When exactly did Renée died and when was Valentine born?

[tfeng]

I'm deeply puzzled by something seemingly contradicting in The Count of Monte Cristo.

In Chapter 43 Monte Cristo asked when Renée died and the concierge answered, "Yes, monsieur, one and twenty years ago; and since then we have not seen the poor marquis three times."

In Chapter 48 (and later in the story also), it sounded Valentine at the time was scarcely 18. "His drawing-room, under the regenerating influence of a young wife and a daughter by his first marriage, scarcely eighteen ..."

How is this possible? Can someone please help?

[kiki1982]

Sorry, I didn't see your post there for ages!

Anyway, if you're still there...

It could be an inconsistency. Dumas tended to write very quickly and because of that, sometimes he didn't get the details right.

Anyway, I've still done some thinking on that. Villefort and Dantès's two enagement dinners were on the very same night, i.e. in February 1815. Even if you take into account that things could take longer than in England with marriage contracts and things, from the time marriage was declared with the council (civil marriages were mandatory before church weddings could be legal), there were only 6 months before the declaration of intention to marry became void (still the case now). So, I suppose Villefort was planning to marry some time in the summer, I'd say not the next year, surely.
In 1838, Monte Cristo starts his revenge by saving Morcerf in Italy from Vampa. This means that he spent 14 years in prison until 1829 + 9 years abroad to learn manners and things. That makes a total of 23 years between the time he was put in prison and the time he turns up in Paris.
If you count an average of one year between the marriage and the birth of a child (seems about right in the 19th century), then Valentine was liably born in 1816, which makes that she is in her 21st year, coming up to 22, as the concierge of Auteuil declares rightfully if he counts the months rather than the years, as people often do with cherished loved ones (he would have known Renée possibly from the time she was born).

I suppose by now you have read about Andrea Cavalcanti, if not, then look away now MASSIVE SPOILER ;)
The boy was born in Saint-Méran's house at Auteuil (then Villefort's father-in-law), which I believe Bertuccio unwittingly bought for Monte Cristo as his residence in Paris. Cavalcanti was the illegitimate son of Villefort and Mme de Nargonne (widowed, I suppose, I hope so!), now Mme Danglars. Villefort thought the baby was dead and burries him in the garden, but is stabbed by Bertuccio who takes a casket he thinks contains gold, but of course contains a now living baby. In 1838, Andrea is 20, coming up to 21 (born 1817). This would tie in with Valentine being one year of age at the time and Villefort (possibly) having been widowed as Renée could have died in childbirth, thus Villefort having a mistress. It seems to me highly unlikely that Villefort could hide a pregnant mistress of his in the house of his future father-in-law without the latter knowing. I seem to remember that the house was rented at the time, but still, if Saint -Méran still wanted it (there seems to have been a change in that after Renée's death, according to the concierge), then that's not logical. If, on the other hand, Saint Méran never turned up, because his daughter had died, then indeed, Villefort would have been free to either rent it anonymously or play master of the house as he was the next to inherit.
MASSIVE SPOILER OVER

So, yes, the 18 is an inconsistency in all likelihood.