To begin, I feel that a brief synopsis of the Three Musketeers is appropriate. The story details the experience of young d’Artagnan as he moves to Paris to seek his fortune. Through an odd series of events, he joins the King’s Musketeers in a duel against the Cardinal’s minions, and, after their victory, subsequently befriends the three Musketeers. Ensuing this scene, d’Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis engage in myriad escapades in and around Paris, often dueling the Cardinal’s followers. Although the Cardinal and the King are actually good friends, their armies often battle, which has created a huge rift throughout France. After obtaining an abode, d’Artagnan falls in love with his corrupt landlord’s hot young wife, Bonacieux. Madame Bonacieux is a close friend to the queen, Anne of Austria, who is despondent with her marriage to the King. Therefore, the queen cheats with the English Prime Minister, the Duke of Buckingham. Upon his visit to Paris, the queen presents her lover with diamond earrings, which he brings with him back to London. However, the Cardinal, informed by his emissaries, persuades the King to host a ball for the Queen where she is expected to wear the earrings. Frantic, the queen confides in Madame Bonacieux that she desperately needs the earrings back. Bonacieux subsequently discloses the situation to d’Artagnan, who voyages to London to retrieve the diamond earrings just in time for the ball. This act results in Bonacieux’s reciprocation of d’Artagnan’s love. Just before Bonacieux and d’Artagnan are arranged to meet, the Cardinal’s army kidnaps Bonacieux. Readers are then introduced to another prominent character, the malevolent, malicious, and ruthless Milady. Despite his love for Bonacieux, d’Artagnan falls for this, unbeknownst to him, criminal and Cardinal agent. After a series of affairs between d’Artagnan and Milady, she mercilessly seeks revenge upon him. The remainder of the novel documents the three musketeers and d’Artagnan’s endeavors as they try to rescue Bonacieux and as they battle the Cardinal’s minions, in La Rochelle where a siege is taking place.
This novel was penned in 1844 by French novelist, Alexander Dumas. This novel is significant because it is considered a historical novel, seeing as how it was published some 219 years after the story was set. However, Dumas’ novel was incongruent with the previous historical novels, because The Three Musketeers was, well, simply fun and fast paced. This revolutionized the way historical novels were written and pioneered an enduring precedent. This novel was actually serialized in a French magazine, with each new publication containing a new segment of the story. The way that hoards of people were lined up to purchase the magazine and read the new developments is truly indicative of the success of this novel.
I absolutely loved this novel, and wholeheartedly suggest it to anyone and everyone. However, as I imagine that you are all currently looking for novels that you can make use of on the AP exam, I suggest you wait until summer to read this book. The reason being is that this novel simply isn’t as saturated with as many motifs and literary devices as some other books may be. In brief, this book straight up owned, and you should all read it sometime or another.
1 comment:
Josh,
A fun review--both the synopsis (which whets the appetite even as it leaves much hanging), and the information about Dumas himself (who, like Dickens in England, was the equivalent of today's "lost" or "24"--or whatever other television series viewers hang on the way readers once anticipated the next installment of Dumas' masterwork). I wish, as always, that the diction here were a tad less inappropriately inflated; nonetheless, I enjoyed reading this one a lot. Thanks!
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