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From what I remember, I enjoyed it. It seemed to have a lot of wry humor and poked a lot of fun at the various establishments and ideas of the time portrayed. I like that Dumas didn't seem to take the book too seriously - nothing kills a fun action/adventure/swashbuckling type book faster than taking it too seriously.
Then again, it's been 10 years since I read it. Maybe I'd have a different opinion now.
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I very much enjoyed the book, though it's been awhile since I read it. As for why? Hmm. I'm not quite sure how to put it, but not only did it feel like Dumas just had a lot of fun writing it, he also wrote several key characters who were perfectly able to face Serious Shit, but also just felt like they were enjoying themselves too. With, y'know, some exceptions of the tragically dramatically afflicted!
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It's definitely one of my favorite books. It's a blast to read, especially if you've grown up on the various movies that leave out so many excellent parts. I'm yet to see an adaptation that has the chapter where they have lunch as the Bastion Saint-Gervais, which is one of my all time favorite book chapters (right up there with "The Fellow of No Delicacy" from A Tale of Two Cities). Dumas has his quirks, certainly, but I agree with Rakeesh that it's hard to imagine that he didn't have a blast writing it.
Which makes me wonder what was going on when he wrote "The Man in the Iron Mask." To this day, that is one of the most tragic books I have ever read, especially coming off of a recent reading of "The Three Musketeers." I really have to recommend it, even though it can be emotionally rough, if for no other reason than that no movie has ever captured the book (at least in my opinion. I'm sure I haven't seen them all). But... yeah, it's rough.
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I read it the first time when I was 12 and it has been one of my favorite books since then. I recently started reading it in French as an exercise but stopped when I realized that the cool new vocab I was looking up was stuff that I would very rarely if ever need. A similar thing happened when I tried reading a Quebecois fantasy novel that I borrowed from my step-brother. Apparently fantasy authors have just as much an affectation in other languages as in English for using obscure and archaic words.
The translation I read it in the first time was the penguin classics version translated by Lord Sudley. I've skimmed through others but am still most fond of the one that introduced me to Dumas. This could just be because I'm sentimental.
The best and closest film adaptation is the 70s pair starring Michael York.
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quote:Originally posted by JonHecht: I read it the first time when I was 12 and it has been one of my favorite books since then. I recently started reading it in French as an exercise but stopped when I realized that the cool new vocab I was looking up was stuff that I would very rarely if ever need. A similar thing happened when I tried reading a Quebecois fantasy novel that I borrowed from my step-brother. Apparently fantasy authors have just as much an affectation in other languages as in English for using obscure and archaic words.
Ah, but see, if you're trying to learn historical or archaic French, then reading Dumas in the original is perfect. One of the few perks I suppose of being a French historian.
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Lol, I thought this topic was about the crappy movie that came out recently.
As it happens, never read the book. Has anyone here read the whole series? I think there are about four books, but I could be wrong.
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I was super hyped about the movie...and then I saw the trailer, and realized there probably really WERE only three Musketeers in the film, it looked so far removed.
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Jeff: not only have I, but I've also read Steve Brust's fantasy parody series. Honestly, Brust's take is more consistently good. Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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I really enjoyed the series. I wish they'd make a modern movie that actually followed the plot of the book. There was an old-timey movie that followed it pretty closely, but I can't find it for the life of me.
Why do they keep re-making it and using original plots? Dumas's story is better than that of any of the movies I've seen. Same could be said for The Count of Monte Cristo, however.
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What about that Man in the Iron Mask movie with Leo Decaprio? How accurate was it compared to the novel? For what it was, I enjoyed the film.
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It was 100% inaccurate. The part with the "man in the iron mask" comprised less than 20% of the book. And his fate was completely different.
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See, with the Count of Monte Cristo I somewhat understand. The book is enormous and it would take multiple movies to be even mostly true to the book. If I was a billionaire I would bankroll those multiple movies, but until then I'll forgive the crude adaptations.
The Man in the Iron Mask though... it's short enough to actually be workable. And really, I think it would make a great movie. And yet nothing. The only thing I can think of is that it's too tragic, especially given the fact now everyone is used to the musketeers being light-hearted, not intense.
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The last Count of Monte Cristo flick was good (it had Jesus in it) . . . but if they'd used the ACTUAL revenge plans from the books it would have been much better. They always tone Dumas's books down to make them too mild. Like how they never include any of D'Artagnan's debauchery in the Musketeers movies.
* **** ******** SPOILERS**************
Like inducing Héloïse to poison pretty much her whole extended family.
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The two biggest things I remember from the book are a) this is a loooong book and b) how jarring it was for me how nobody seemed to value human life hardly at all. Almost everything, no matter how trivial, was worth killing or dying over.
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There's nothing funny about The Three Musketeers. And I'm pretty sure this thread was dead anyway.
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By that do you mean The Man in the Iron Mask? If so, I mentioned it a bit earlier in the thread. I haven't read Twenty Years After, though it's on my list for the spring.
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Oh, and apologies for the double post, but in response to Aros - I thought there were quite a few funny parts to The Three Musketeers. But maybe I just have an odd sense of humor.
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