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Bienvenue à Marseille | 2025 The Count of Monte Christo, read-a-long

984 replies

AgualusasLover · 15/11/2024 13:18

Following the success of the continuing Dickensalongs, Fallen Women and various other classics, please join The Count of Monte Christo read-a-long, kicking off on 1 January 2025.

The ultimate tale of revenge, with swashbuckling, chicanery and bare faced lies - The Count of Monte Christo has it all.

Editions: most important point is an unabridged version, coming in at just over 1,200 pages. This thread discusses the various translations – the Penguin Classics, trans by Robin Buss is very popular and the one I am reading but what you have already is likely fine and the nuances of translation are always fun to discuss.

What’s the best translation of The Count of Monte Cristo? • We Love Translations

I’ve been thinking about the best way to read-a-long. There have been red-alongs by the day, in chunks and every which way.

I think we have two options:

There are 118 chapter and my proposal is we do one a day, starting on 1 January, 2025. (W&P and all the Fallen Women books worked well this way)

We could also convene weekly e.g. no spoilers until Sunday and read it as it was released, in 18 parts c.65 pages per week. (I remember The Woman in White worked well this way and so do the Dickensalongs)

For now, I have assumed a chapter a day as it has served us well so far, if the majority strongly object, I have put placeholders in my copy breaking it down and can update in readiness for January.

Schmoop very handily has chapter by chapter breakdowns. Here is the Intro https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/count-of-monte-cristo/

MN meet up in Marseille 2025!

Bienvenue à Marseille | 2025 The Count of Monte Christo, read-a-long
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AgualusasLover · 09/01/2025 08:54

9 The Evening of the Betrayal
• That same evening, Villefort makes his way back to the Saint-Méran house. He lets everyone know that he must take his leave, and asks for a moment in private with the Marquis.
• He tells Mademoiselle de Saint-Méran that he must leave for a few days.
• After moving to the Marquis' private study, Villefort tells his future father-in-law that he should sell any government stock he has, and requests that he procure a letter that will allow him an audience to the King. He makes it clear that he – and he alone – should be seen as the bearer of the news he has. If all goes to plan, he tells to Marquis, my career will be secure.
• With that, Villefort takes his leave and heads outside to catch his ride to Paris. This time he's intercepted by Mercédès, who demands to know where Edmond's been taken.
• Though he feels bad for her, all he can manage to say to Mercédès is "no comment." He makes one last stop at M. Saint-Méran's – it's not clear, but it seems that he and his wife maintain two residences – where he says his goodbyes to the Marquise and his fiancée.
• Meanwhile, Mercédès returns to her home, followed by Fernand, who spends the evening watching her while she sleeps. (Creepy, no?)
• M. Morrel won't stop trying to help Edmond. He does his best to find information about his friend, but soon he realizes that there's not much he can do.
• Caderousse gets wasted.
• Danglars sleeps like a baby.
• Villefort, after obtaining the necessary letter, kisses everyone goodbye and heads off.
• Old Dantès is already dying with grief.
• And, well, Edmond's still in prison.

OP posts:
MamaNewtNewt · 08/01/2025 23:06

Bloody hell, things escalated quickly in this chapter. Poor Dantes. I have no idea about the French legal system at this time, so I assume this is totally normal (apart from the whole letter burning thing)?

TimeforaGandT · 08/01/2025 22:43

Now I appreciate the significance of the photo in AgualusaLover’s original post!

It’s not looking good for Dantes - a real reversal of fortune. Villefort is clearly desperate to protect his reputation. I don’t know anything about the justice system under this regime but surely Dantes is entitled to some sort of trial and can’t be imprisoned on the decision of one man (and no evidence). Or perhaps he can…

MotherOfCatBoy · 08/01/2025 17:27

I had a good look at Chateau d’If on Google Maps this morning… very forbidding looking castle walls with an old courtyard and well inside.. clearly a big tourist attraction - and not that far from Marseille, about a mile maybe? Swimmable, like Alcatraz?
Then I had a little wander around Google and saw that La Plage de Catalans is nearby (as Dantès notes when he thinks he sees Mercédès’ light) - but now backed up by high rise buildings and hotels and a very busy « city beach! » How things change!

MotherOfCatBoy · 08/01/2025 17:24

@FuzzyCaoraDhubh escabeau is similar to escalier and escalader - maybe it’s a little step stool? (I love languages!)

TonTonMacoute · 08/01/2025 17:14

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 08/01/2025 14:52

Thanks for that @TonTonMacoute and for the video!

Did you notice the word for stool ('escabeau')? Apparently that means stepladder in modern French. The word for stool in Italian is 'sgabello'. You can see the similarity there.

I love those links between languages. I'm reading on my iPad, so it's very easy to consult the online dictionary by tapping the word. My old dictionary is very useful for the old fashioned words though, which just don't feature in modern dictionaries.

I have also noticed words like corridor used in the French, I would have expected couloir.

TonTonMacoute · 08/01/2025 17:04

I think it had many prisoners over the years, according to Wikipedia over 3000 Huguenots were imprisoned there, also the leader of the Paris Commune.

I think that knowing you were in sight of your home city but that it was out of reach would be a particularly cruel part of the punishment.

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 08/01/2025 15:00

I have the same note in mine!

lifeturnsonadime · 08/01/2025 14:58

Yes thanks for the video, clearly there were also political prisoners, so the note in my version is a bit misleading.

Great to visualise it : )

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 08/01/2025 14:52

Thanks for that @TonTonMacoute and for the video!

Did you notice the word for stool ('escabeau')? Apparently that means stepladder in modern French. The word for stool in Italian is 'sgabello'. You can see the similarity there.

lifeturnsonadime · 08/01/2025 14:52

In my version Chateau D'If has a note next to it which reads: The Island fortress, made famous by Dumas' novel had in reality only one notorious prisoner, the Comte de Mirebeau, who was sent there under the Royalist Regime for debt.

I think that this is interesting as Dumas was clearly intrigued by the idea of the chateau as a prison and made it famous by the novel. I hadn't realised it's now a tourist attraction!

TonTonMacoute · 08/01/2025 14:46

@FuzzyCaoraDhubh

just looked up exempt in my old French dictionary (1908) and it is short for exempt de police, meaning a police officer or constable.

We watched this video in my French class about the Chateau d'If

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/YBJLKkjag9U?si=Z83GXqsZljXAIXxq

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 08/01/2025 14:31

I was also wondering what 'l'exempt' was TonTon and the English edition (Penguin) suggests 'officer'.
I looked up Chateau If. It's a visitor attraction! A day trip from Marseille.

TonTonMacoute · 08/01/2025 14:09

Very gripping chapter even though nothing much really happens. It's very cinematically written as Dantés grows ever more confused about what is happening.

I dug out our old English translation as I wanted to know what an 'exempt' was, only to find they had translated it as 'exempt'! The language is very flowery and old fashioned, and actually harder to read than the original IMO! I'm sure the newer translations are far better.

FuzzyCaoraDhubh · 08/01/2025 09:10

It has gone from bad to worse!

lifeturnsonadime · 08/01/2025 09:08

That's got to be one of the fastest ever literary rise and falls from fortune.

Poor Dantes.

No wonder he feels like he's going mad.

Original poster
AgualusasLover · 08/01/2025 08:26

Well, I think we can agree, this has escalated!

1 The Chateau d'If
• Edmond is quickly moved from Villefort's chambers into a small, clean jail cell.
• After waiting around for a few hours, Edmond is paid a visit by a couple of soldiers. He's taken to a waiting carriage with barred windows. After a short ride, he's let out at a military encampment, led down to the beach, and put into a small boat, along with four soldiers.
• He asks the soldiers to tell him where he's being taken, but they won't tell him. Still convinced that Villefort is on his side, he makes no attempt to resist…until the soldiers unfurl the sail, and the boat heads out toward the open sea.
• At this point, he demands, again, to know where he's headed. The soldier tells him it should be obvious to him at this point…and it is. Up ahead, the Chateau d'If, the huge island fortress/prison – think Alcatraz – looms in the distance.
• Now Edmond tries to make an escape, but the soldiers stop him from jumping overboard. He stops resisting, and, soon enough, they arrive at their destination. The soldiers bring him inside, to another temporary cell – this one much darker and dirtier than the one he'd been in before. His jailer leaves him some bread and water, then closes the door behind him.
• Edmond is left alone in the darkness. The dawn comes, and the jailer has still not received orders, not that it makes a difference to Edmond – he's spent the night in a sleepless stupor.
• Edmond demands to see the jail's governor, but when his request is denied he bursts into tears. If only I had tried to escape, he thinks, he could have lived a happy life. Instead, now, he would go mad in prison.
• When the jailer returns the next day, Edmond is still agitated; he only wants to see the governor, nothing more – not even food or water. The jailer warns Edmond that this kind of obsession will drive him mad – he tells him of another prisoner, an abbé who was driven mad in that way – but Edmond doesn't listen.
• Edmond threatens to kill the jailer, swinging his stool around menacingly. The jailer immediately goes and gets a bunch of soldiers and tells them to take Edmond down to the dungeons.
• Edmond does not resist as they take him down; he is, indeed, very close to madness.

OP posts:
MamaNewtNewt · 07/01/2025 23:52

I really enjoyed this chapter, it's all hotting up now. I kind of went back and forth on Villefort, he's clearly status obsessed, but some of that may come from the instability created by his father's politics, and he clearly wants to be a fair judge, but I suspect that will fly out of the window if he needs to save his own skin.

JaninaDuszejko · 07/01/2025 23:49

Well that was exciting. I don't trust Villefort. Is he going to have Edmund locked up anyway to keep him out of the way in case he reveals who the letter is to and harms Villefort? If Villefort's superior had been there the issue might have been cleared up immediately because he wouldn't have been motivated to cover up the letter. Might have to read the next chaptera few minutes early!

TimeforaGandT · 07/01/2025 20:49

Great chapter as it initially seemed (to me, at least, based on the conversation with Morrels) that Villefort might make an example of Dantes. Then Villefort looks as if he will be lenient based on his conversation with Dantes and his desire to please Renee and finally it’s all up in air as self-preservation becomes the priority.

Absolutely didn’t foresee the addressee of the letter but recognised the name immediately and had to flick back to check it was who I thought it was.

Can’t wait for tomorrow’s chapter but also mystified as to how Villefort can capitalise on this.

lifeturnsonadime · 07/01/2025 20:43

I enjoyed this chapter.

I love the tie ins in the plot between Villefort and Dantes especially that the letter is addressed to Villefort's father and that the letter could damage both of them, both getting married etc.

Thanks for the information on the French versions @cassandre and @MotherOfCatBoy

BiscuitsBooks · 07/01/2025 20:18

Villefort seems to have an idea in his head about how the destroyed letter can make his fortune. I can't work out what that idea might be but the ending of the chapter suggests that Dantes is far from being in the clear.

CornishLizard · 07/01/2025 19:17

Thanks for the link Agualusa and the spoiler warning LuckyMauveReader!

MotherOfCatBoy · 07/01/2025 18:55

@lifeturnsonadime @cassandre
I have the same two volume Folio edition with the new film cover - I got them from Librarie La Page, a bookshop in South Kensigton, which delivers. They’re on bookshop.org.uk and also have their own website.

TonTonMacoute · 07/01/2025 18:52

Enjoyed that chapter, the tension is really building now.

My feeling is that Villefort doesn't want to unfairly incriminate Dantés and at this point his only aim is to protect himself. By destroying that one piece of evidence he believes he has done enough, that his boss will share his conviction of Dantés innocence and all will be well.