailing a little. That's my impression; I could be wrong. Poor everyone. :(

Eugenie is the best. I've just read Ch. 97, and it's like a whole little novel in there; you can see the imprint of all the mental and emotional adjustments she's made over the years in order to live her own life in her father's house. And she's a match for him! Danglars isn't as clever as he thinks he is, but Eugenie is exactly as clever as Danglars thinks he is.

Mercedes turning up in her DRAMA VEIL to beg clemency has got to be one of the top ten scenes in human history.

[osprey_archer]

OH DANTES, revenge is so complicated. It's such a problem when the people you have tried to manipulate into poisoning your enemies poison their virtuous stepdaughters instead!

(Does this make Valentine Snow White? Hmm.)

I want to read The Novel Of Eugenie now. Do you think anyone has written one? There is sort of a cottage industry of spin-off novels from classics, after all... although I don't think I've ever seen one for The Count of Monte Cristo.

[evelyn_b]

I'm TORN because on the one hand, if the Novel of Eugenie existed, obviously I would have to read it as soon as I found out, but what if it's bad?? OR WORSE, what if it's technically accomplished and emotionally rich, but buries Louise and Eugenie under a slag heap of grim realism instead of giving them the dashing romantic adventures and well-earned comforts that God and Dumas intended?

Ok, I'm getting ahead of myself. I don't know! But clearly I should find out!

[osprey_archer]

What kind of homage to The Count of Monte Cristo would be cluttered up with grim realism? I refuse to believe that anyone would do anything so cruel. Bring on Eugenie Danglars and Louise d'Armilly, lady adventurers/opera singers! They are captured by highwaymen on the way to Italy, which somehow ends with Eugenie leading the bandits. Perhaps there will be pirates, later on!