I
was inspired to read this book by reading A Prisoner of Birth by
Jeffery Archer which is an homage to it. I think I’ve seen a movie or
two based on it as well, so I know the basic outlines of the plot. It’s
the particulars and the language that keeps me interested. So far I
find it well-paced and full of atmospheric detail. My research turned
up the fact that this was published as a serial and it certainly reads
like one, with a rolling course of tension and neat vignettes that all
relate to each other and provide closure to each chapter or set of
chapters. The construction compels the reader to wait anxiously for the
next installment and I can imagine that they did. Every time I read a
book from the 18th or 19th century it takes me a bit to get used to the
language. Some call it flowery or overly descriptive, but I rather like
it, keeping in mind that the people of the day who read this loved the
detail the got. How else would they know what other people ate and
wore? Where they lived and how they earned their money? What political
opinions were fashionable and which to be ignored? Plus there’s the
intrigue and dastardly deeds.
I
can hardly call them anything else; dastardly for sure. From reading A
Prisoner of Birth I thought that I’d get a long, drawn-out trial to
read through. It was the most tedious part of that book so I wasn’t
looking forward to it in this one, but surprise me all to hell when
Dantes was thrown in prison without a trial. It really shocked me and
made the injustice all the more vile. On his first occasion to talk to
anyone other than the jailer, Dantes asks to be tried for his crime and
the fact that he wasn’t doesn’t seem to bother anyone, even the people
who didn’t put him there. To a 21st century American, raised on TV cop
dramas like Hill Street Blues and Law and Order this kind of thing is
almost inconceivable. It’s fantastic to imagine this happening and it
gets to the heart of what scares me the most; the disillusion of modern
justice and the way we think of ourselves as citizens and not subjects.
But in this period of France’s history, the people were just starting
to make that distinction. Upheaval followed upheaval and government and
all of society were in an almost constant state of flux. Most people
seemed to want to keep their heads down and get through it, but our
villains don’t mind sticking their necks out for advancement, position
and greed.
So
far the villains are mere sketches and I assume their evil will be
shown in full flower once Dantes escapes. I’m up to the part where Abbe
Faria has had his fit and has told Dantes about the treasure. Like
everyone else, he thinks his friend is mad and just humors him. The
prison conditions are described enough to make us feel the sheer
grossness and deprivation, but not as in as much detail as I’d thought.
It seems like Dantes is going to escape imminently which is also
surprising; I thought we’d spend a lot more time in there, but my
supposition could be wrong. There is a lot more book left so I imagine
we’ll get a lot of payback time. Of course, that’s the best part.
Some
reviews say this book is slow moving. In comparison to what, a comet?
I like the pacing so far and the time we’ve spent getting to know
Dantes, Abbe Faria, de Villefort and King Louis XVIII. The style is
terrific and I don’t mind how I’m receiving information on prisons,
Bonapartism, marriage customs etc. No big info dumps or As You Know
Bobs. I have a feeling this is going to be fun ride.
To keep track of the entries about The Count, check out the label Monte Cristo Journal
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