The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers (serialized March – July, 1844): The year is 1625. The young D'Artagnan arrives in Paris at the tender age of 18, and almost immediately offends three musketeers, Porthos, Aramis, and Athos. Instead of dueling, the four are attacked by five of the Cardinal's guards, and the courage of the youth is made apparent during the battle. The four become fast friends, and, when asked by D'Artagnan's landlord to find his missing wife, embark upon an adventure that takes them across both France and England in order to thwart the plans of the Cardinal Richelieu. Along the way, they encounter a beautiful young spy, named simply Milady, who will stop at nothing to disgrace Queen Anne of Austria before her husband, Louis XIII, and take her revenge upon the four friends.

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About how long?

I plan to read Three Musketeers at some point. My bookstore is passing off a just over 500 page version of Monte Cristo when my copy is over 1600. About how long is Three Musketeers? So I know I'm getting the 'real thing' not some one third long 'good parts' version. Same question for Man in the Iron Mask.

Posted By Reepicheep at Tue 8 Jan 2008, 4:42 PM in The Three Musketeers || 4 Replies

Three Musketeers character analization.

@marina: I agree with the d'Artagnan thing. Well, I see d'Artagnan as: >quick-tempered (he challenged that guy he met at the beginning of the book because he thinks he insulted him... whatever. Then, he challenged the Duke when he thought that he was Constance's guy) >possessive (he thinks he owns the ladies and becomes jealous when it seems like he's not the only one in their mind) >inconstant to Constance (c'mon if he sees a pretty lady and gets enamoured with her he forgets he's supposed to be in love with Constance) I liked Athos the best out of the Musketeers too. He's like the most noble of them all (no surprise there since he is a lord). Comparing Musketeers with Count, the main characters differ much. I see Edmond as: >personable (he tries to think well of people even those who dislike him) >constant (he even insists that there is difference between a mistress and a fiancee and Mercedes is his fiancee) Though maybe d'Artagnan improved in the next novels but I wouldn't know. I haven't read. :p I have named my hard drives after characters in the Three Musketeers. Athos was always my favorite. He was the perfect example of a Byronic Hero. Porthos was useless. Aramis was manipulative. D'Artagnan was probably my least favorite. There were times when he saved the day, but most of the time, he was just selfish.

Posted By lordoftheview at Wed 30 May 2007, 11:30 AM in The Three Musketeers || 3 Replies

Maurice Lelior illustrations

Can someone tell me how many illustrations a godd edition of The Three musketeers illustrated by Lelior should have? I found a website that posts about a hundred and twenty-five but have heard there might be as many as 300. Kim Deitch

Posted By kim deitch at Sat 17 Mar 2007, 2:34 PM in The Three Musketeers || 1 Reply

Milady's awesome

I just barely finished reading three musketeers, and I would really like to point a few things out, even if no one reads this. I find it ridiculous how anyone can consider Milady evil. In every crisis she was in she used her skills and powers of deception to get her out of bad situations. What's wrong with that? Also, when it comes right down to it, I don't blame Milady at all for killing Constance. I blame D'Artagnan. He was the one who got on Milady's bad side, and all because she didn't love him...let's back up, wasn't he supposed to be in love with Constance anyway. Why did he care that Milady didn't love him?!?!? In taking "revenge" on her, she felt like she needed to get her honor back. She did so by killing Constance. She wouldn't have even cared about Constance if D'Artagnan hadn't had sex with Milady just for revenge and then found out her deepest darkest secret. The point is, Milady rocks and D'Artagnan sucks.

Posted By sundance at Thu 11 Jan 2007, 10:49 PM in The Three Musketeers || 5 Replies

Cardinal Richelieu: Villian or Hero?

In the novel The 3 Musketeers, Dumas seems to portray the Cardinal as a villian. Can his acts be justified so that he is portrayed as a hero instead? Did he have good intentions behind his actions? Where is there proof of these acts of good in the book?

Posted By bookworm101 at Thu 13 Jul 2006, 7:04 PM in The Three Musketeers || 9 Replies

English Translations

Any opinions on which English translation is the best? There's so many to choose from. I really want to read this novel but I can't decide on a translation.

Posted By Aaron K at Fri 26 May 2006, 12:19 PM in The Three Musketeers || 2 Replies

The Three Musketeers Series

:confused: This may sound silly, but does anyone know the exact order I'm supposed to read the Three Musketeers series in? I've been skimming a couple different biographies on Dumas, and I'm having a little trouble understanding the order to go in. For that matter, the names of them throw me off as well. PLUS…There is something about one of the books being split into three because it was so large?!? So am I to read four now, or five (which is not a problem, the more the merrier)? I sure hope that I was at the very least supposed to start with good ole The Three Musketeers, because I already did. Let's see if I got this right... The Three Musketeers Twenty Years Later Ten Years Before The Man in the Iron Mask Does that sound about right? While we're on the topic...How do people feel about the translation from French to English? Is it pretty accurate? AND...I'm beginning to feel that Hollywood tends to have a fairly optimistic approach toward the end of a piece, whereas Dumas has a darker side. I’m not sure which I like better…I tend to contradict myself on this topic.

Posted By designchic06 at Sun 23 Apr 2006, 2:53 AM in The Three Musketeers || 1 Reply

Alexandre Dumas

I just finished reading The Three Musketeers. Which book should I read next? Can someone put the musketeers books in order for me?

Posted By alvernaz78 at Mon 10 Apr 2006, 12:28 PM in The Three Musketeers || 1 Reply

Does "The Three Musketeers" disgust anyone else?

Am I the only one? I read The Three Musketeers this year, and I'll tell you. It disgusted me. Dumas has insulted every woman on the planet by placing them so low, and he has embarassed every man on the planet for that. I know people who idolize D'Artagnan. For what? For having an affair with a married woman (Madame Bonacieux), having an affair with a widowed woman that he's not married to (Lady DeWinter) partially for his own reasons, and then using another woman sexually (Kitty). Doesn't that disgust you? Doesn't it disgust anyone else that one of the integral parts of the book (where he finds the Fleur de Lis on DeWinter's body) takes place while he's having sex? Doesn't it disgust anyone else that D'Artagnan acts as though every man in France has a mistress, just as a given fact? Is this just me?

Posted By Rosie Cotton at Mon 13 Mar 2006, 11:53 PM in The Three Musketeers || 25 Replies

Looking For Info on Dessessart

Hello: I just found this great place while doing a genealogy search. Looks to be very active, so I thought I'd check in. Does anyone have any info/knowledge/thoughts, etc on the origination of the character, M. Dessessart, in "The Three Musketeers?" There was an actual Dessessart. He was a well-known (of his time) comedian, actor, politician, revolutionary. He helped to found the Comedie Francais & his portrait still hangs in the lobby there, as I understand it. The Dessessart family ran in the same circles as Alexandre Dumas. They were both French w/heavy connection to St. Domingue. Both were of mixed race backgrounds & came from similar socio-economic worlds. I find it hard to believe that Dumas just pulled that name outta the hat to use it as the name for his Captain of the guards, D'Artagnan's superior. "D'artagnan . . . he serves under Monsieur Dessessart.” I'm a professional writer & Dessessart descendant. My g-g-grandmother was an illegitimate daughter, in Louisiana, to one of the mentioned Dessessart's grandsons. Her name was Allecia Dessessarts -- by the time they came here & settled, the name was spelled in a variety of ways, but in Opelousas, LA, where they settled, it had taken on an extra "s." The family has a fascinating history & I'd love to find the connection. Any input will be greatly appreciated. Thx -- Linda Alexander

Posted By Dessessart at Sun 8 Jan 2006, 3:54 PM in The Three Musketeers || 1 Reply

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