Count of Monte Cristo

[mariness]

I'm about to start my annual (at least) reread of The Count of Monte Cristo.Now, I reread a lot - often to the point of memorization, to where my mind is just reviewing words I already know, taking comfort in their familiarity. Oddly enough, very few scenes in the Count of Monte Cristo have ever reached that memorization point (the scene where

Comments

[dsgood]

Oddly, what I recall most clearly is the hashish-smoking scene.

[mariness]

I forgot the drugs!

[black13]

It's one of the things that struck me about it: Dantes is not really an active force in the destruction of his enemies. He's more a catalyst, setting things in motion and then watching how his enemies are destroyed by the things they had already done.

All he really does is dig up dirt from their past, most of which doesn't even involve how they set him up, and then enjoy the results.

I found a bound copy in a trashcan some years ago. CoMC was one of those books that I'd always wanted to read but never really got around to, so I used the opportunity and did. I was glad I did.

The one thing that continues to baffle me is the timeline, though. It feels to me as if Dumas is somehow making things 10 years shorter than they should have been. That's the single thing (there are some other, minor problems that I'm willing to handwave) that makes me uncomfortable when I read it.

[mariness]

I guess it is suspiciously convenient that all four of his enemies turn out to be really awful people - but then again, if they hadn't been really awful people to begin with, they wouldn't have sent Dantes off to the Chateau d'If.

I agree that it's highly improbable that Dantes could track down his enemies, rescue Greek slaves, bribe popes, and set up multiple identities within the brief time span allotted to him, but, um, probably no more improbable than finding the incredibly improbable fortune conveniently hidden on a nice little rocky island someplace. So I roll with that.

[mdg1]

Don't forget the lesbians! :)

[mariness]

.....they're in the list.

[booksforfood]

Have you read "The Stars my Destination" by Alfred Bester? It's Count of Monte Cristo. SET IN SPACE.

[mariness]

Years back. I didn't like it as much.

I think I just need melodramatic social climbing French semi-aristocrats in horse drawn carriages :)

[sylvar]

Do you have a favorite translation? -- in case I have a choice from among the libraries who will lend it to me... would hate to get a boring or bowdlerized version from Gutenberg if there's a better option.

[mariness]

Actually the one on Gutenberg is the fairly standard 19th century translation that nearly all other translations follow. The ones that didn't were not too good; the 19th century translation does a very good job with keeping up with the lovely melodramatic dialogue ("Count! Remember! He has a mother!") I kinda like it because it keeps the decidedly 19th century feel...well, that would be part of doing a 19th century translation

[sylvar]

Oh, heavens no! I only made it through once, but I did read the full Les Miserables (the 1000+ page tome that begins with the Bishop of D---- and his household budget), and wouldn't go back to the abridged version of that one either.