The Count of Monte Cristo Introduction

The Count of Monte Cristo: The True Story  Written by Alexandre Dumas  Based on true story of a shoemaker, Pierre Picaud, who fell in love with a rich woman  Four jealous friends falsely accused him of being a spy; Picaud went to prison for seven years

The True Story, Continued  A dying fellow prisoner told Picaud about a treasure hidden in Milan  When Picaud got out of prison, he took the treasure and used it to change his identity, return to Paris, and spent ten years getting revenge against his false friends

Rise of the Serial Novel  The 19 th century saw a huge rise in what we now call the SERIAL NOVEL: books published in newspapers or magazines a few chapters at a time.  Why?  New middle class has time after work, searching for entertainment  Printing press more standard even in smaller communities

Rise of the Serial Novel  Serial Novels were popular for a number of reasons:  1. Cheaper than traditional books  2. Wide variety of genres in every novel  3. Cliffhanger endings

Rise of the Serial Novel  Authors of serial novels were typically paid for each chapter, and some of the most famous authors, like Charles Dickens and Alexandre Dumas were paid by the word.  People all over Europe loved these stories, but the most popular tales come from France.

Basic Background: French History  Until 1789, France was ruled by a monarchy.  By this time, though, the French were getting angry for many reasons:  1. hunger and malnutrition  2. expensive wars  3. disparity between upper and lower classes  4. church leadership siding with the wealthy

French Revolution  Following the American Revolution, the French decided that they wanted a new form of government.  Peaceful transition at first to a constitutional monarchy. It didn’t last – too many groups wanted more power.

Reign of Terror  : Reign of Terror: Two year period where many aristocrats, including King Louis the 16 th and his wife, were beheaded.  Why? Committee for Public Safety (a political faction) convinced people that they should kill all the wealthy and redistribute the riches to the masses.  The Reign of Terror ended when the people decided to behead the leaders of the Committee for Public Safety.

 So, the monarchy didn’t work,  The constitutional monarchy didn’t work,  The Committee of Public Safety’s plan didn’t work…  NOW WHAT?  For five years, France jumped from one idea to another, and then…

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE  1799: Napoleon Bonaparte takes over France and most of central Europe.  He’s kicked out of France in 1814 and forced to live on the prison island of Elba.  In 1815, he returns to France and takes over for 100 days before being kicked out again by King Louis the 18 th.

Alexandre Dumas  Son of one of Napoleon’s generals – Alexandre’s father was mulatto (mixed race)  Wrote over 277 novels, plays, and short stories – including The Three Musketeers trilogy and The Count of Monte Cristo

Alexandre Dumas  “L’action and L’amour”: adventure and romance are the two things that everyone needs in both real life and fiction  Life imitating Art: Dumas lived much like his adventurous heroes: love affairs, duels, mysteries, adventures  Died bankrupt but happy in his Chateau de Monte Cristo

Why does all this matter???  When you first start reading The Count of Monte Cristo, the French Revolution, Napoleon’s rise, and Napoleon’s first exile have already happened. Napoleon is, unknown to the book’s characters, about to escape and make his grand return to France.

Why does all this matter???  The revolution, all the political shifts, and all the violence happened in a very short time, and everyone in France remembers it well. With the new King Louis the 18 th, they finally have a chance at peace. The French people are all terrified that something will happen that might ruin their new-found peace.

Now that you know all this, Go Read The Count of Monte Cristo!