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

[AgualusasLover]

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!

I looked up the sparkling wine they were drinking, it appears to have been a local Provincial wine. Nowadays the region is famous for its rose wine and La Malgue is no longer well known.

Interesting comments about the original French @FuzzyCaoraDhubh .

Merecedes is onto a good thing with the up and coming Dante, no wonder she turned down Fernand in favour of him.

Agreed @AgualusasLover and @MotherOfCatBoy

I think Danglars and Caderousse know each other and Caderousse and Fernand know each other. Danglars does 'vous' Fernand when he asks him if he knows the lovers. He doesn't actually speak to him that much, tends to sit back and watch it unfold, and obviously doesn't think much of any of them!

Its also good practice for study of the subjunctive!

Agree that the opening of the chapter is very theatrical.

Indeed, almost bordering on panto villian but loving the vibe regardless!

Why would Mercedes use vous to Ferdinand? Only reason I can think is to highlight a distance.

Yes. Presumably as they grew up together, she switched to 'vous' at some stage. Maybe it was more common to use 'vous' as adults even in families.

All guesswork on my part!

True but he probably has 6 or 7 years' experience! Enjoying it so far even if you can almost hear the dastardly music playing when the baddies appear...

Vous would have been normal among adults to avoid accusations of over-familiarity. It was common between e.g. in-laws until fairly recently.

They use vous with each other, I guess that it's up to her to allow that privilege as a suitor, but I think you are right and she wants to keep him at a distance.

When I read Bonjour Tristesse I remember being surprised that the fiancée of the narrator's father still uses vous with him even though they are engaged.

I used to teach English to a group of older people who had known each other for years, twenty years or so, and they always used 'vous' when speaking to each other probably because it was more respectful than 'tu'. It struck me as very formal at the time.

Yes @TonTonMacoute I spotted Danglars using 'vous' to Fernand in the text.
Oops! Sorry. Caderousse used 'tu' to him.

Interesting about the 'tu' and 'vous' usage. Would someone move from tu to vous if they were annoyed with someone?

It's funny I also had the thought while reading this chapter that it was very like a play.

It is about respect and manners at that time. A PP (sorry, can't for the life of me find the reference) pointed out that Danglars uses vous when he is actually speaking to Dantés, but uses tu when he is having imaginary conversations with him and vowing revenge!

I’m enjoying it so far. I’m listening to an English audiobook, and don’t speak a word of French, so can’t comment on the ‘tu’ and ‘vous’ distinction.

Dantes seems like a likeable young man, a bit pleased with himself - however, he’s marrying his love, and been promoted to captain, so I think we should allow him some happiness. Especially as it’s heavily inferred he and his father have struggled in the past, and it quickly became apparent his father still is. He seems quite naive, but there are a couple of lines that show he’s fully aware of how disingenuous Caderousse and Danglars are.

Obviously Danglars is a villain, so we’re not going to like him: at this point I’m wondering if he’s just a sociopath or if there’s some huge back story (likely).

ETA: I think the narrator is doing a really good job overall. That said, I’m trying to ignore the fact that Caderousse has been given a sort of West County farmer’s accent 🤭

You might if you want to show you are cooling relations

In a book about 1200 pages long I think you can safely assume there's a back story 😉

So relieved that Mercedes turned out to be loyal to Dantes! Am I right that Fernand is Mercedes first cousin? If so, probably a good thing she’s swerving him.

i agree that Caderousse and Danglars are becoming real pantomime villains.

intrigued as what’s in the letter that has to be delivered to Paris.

Feel that trouble lies ahead - either on the journey to Paris or for Mercedes if she does not go to Paris with Dantes.

Danglars back story is presumably due to the almost duel on the isle of Monte Cristo referred to in the first chapter.

More pantomime villain business today from Danglars taking advantage of Fernand's jealousy. I wonder if Caderousse might be the source of Dantes redemption later on if he's not as drunk as Danglars thinks he is.

Dantes must have known what the letter was about or was he just incredibly naive? Does anyone know the history, was France supportive of Napoleon in the 1840s? There must have been some support for him in 1815 or he'd never have escaped from Elba in real life but what was his reputation like 20 years after his death? We're obviously suppose to support Dantes so presumably by that time the French were pro-Napoleon again and so would be expected to cheer on Dantes even if he involved in a treasonous plot.

My book has a historical note, Napoleon came into power in 1799, made himself emperor in 1804, he arrested and executed a member of the Bourbon family, stopping the Royalists wishes of restoration of the throne. He placed members of his family on thrones throughout Europe.
1812 start of his downfall, in 1814 allied forces invaded France and forced his abdication. This is when he was excited to Elba, at some point in 1815 he was released from Elba and marched to Paris.
I’m not reading any further on atm as don’t want anymore spoilers.

Fernand has supported Mercedes financially ever since her Mother died so I'm not surprised he's a bit upset about her rejecting him now that Dantes is back.

I need a little help, please.

Can someone explain why Dante could potentially be sent to prison for not telling the owner of the Pharaon about the letter he received? Especially if he was entrusted with carrying it to Paris.

@LuckyMauveReader the implication of him having the letter is that he is involved in a plot to restore Napoleon to power which would be treason.

There was a lot of support for Napoleon's return in 1815. For background I recommend the recent excellent episode on Napoleon's 100 days from the BBC In Our Time podcast. Support in the 1840s is trickier (not least because he was long dead!) But France was still very torn between royalists and revolutionaries, with further revolutions in 1830 and 1848, so I imagine a lot of people were nostalgic for him.

1 The Plot
• Once Edmond leaves, the conversation continues.
• Fernand says that he would have killed Edmond on the spot if Mercédès hadn't threatened to kill herself in retaliation.
• Danglars, who doesn't give a darn about Mercédès, wishes Fernand had just gotten it over with so that he, Danglars, could become captain. He decides something needs to be done in any case.
• After getting Caderousse totally wasted (they don't want him interfering with their plan), Fernand and Danglars quickly get down to business and try to figure out a way to ruin Edmond's life. Caderousse warns them that Edmond will find some way to take revenge if that ever happens, but they ignore him.
• Danglars quickly thinks up and executes a plan. He writes a letter (using his left hand, in order to disguise his handwriting) denouncing Edmond:
• The crown prosecutor is advised, by a friend of the monarchy and the faith, that one Edmond Dantès, first mate of the Pharaon, arriving this morning from Smyrna after putting in at Naples and Porto Ferrajo, was entrusted by Murat with a letter for the usurper and by the usurper with a letter to the Bonapartist committee in Paris.
• Proof of his guilt will be found when he is arrested, since the letter will be discovered either on his person, or at the house of his father, or in his cabin on board the Pharaon.
• Danglars crumples up the letter and throws it into a corner – he wants to convince Caderousse that it's all a joke. Danglars then takes the drunken Caderousse and hurries him off toward Marseille.
• Fernand grabs the paper and hustles down a side street, intent on delivering the denunciation.

@JaninaDuszejko It may have appeared to be a silly question, but I know very little about the history of France—except, of course, what little I learned from Les Miserable.
😂Thanks for the clarification. Maybe having an understanding and insight into that time in history would help me to understand the story better.

Although I have to say, its not a book I would have picked for myself but I am enjoying reading it and hearing everyone's views.