How to Read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (Introductory Lecture) (Patreon)

It’s time to begin our journey through Alexandre Dumas' exhilarating adventure novel: The Count of Monte Cristo. 

Our reading will teach us about revenge, justice, divine will, identity, alienation, love, gratitude, transformation, redemption, history, and the human condition.

Today we’re discussing how best to break into this sweeping work and bring ourselves fully to one of the most unforgettable works of 19th century French Literature.  

Video Timestamps:

• 0:00 why read The Count of Monte Cristo
• 2:30 how to choose the right translation
• 4:00 on the Robin Buss Penguin translation
• 5:00 the influential anonymous translation
• 6:00 Buss’ approach to translating Dumas
• 9:00 translation comparison taste-test
• 13:00 the first readers of Alexandre Dumas
• 14:00 on the story’s serialised publication
• 15:00 the benefits of delayed gratification
• 17:00 the golden age of serial literature
• 18:00 Monte Cristo’s publication history
• 19:00 Alexandre Dumas’ writing process
• 20:00 collaborators in the fiction factory
• 21:00 Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
• 21:30 Alexandre Dumas’ historical frames
• 22:30 how to pace your reading of this book
• 24:00 how to appreciate great storytelling
• 25:00 studying popular imaginative literature
• 26:00 the influence of romance stories
• 27:00 on Classicism vs Romanticism
• 28:00 protect yourself from plot spoilers
• 29:00 why do we read great literature?
• 30:00 how to befriend Alexandre Dumas
• 31:00 meeting the great writer’s father
• 32:00 on Napoleon and French History
• 33:00 inspiration from the real life Monte Cristo
• 35:00 Dumas’ love of Shakespeare’s Hamlet
• 36:00 how Dumas originally began the story
• 37:00 relating to the pain of Edmond Dantès
• 38:00 appreciating the character of Abbé Faria
• 39:00 how to bring yourself to the story
• 40:00 on the themes of revenge and justice
• 42:00 on the power of communal reading

Recommended Resources:

• Translation: I highly recommend the Robin Buss translation available in Penguin paperback. It's incredibly accessible, and helps you get swept up in the story. I will be referring to this edition along the way, but please feel free to choose the translation that most captivates you.
• Biography: There are two superb biographies that will make your reading all the more rewarding. One is of Alexandre Dumas himself: The King of Romance by F. W. J. Hemminges. And the other is of his father: The Black Count by Tom Reiss. 
• Film Appreciation: There are so many film and television adaptations of Alexandre Dumas' novel. You might wish to check out the 1998 television mini-series starring Gérard Depardieu here. 
• Favoured line of journals: Having a dedicated journal for this work would be a wonderful idea as we will be tying the themes into our own lives in order to truly live this great book. I continue to favour the Leuchturrm1917 range of bullet journals with dotted paper (the pen of choice is Muji).

Reading Assignment:

Our next discussion will cover the first nine chapters of the story, which takes us up to page 89 in the Robin Buss Penguin edition.

So start making your way into the work, meeting the characters, and noting down any themes, ideas, or passages that personally resonate with you.

Questions for You:

1) What is your current relationship with Alexandre Dumas? Is this your first reading or a rereading of this great book?

2) What are you hoping to get out of your deep reading of The Count of Monte Cristo?

3) What themes from your wider reading would you like to pull into Dumas?

Happy reading, everybody!