The Count of Monte Cristo: Abridged Edition - Alexandre Dumas - Google Books The Count of Monte Cristo: Abridged Edition 3 Reviews "A piece of perfect storytelling." — Robert Louis Stevenson. First published in 1844, The Count of Monte Cristo remains one of literature's greatest adventures. Based on actual events, this sweeping historical romance, considered to be Dumas' finest work, recounts the story of Edmond Dant�s, a gallant young sailor whose life takes a bitter turn when, during the final days of Napoleon's reign, he is falsely accused of treason and condemned to lifelong imprisonment. After languishing for many years in a fetid dungeon, he makes his dramatic escape. In a labyrinthine tale plump with themes of justice, vengeance, lost love, and mercy and forgiveness, Dant�s is now free to play out his elaborate plans of revenge on those who betrayed him. What people are saying - Write a review LibraryThing Review I'm finished. It got better. MUCH better. More later. Maybe. Read full review LibraryThing Review I'm finished. It got better. MUCH better. More later. Maybe.

Read full review Selected pages View all » Common terms and phrases abb� Abb� Faria Albert arms asked Baron Baroness Barrois Beauchamp Bonapartist brucine Caderousse captain carriage Catalan Cavalcanti Ch�teau d’If continued Count of Monte cried d’Avrigny d’�pinay daughter dear death Debray doctor door Edmond Dant�s Elba Emmanuel entered exclaimed eyes face Faria father Fernand fortune Franz gaoler gave give hand happy Haydee head heard heart Herbault honour horses hour hundred thousand francs leave Legion of Honour letter lips listen live looked Louis XVIII Madame de Villefort Mademoiselle Marseilles Maximilian Merc�d�s Mme Danglars Mme de Villefort Monsieur Danglars Monsieur de Morcerf Monsieur de Villefort Monsieur Morrel Monsieur Noirtier morning mother never notary o’clock opened pale Paris passed Pharaon piastres Piazza del Popolo prisoner returned round sailor servant silence smile speak tell terrible thought to-day took turned Valentine Valentine’s Vasiliki voice wait wish words About the author (2012) After an idle youth, Alexandre Dumas went to Paris and spent some years writing.

A volume of short stories and some farces were his only productions until 1927, when his play Henri III (1829) became a success and made him famous. It was as a storyteller rather than a playwright, however, that Dumas gained enduring success. Perhaps the most broadly popular of French romantic novelists, Dumas published some 1,200 volumes during his lifetime. These were not all written by him, however, but were the works of a body of collaborators known as "Dumas & Co." Some of his best works were plagiarized. For example, The Three Musketeers (1844) was taken from the Memoirs of Artagnan by an eighteenth-century writer, and The Count of Monte Cristo (1845) from Penchet's A Diamond and a Vengeance. At the end of his life, drained of money and sapped by his work, Dumas left Paris and went to live at his son's villa, where he remained until his death.

Bibliographic information The Count of Monte Cristo | Mindstorm Home > Book Review , Li Ann > The Count of Monte Cristo The Count of Monte Cristo March 23, 2009 Eternity in an Hour Leave a comment Go to comments The Count of Monte Cristo, written by Alexandre Dumas is a story about the life of Edmond Dantes, a young and innocent man that was falsely accused and convicted for the offence of being a traitor to his country and was sentenced to life imprisonment on an island known as the Chateau d’If. In prison, Edmond met an abbe who imparted him with the knowledge of his imprisonment and he made him realized that it was his friends and the crown prosecutor that have betrayed him and confined him to prison. Thus, he began to feel vengeful towards the three men that were responsible for his incarceration. Through the revenge plan, Edmond has slowly changed from a nice, honest and kind man to a mad and cruel beast, as he become obsessed in seeking vengeance towards those that has done him wrong and caused his sufferings and pains. This story by Alexandre Dumas tells that revenge is a fruitless effort and it can poison the character of one very good man.

Edmond Dantes was firstly portrayed as a kind, honest and loving man in the beginning of the story. He loves his father unconditionally, respects his employer and adores his fiancée, Mercedes. These could be seen in the story when Edmond declined his employer’s offer to dine together because he was anxious to see both his father and his fiancée. “Please Monsieur Morrel, I beg you to excuse me, but the first thing I must do is to visit my father” (12). “I must beg you once more to forgive me, but after that first visit, there is another that is no less important to me” (13). Other than that, Dantes was also a very kind man as he even tried to think of nice and good things of Caderousse, a man whom he very much dislikes, and it could be seen in the story when he said, “There’s a fellow who says one thing, and thinks another. “No matter. He is a neighbor who has helped us in the past, so let him in” (18). According to SparkNotes, Dantes was naturally intelligent and a man of few opinion (2).

All of these show that Dantes has a good nature in himself, and that he was well loved and respected in the beginning of the story. Dantes undergoes a great change after he escaped from the prison. He became a different person and had gained a new appearance that reflected on his new personality and feelings. “The knowledge that he had acquired gave a look of intelligent self-confidence to his face” (214). Other than that, Dantes has also obtained a new appearance that reflects his anger towards the world and the society. “His eyebrows arched under a single, pensive line and his eyes themselves were imprinted with deep sadness, behind which from time to time could be seen dark flashes of misanthropy and hatred” (214). Dantes has become very obsessed in revenging his injustice that it was also being portrayed by his new look. “In addition, having been constantly in darkness or half-light, his eyes had acquired remarkable ability of seeing in the dark, like those of wolves and hyenas” (214). This quote from the story shows that Dantes has changed both physically, and mentally.

It also tells that Edmond is angry and frustrated with the events that have occurred in his life and that he is so full of hatred and anger and wants nothing but to revenge. As the story develops, Edmond Dantes became possessed in revenging. He began secluding himself from society and other human beings, except for those that were involved in his revenge plan. According to SparkNotes, “Edmond Dantes moves through the world like an outsider, disconnected from any human community and was only interested in carrying out his mission of revenge” (11). This shows that Edmond no longer has the ability of the capability to feel any emotions. He has become cold and emotionless due to the mental and physical torture he had faced in the 14 years of imprisonment at Chateau d’If. Edmond Dantes was so possessed in revenging over the wrongs that was committed against him that he became very irrational and used the treasure of Monte Cristo in his plan of revenge, although the abbe told him to spend it for his own enjoyment and not to use it for revengeful purposes, as he has already endured too much pain.

“Hasten to Monte Cristo, take advantage of our fortune, enjoy it- you have suffered enough” (191). Dantes has become foolish and unreasonable because instead of spending the treasure wisely and for a better cause, he uses it only for his purpose of revenge. This could be seen when he spent a lot of money in buying unnecessary possessions, such as a shipping company, houses in France and Rome, wealthy carriages, horses and many more. “In Rome, you spent fifty thousand piastres in furnishing and apartment for yourself” (465). Through Dantes, it shows that revenge can change the true good nature of one man. Edmond Dantes has also become very cruel and heartless as the story progress. Initially, Edmond planned to only seek revenge on the three men that had committed wrongs against him. However, as he goes along with his plan, he began to seek revenge on the family members of the man that had committed fault against him as well. An example of this would be on Monsieur de Villefort’s family. Monsieur de Villefort was the crown prosecutor who did wrong on Dantes by sentencing him to 14 years of imprisonment for a crime hat he did not commit.

Dantes began to murder his family members by indicating to Madame de Villefort that the medicine would work as a poison, as he knows that she would easily be influenced. “Just remember one thing: in small doses this is a cure, in large ones, a poison. One drop may restore life, as you have seen; five or six would certainly kill, and all the more frightfully because, if dissolved into a glass of wine, they would not alter the taste in the slightest. But I must stop, Madame, or I shall seem to be giving you advice” (596). Dantes did not only commit these inhumane crimes on the Villefort’s, but also on the family members of Danglar’s and the de Morcef’s as well. This shows that Dantes has changed into someone cruel and heartless due to the obsession of wanting to revenge. Towards the end of the story, Dantes began to realize that the things that he had done and the plan to seek revenge which he had spend so much time and money on was useless and effortless. It did nothing to him but to cause him more pain and misery.

He realized that he was not at all happier after committing the revenge, but had made him more depressed and angry with his life so much that he felt he could no longer be happy. This can be seen from the story when he said, “What is happening to me is what happens to people who are wounded in a dream: they look at their wound and they feel it but they could not remember how it was caused” (1195). According to SparkNotes, “Dantes only managed to forgive the people who have committed the wrongs against him is when he realized that he had done wrong in killing many people, even those who had not committed any wrong against him”. From it also, Dantes realized that he had changed and had become a different person. Dantes became more depressed when he began to wonder if the ingenious plan for revenge he had has brought him nothing but madness in his life. “I cannot accept this idea, because it would drive me mad” (1195). This shows that Dantes had finally realized that there is no point in revenging towards the people that has done him wrong and he should instead live his life happily after all the ordeal that he has faced.

In the end, Edmond Dantes realized and understood that he had made some mistakes in choosing to revenge instead of enjoying his life and be happy. He finally chose to forgive the people that have done him wrong and to forget about the past. He realized that he was happier and much lighter without burden when he chose to forgive them. Edmond then gave up all the fortune that he had and the remaining of the treasure of Monte Cristo to Maximilien, the only guy whom he really trusted and his fiancée, Valentine. Edmond then managed to find love again with Haydee, and decided that it would be the best if he moves on with his life and live happily humanly again. In conclusion, through this story, Dantes shows that seeking vengeance is effortless and it can change the nature of one good man. Dantes also revealed that it would be much better for one to forgive and forget rather than to seek revenge and be unhappy and depressed. ~ Li Ann Olivia (Dothan, AL)’s review of The Count of Monte Cristo Recommended to Olivia by: English class Read in June, 2007 An essay for English-again, not that great.

The classic French novel, The Count of Monte Cristo was written by Alexandre Dumas. The setting of The Count of Monte Cristo is very important as the politics of the day greatly affect the plot. It takes place primarily in France after the exile of the former emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. The novel begins in 1815 with Napoleon exiled to Elba and continues through the years after his failed revolution to1844. The protagonist of The Count of Monte Cristo is Edmond Dantes, a naïve but good-hearted sailor, who is falsely accused of treason. He is employed by the honest owner of a shipping company, Monsieur Morrel. Count of Monte Cristo is one of several aliases a bitter Dantes adopts after his imprisonment. Before he is arrested, Dantes lives with his father, Louis Dantes, and is engaged to marry a beautiful girl, Mercedes. Mercedes is admired by and later marries Fernand Mondego, one of the men who conspire against Dantes.

Mondego is aided in framing Dantes by Danglars, an envious sailor who was passed over for a promotion given to Dantes and Gerard de Villefort, an ambitious prosecutor with the misfortune of having a Bonapartist father. While in prison, Dantes befriends a fellow prisoner, Abbe Faria, who becomes his mentor. Dantes is greatly affected by Abbe Faria; it is he who helps Dantes discover the plot against him, teaches him science and several languages, provides his great wealth and enables his escape from Chateau Dif. After his escape, Dantes meets children of both his friends and enemies from his life before his incarceration. Maximilian Morrel is a good man and the son of Dantes’s former employer, Monsieur Morrel. Maximilian is in love with a kind, young girl, Valentine de Villefort daughter of Gerard de Villefort- the prosecutor who sentenced Edmond. Albert de Morcerf, a spoiled but loyal young man, is the son of Dantes’s former fiancée, Mercedes, and his nemesis, Fernand Mondego.

Then there is Haydee, the slave girl Dantes grows to love whose tragic history is vital to the ruining of Fernand Mondego. The Count of Monte Cristo is the story of Edmond Dantes, a kind sailor who is imprisoned under false charges of treason. After fourteen years in the prison Chateau Dif, Dantes escapes, but he is irreversibly altered. He is no longer naïve and ignorant but learned, callous and thirsty for vengeance. Dantes acquires a great deal of wealth and makes new names for himself: Lord Wilmore, Abbe Busoni, Sinbad the Sailor and Count of Monte Cristo. As he plans the downfall of his betrayers, Dantes discovers that by destroying them he has allowed himself to become as evil as they. After this epiphany, he repents and extends mercy to his remaining enemy. In the end, he returns to Chateau Dif, to visit his cell and is finally able to let go of his bitterness and find peace. The climax of the story is the success of the Count of Monte Cristo’s meticulous quest for revenge against the people responsible for robbing him of his happiness by sending him to prison.

While he was imprisoned, Edmond Dantes vowed that he would have vengeance against the people who put him there. Thus, from the moment he escapes, his entire focus is on ruining the lives of these individuals as thoroughly as they ruined his. He continues along this path without remorse until his plans go wrong, and he unintentionally causes the death of Monsieur de Villefort’s young son. This sobering event forces him to realize his own cruelty. An important theme in The Count of Monte Cristo is the Count’s struggle with his God-complex. Consumed by his desire for revenge, the Count feels that he alone can see that justice is done against Villefort, Caderousse, Danglars, and Fernand, and he is completely unscrupulous in his methods of carrying it out. He decides who deserves to live and who deserves to die and plans their demise accordingly. The Count sees all the hypocrisy and cruelty in others and punishes them for it, but he sees none of these vices in himself. Toward the end of the novel, the Count understands that he is not immune to human weakness and that by seeking revenge against these people he is behaving as mercilessly and selfishly to them as they were to him.

The Count of Monte Cristo is not my favorite book, but it is not my least favorite either. There are aspects of The Count of Monte Cristo that I think Dumas executed marvelously. The plot, for instance, is amazingly detailed, and the characterization is wonderful. Dumas had so many characters in this novel, yet he was able to make each one unique and portray them in such a way that we, the readers, understand them and their motivations. I love character driven stories so, for me, connecting with and understanding the characters is the most important facet of a story. The Count of Monte Cristo has several great, round characters, even if they are not my personal favorite. Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to others. The Count of Monte Cristo - audioautomations The Count of Monte Cristo The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas Download Free Sample Chapter | Buy Now for $2 Summary: Edmond Dantès, a young and successful merchant sailor recently granted his own command, returns to Marseille to marry his fiancée Mercédès.

Leclère, a supporter of the exiled Napoléon I, charges Dantès on his deathbed to deliver two objects: a package to Maréchal Bertrand, and a letter from Elba to an unknown man in Paris. Subsequently, an anonymous letter accuses Dantès of being a Bonapartist traitor. The letter is later revealed to have been written by Mercédès' cousin Fernand Mondego and Danglars, Dantès' ship's supercargo. Villefort, the deputy crown prosecutor in Marseille, assumes the duty of investigating the matter. Villefort is normally considered a just man, but on discovering that the recipient of the letter from Elba is his Bonapartist father, he ultimately chooses to save his political career and condemns Dantès without trial to life imprisonment and protects his father by destroying the incriminating letter. After fourteen years imprisonment in the Château d'If, Edmond is visited in his cell by the Abbé Faria, a priest and fellow prisoner trying to tunnel his way to freedom. Faria provides Dantès with a comprehensive education in subjects including languages, history, economics, philosophy, mathematics, and the manners of polite society.

The priest, ill from a form of catalepsy and knowing that he will soon die, confides in Dantès the location of a treasure hoard on the Italian islet of Monte Cristo. After Faria's death the following year, Dantès escapes and is rescued by a smuggling ship. After several months of working with the smugglers, he gets the opportunity to go to Monte Cristo for a goods exchange. Dantès fakes an injury and convinces the smugglers to temporarily leave him on Monte Cristo. He then makes his way to the hiding place of the treasure. He returns to Marseilles, where he learns that his father has died in poverty. He buys himself a yacht and hides the rest of the treasure on board. With his new found wealth and education, Dantès buys the island of Monte Cristo and the title of Count from the Tuscan Government. Returning to Marseille, Dantès puts into action his plans for revenge... The Count of Monte Cristo Essay - 1065 Words The Count of Monte Cristo Essay ...The Count of Monte Cristo By: Alexandre Dumas Type of Literary Work: Historical Novel This book is an example of a historical Novel.

It is historically accurate, and consists of characters that could have existed in the nineteenth century. Theme:Judgment Day comes to us all inevitably. We all pay for all evil and injustices of our life, yet sometimes there will be someone so viciously wronged, that he will return like a wrath of nature, with and... 1952 Words | 6 Pages The Count of Monte Cristo Analysis Essay ...﻿Glenn Boswell January 19, 2014 English 2 Pages in Book: 531 The Count of Monte Cristo Introduction The Count of Monte Cristo was written by Alexandre Dumas. It was first published in 1844. More recently, it was published by Bantam Dell in 1956 in New York, New York. The book I read was translated by Lowell Bair. The story takes place in the 1800s in France, Italy and on the Island of Monte... 2464 Words | 7 Pages The Count of Monte Cristo Essay ...Garret M. Gwozdz Ms.

Vertiz English I-H./4 28 March 2013 The Mad Twins The Count of Monte Cristo, written by Alexandre dumas in 1845, has fascinated and intrigued readers for centuries, with its numerous gothic elements and motifs. It was written in France during the time after Napoleon was dethroned in 1844. Alexandre Dumas took a tour of Southern France in 1834 and much of the information that he gained on the tour was used to write this novel... 1455 Words | 4 Pages The count of monte cristo Essay ...﻿II. Plot Synopsis "The Count of Monte Cristo" has a touching story. It is about injustice, love, revenge, friendship, jealousy, justice, selfishness, betrayal, and the power of money. Edmond Dantes (James Caviezel), the second mate of a French trading ship, a young and successful merchant sailor, is planning to marry Mercedes, his lover, after he gets his captain's paper. Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk) promises to marry him, for she is in love with...

1771 Words | 3 Pages The Count of Monte Cristo Revenge Essay ...The Count of Monte Cristo: Revenge The Story of Edmond Dantès, the Sailor, who Becomes the Rich & Powerful Count of Monte Cristo and Takes Revenge on all his Enemies. Chesky Hoffman June 17, 1996 Dr. Goodale In this essay I will show how Edmond Dantes punishes his four enemies with relation to their specific ambitions. Edmond is sent to jail due to his enemies' jealousy. After he escapes he becomes... 1198 Words | 3 Pages The Count of Monte Cristo ...Betrayal:Edmond Dantes The novel entitled, The Count of Monte Cristo was written by Alexander Dumas. The story begins during the eighteenth century and takes place in the country of France. The environment is within the travelling adventures of men embarking on a ship called the Pharoan. The protagonist is introduced by the author as being, Edmond Dantes. This character is seemingly described as being an extremely trustworthy and very naive young...

1184 Words | 3 Pages Essay about Count of Monte Cristo as a Gothic Novel ...in identifying whether the book is a gothic novel or not. The author, Alexandre Dumas, uses Edmond Dantès, the main character from The Count of Monte Cristo, to prove the book a gothic novel through Edmond's strong hatred, merciless revenge, and portrayal of rebirth. One of the many motifs found in The Count of Monte Cristo is hatred. The Count of Monte Cristo swore... 963 Words | 3 Pages The Count of Monte Cristo Infatuation for Vengeance Essay ...human characteristic that is natural in proportion. However when a fascination grows stronger one becomes much more passionate, and often times obsessed with pursuing whatever it is they desire. Alexandre Dumas demonstrates in his novel, The Count of Monte Cristo that a fixation with revenge can frequently become addictive. Dumas shows this obsession through the character of Edmond Dantes. Dantes, a 19 year old boy growing up in the small town of...

1682 Words | 5 Pages Château d'If: The Original Alcatraz | French Language Blog Château d’If: The Original Alcatraz Posted by mtaulier on Oct 21, 2013 in Geography , History , Literature For those of you who are familiar with classic French literature, you have probably read—or at least heard of—Le Conte de Monte-Cristo (The Count of Monte-Cristo), a novel written by famed 19th century French author Alexandre Dumas. Edmond Dantès, the main character, is wrongfully accused of being a Bonapartiste (a follower of Napoleon) and is imprisoned in château d’If (castle of If). While in prison, Dantès befriends l’Abbé Faria (Abbot Faria) who becomes his mentor and reveals to him the location of a vast treasure on the island of Montecristo off the coast of Italy. Dantès escapes from If, finds the treasure and seeks revenge on those who betrayed him.

Photo by Solea20 on Flickr Le Conte de Monte-Cristo is an archetypal tale of revenge and has rightfully earned its place in the pantheon of classic French literature. The story has been adapted to film, television, theater, etc. If you aren’t interested in reading the book, I highly recommend the 2002 movie The Count of Monte Cristo starring Jim Caviezel as Edmond Dantès. Although the novel is purely fictional, many of the locations within the book do exist and château d’If is one of them. Located in the Mediterranean Sea a couple miles off the coast of Marseille (the third largest city in France), château d’If was originally built as a fortress between 1527 and 1529 on the orders of King François I (Francis I). It was never put to use as a defensive outpost but instead became a high-security prison akin to the more modern Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary located off the coast of San Francisco in California.

If remained a prison until 1890 when it was opened to the public and became a tourist attraction thanks, in no small part, to the popularity of Le Conte de Monte-Cristo. If you have ever visited a medieval castle, then you are no doubt familiar with the dark rooms, humid atmosphere and general dreariness that is the hallmark of ancient stone structures. Add to that the complete isolation of a rocky promontory in the Mediterranean Sea and you have château d’If. The cachots (cells), also known as oubliettes (from the verb oublier, to forget) are rather large but completely dark save for a small window covered with rusted metal bars. Although sunshine is abundant in southern France, for those who were imprisoned in Château d’If, the sense of désespoir (despair) and isolation must have been overwhelming. In the 17th and 18th centuries, more than 3,500 Huguenots (French Protestants) were imprisoned in the château following King Louis XIV’s revocation of the Édit de Nantes (Edict of Nantes).

Count of Monte Cristo: Amazon.co.uk: Alexandre Dumas: 9780396082552: Books By Trive on 9 Nov. 2006 Format: Hardcover Dumas' "Count of Monte Cristo" is the most exciting book I have ever read. It is the epitome of the perfect adventure novel and contains all of the traits that define the genre: jealousy, suspense, action, revenge, deceit, etc. At 1100+ pages, and the label as a "classic," many readers would be turned off at the task of reading such a book. Although the story is long and over 150 years old, it is truly "timeless." This does not read at all like the books you were forced to endure in 9th grade English, and is mostly as topical today as it was when it was penned. That being said, reading the "wrong" version of this book can change the reader's experience for the worse. Amazon has combined all of the reviews for this book across the many different versions available, which can be very misleading. There are two things that affect the story, the translation, and the context.

I strongly encourage everyone to get the UNabridged version of this story. The abridged version cuts out more than half of Dumas' novel and while the story is still enjoyable, the reader misses out on many exciting chapters in the book. Do not let the length fool you. I found every bit of this book exciting, and never got bored. Secondly, look for the Robin Buss Translation. Many of the versions of this book use a translation from 1846 (including the Modern Library and Oxford World's Classics editions) that, because of social restrictions at the time, altered some of the story, especially that dealing with sexuality. The Robin Buss translation is more faithful and restores this language, as well as making it an easier read for modern readers. Alexandre Dumas pere - Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss.

Alexandre Dumas pere Biography of Alexandre Dumas pere Alexandre Dumas, pï¿½re, (1802-1870), prolific French playwright, historian, and author is best known today for his novel (first serialised in the magazine Le Siï¿½cle), The Three Musketeers (1844); It is by his courage, please observe, by his courage alone, that a gentleman can make his way nowadays. Whoever hesitates for a second perhaps allows the bait to escape which during that exact second fortune held out to him. You are young. You ought to be brave for two reasons: the first is that you are a Gascon, and the second is that you are my son. Never fear quarrels, but seek adventures. I have taught you how to handle a sword; you have thews of iron, a wrist of steel. Fight on all occasions.--Ch. 1 This is the counsel young D'Artagnan's father gives him as he sets off to Paris to become a musketeer.

He becomes fast friends with Athos, Porthos, and Aramis and embraces their motto "One for all, and all for one", exemplifying the major theme in Dumas' works of loyalty and honour among men. Like Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) Dumas pï¿½re also wrote several roman feuilleton or serial works; Twenty Years After (1845) and The Vicomte de Bragelonne (1847), including Louise de la Valliere, Ten Years Later, and The Man in the Iron Mask concludes his d'Artagnan Romances. The Count of Monte Cristo (1844), first serialised in the weekly Journal des dï¿½bats was also a huge literary and financial success for Dumas pï¿½re. Through protagonist Edmond Dantï¿½s the reader is taken along his journey of a wrongful trial, his search for justice, revenge, and ultimately riches, forgiveness, and love.

Mirroring Dumas pï¿½re's own life of high adventure and decadence, he based many of his protagonists on historical figures, as is apparent in his Celebrated Crimes series (written between 1839 and 1841) which includes essays on The Borgias, Ali Pacha, Mary Stuart, and La Constantin. Although the issue of his part-African ancestry was not one that Dumas pï¿½re wrote about often Georges: The Planter of the Isle of France (1843) particularly deals with the theme of mixed-race and white colonialism. Dumas pï¿½re collaborated with French historian and author Auguste Maquet (1813-1886) on some of his more famous works; many of them are still in print today and have inspired other author's works and numerous adaptations to the stage and screen.

Alexandre Dumas pï¿½re was born on 24 July 1802 in the village of Villers-Cotterï¿½ts, just outside of Paris, France, the third child born to Marie Louise Labouret, daughter of an inn keeper, and Thomas Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie (1762-1806) a military General under Napolï¿½on. Alexandres' grandfather, the Marquis Alexandre Davy de La Pailleterie (1710-1786) married a slave he fell in love with in San Domingo (now Haiti) named Marie Louise Cï¿½sette Dumas (d.1772). Thomas took her last name when he himself enlisted with the French army. After a falling out with Napolï¿½on due to his criticism of the Egypt campaign, and a long imprisonment which left him in poor health, Thomas returned returned home a broken man with no pension. After his death the family was left in dire financial straits. Alexandre's mother set her best efforts to providing an education for her son although he proved to be less than enthusiastic about it.

He attended Abbï¿½ Grï¿½goire's school before finding employment with a local notary to help support the family. In 1822 Dumas pï¿½re set off for Paris and was soon immersed in literary life. He worked as a scribe for the duc d'Orlï¿½ans, later to be King Louis Philippe when the 1830 revolution which Dumas pï¿½re participated in ousted King Charles X. He met noted playwrights and collaborated with them before making his own entrance to the stage at the Comï¿½die franï¿½aise with his plays Henry III and His Court (1829), The Tower of Nesle (1832), Kean (1836), and his Byronic Antony (first performed in 1831) inspired by the works of Lord George Gordon Byron . An avid reader of William Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott , his dramas were immensely popular, being among the first of the Romantic movement along with friend and sometimes rival Victor Hugo 's (1802-1885). They were a decided change from the Neoclassic style that dominated Parisian stages at the time.

During this period Dumas pï¿½re had a son, Alexandre fils (1824-1895) with his lover Marie Laure Catherine Labay (1794-1868) who also became a noted author and playwright, being admitted to the Acadï¿½mie franï¿½aise in 1874. Although Dumas pï¿½re kept up his womanising ways, in 1840 he married actress Ida Ferrier (1811-1859) and had an illegitimate daughter, Marie Alexandrine (b.1831) with Belle Kreilssamner (1803-1875). After a short but terrifying bout of cholera during the epidemic of 1832, Dumas pï¿½re was ordered by his physician--"when they have nothing more to say" [from The Glacier Land (1852)]--to take a tour of Europe; on 21 July 1832 he left Paris and embarked on his first of many travels which took him to such countries as Austria, the Netherlands, Spain, England, Germany, and North Africa.

As was his wont, he kept remarkable records of his adventures included in Travel Impressions: In Switzerland (1834), A Year in Florence (1841), From Paris to Cadiz (1847), The Caucasus (1859), and Travel Impressions: In Russia (1860). Dumas pï¿½re continued his prodigious output of essays, short stories, and novels. With the success of The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers he sought a place of refuge to concentrate on further writings. He bought land and built the Chï¿½teau de Monte Cristo (nicknamed Chï¿½teau d'If) in Port Marly, Yvelines, France, now a museum. There he worked when not lavishly entertaining guests, but it was not long before he had to sell it when his debts grew too much. In 1851 he fled to Brussels, Belgium to avoid creditors. Further titles published during this time were his Valois Romances including Queen Margot (1845), The Lady of Monsoreau (a.ka.

Chicot the Jester (1845), and The Forty-Five Guardsmen (1847); and The Regent's Daughter (1845), The Two Dianas (1846), The Black Tulip (1850), The Wolf Leader (1857), The Companions of Jehu (1857), and his autobiography Mes Mï¿½moires (written between 1852-55). Alexandre Dumas pï¿½re died on 5 December 1870 at his son's villa in Puys, near Dieppe, France. He was buried in the cemetery of Villers-Cotterï¿½ts, but as of the year 2002 he now rests in the Panthï¿½on in Paris, among other such notable French literary giants as ï¿½mile Zola, Victor Hugo , Jean Jacques Rousseau , and Francois-Marie Arouet Voltaire .

Tell the angel who will watch over your future destiny, Morrel, to pray sometimes for a man, who like Satan thought himself for an instant equal to God, but who now acknowledges with Christian humility that God alone possesses supreme power and infinite wisdom. .... There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness. We must have felt what it is to die, Morrel, that we may appreciate the enjoyments of living. "Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget that until the day when God shall deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is summed up in these two words,--"Wait and hope."--Ch. 117, The Count of Monte Cristo Biography written by C. D. Merriman for Jalic Inc. Copyright Jalic Inc. 2008. All Rights Reserved. The above biography is copyrighted. Do not republish it without permission. Forum Discussions on Alexandre Dumas pere Recent Forum Posts on Alexandre Dumas pere

Question: What book was written by Alexandre Dumas about Edmond Dantes' imprisonment in the Chateau d'If?
Answer: The Count Of Monte Cristo