A Beloved Literary Classic

The landscape of French literature is anything but lush and vast. It is undoubtedly one of the most influential national literatures in Europe if not the entire world. Since medieval times, it has established its position in the ambit of European intellectual life. Despite the passage of time and the growing influences of other national literatures, French literature developed its own distinct identity and rich literary traditions. This heritage was built on the shoulders of some of the world’s most celebrated and critically-studied writers. It is the home to highly-heralded writers such as Honoré de Balzac, Victor Hugo, Simone de Beauvoir, Jules Verne, Marcel Proust, Jean-Paul Sartre, Gustave Flaubert, and Colette. They have produced several memorable and timeless classics. Not to be outdone, France ranks number first on the list of Nobel Prizes in literature by country.

Another prominent and celebrated name in French literature is Alexandre Dumas, père. Born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie on July 24, 1802, in Villers-Cotterêts, Picardy, France, he made his mark as one of the most popular and prolific writers of 19th-century France. His path to success, however, was never straightforward. Following his father’s death, a prominent general during Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign, Dumas attempted to work as a lawyer. He managed to obtain a post in the household of the Duke d’Orléans, the future King Louis-Philippe, However, he pursued his fortunes in the theater. He wrote the drama Henri III et sa cour (1829) which would eventually be recognized as one of the great Romantic historical dramas produced on the Paris stage. Dumas established a reputation first as a dramatist and even founded the Théâtre Historique on the Boulevard du Temple in Paris.

Dumas is, without a doubt, a talented writer. It was in being a novelist that he would become globally recognized, with some of his works transcending time, with some even inspiring further literary works. His extensive oeuvre boasts one of the most recognized literary titles, The Three Musketeers. Originally published in 1844 as Les Trois Mousquetaires, it has become a literary classic that has also been adapted into other forms of media, primarily movies. The novel charted the fortunes of Charles de Batz de Castelmore d’Artagnan, or more fondly d’Artagnan in seventeenth-century France. A poor but noble young man from the French countryside town of Gascony, d’Artagnan leaves his hometown in 1625 for Paris to pursue his dreams of becoming a musketeer, a soldier who carries a rifle. Along with him is a letter of introduction to his father’s friend, Monsieur de Treville, the commander of the Musketeers, King Louis XIII’s elite regiment.

It was one of those rare and beautiful days in winter when England remembers that there is a sun. The star of the day, pale but nevertheless still splendid, was setting in the horizon, glorifying at one the heavens and the sea with bands of fire, and casting upon the tower and the old houses of the city a last ray of gold which made the windows sparkle like the reflection of a conflagration.

  Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers

D’Artagnan is also a prodigious swordsman. However, he encountered an older man who derided his horse on his way to Paris. D’Artagnan was insulted and demanded a duel. However, d’Artagnan was instead beaten unconscious by the older man’s companions. His letter of introduction and money were also stolen. This incident did not stop d’Artagnan from pursuing his original goal. He also resolved to avenge himself against the older man. But first, he must fulfill his goal of becoming a Musketeer. Despite not having his letter of introduction with him, he was granted an audience by Monsieur de Treville. Without the letter of introduction, Monsieur de Treville’s reception of him was rather lukewarm. Nevertheless, the commander of the Musketeers enrolled d’Artagnan in a less prominent military unit where d’Artagnan could prove himself worthy of becoming part of the Elite group.

Shortly before the conclusion of his meeting with M. de Treville, d’Artagnan saw the old man he previously encountered on his way to Paris passing in the street through M. de Tréville’s window. D’Artagnan would learn that the old man was no ordinary man as he is no less than Comte de Rochefort, an agent of Cardinal Richelieu. D’Artagnan rushes out of the building to confront Comte de Rochefort but on his way, he stumbled upon the titular three musketeers. The first impression he made on them was anything but pleasant. A collision with Athos opened Athos’s wounded shoulder. Another collision, now with Porthos, revealed the Musketeer’s partly faux golden shoulder belt. D’Artagnan also offended Aramis with an unrefined act regarding a lady’s handkerchief. Offended by d’Artagnan’s rash actions, the three Musketeers challenged the neophyte to a duel later in the day.

Just when the first duel was about to take place, the sudden appearance of the dreaded cardinal’s guards interrupted the escalating tension. Due to a law that criminalized duels, the guards threatened to arrest the musketeers. What was supposed to be a duel between d’Artagnan and the three musketeers turned into a duel between the Musketeers and the Cardinal’s guards; d’Artagnan was asked to leave by the guards. However, d’Artagnan realized that his issues with the three musketeers were hasty and superficial, hence, allying with the musketeers. Despite being outnumbered four to five, d’Artagnan and the Musketeers managed to fight off the Cardinal’s guards. From a misunderstanding, the three Musketeers – sometimes called the three inseparable – found a new comrade worthy of their respect. In the company of the three musketeers, d’Artagnan found not only comrades in arms but also new friends.

While he was not officially a musketeer – he was appointed by the King to Des Essart’s company of the King’s Guards, a less prestigious regiment – d’Artagnan was commissioned to perform a top-secret mission involving high-ranking officials and members of the French monarchy. There was more than meets the eye as d’Artagnan slowly found himself an unwilling participant in a tug-of-war for power and influence that had proliferated the French court. This would take him across the channel to London. In the process of completing his mission, d’Artagnan fell in love with Constance Bonacieux, Queen Anne of France’s seamstress and confidante, after rescuing her from the Cardinal’s guards. This would be one of many instances when d’Artagnan locked horns with the influential Cardinal and his men. The bulk of the story chronicles these adventures and misadventures.

My son, be worthy of your noble name, worthily borne by your ancestors for over five hundred years. Remember it’s by courage, and courage alone, that a nobleman makes his way nowadays. Don’t be afraid of opportunities, and seek out adventures. My son, all I have to give you is fifteen ecus, my horse, and the advice you’ve just heard. Make the most of these gifts, and have a long, happy life.

   Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers

These adventures and misadventures were not complete without the three Musketeers whose individual portraits Dumas painted as the four friends and comrades set off on their adventures. Athos was born into an aristocratic background and his real name is Comte de la Fère, an identity he obscures from the public. Haunted by the past, he found reprieve in alcohol. He was also the oldest of the four and served as d’Artagnan’s father figure. Meanwhile, Aramis was born René d’Herblay. He is also a skilled writer. Raised in a monastery, he was biding his time as a musketeer before pursuing his dream of becoming a priest. The novel’s comic relief was Porthos whose real name is  M. du Vallon. He was the epitome of vanity and was the most worldly of the four. Through d’Artagnan and the three musketeers, Dumas explored the intricacies of loyalty and friendship. They had each other’s backs and shared their triumphs and tribulations as individuals and as a unit. They were selfless and willing to sacrifice their desires for what would benefit the group.

The four men haven’t lost their identities despite being part of a group. They managed to remain distinct while upholding the values of the group. Beyond their friendship, what makes them fascinating characters is their flaws. They were like the musketeers of their time. When they were not in combat, they lived decadent lives. They occupied their time by drinking alcohol and gambling. They also get involved with women. Romance is another integral theme in the novel. The women who the musketeers and d’Artagnan got romantically involved with affected the plot. For instance, d’Artagnan’s affair with Madame Madame Bonacieux took him on various quests across France and even into England. Ironically, romance does not always end on a positive note. Take the case of the affair between Queen Anne and the Duke of Buckingham. Their illicit affair became a catalyst for a war.

D’Artagnan’s love affair also did not end the way he wanted it to. As the story moved forward, it was slowly revealed that Athos was haunted by the memories of his disastrous marriage to the beautiful Milady de Winter. A series of deceptions ended with Milady de Winter being a part of Cardinal Richelieu’s vast network of spies that infiltrated every level of French society. Milady was also the story’s quintessence of a villain; she was d’Artagnan’s primary antagonist. This conflict between the two characters is also a manifestation of one of the story’s prevailing themes. The Three Musketeers is a classic example of the good battling against the evil. This was more prominently captured in Dumas’ portrait of King Louis XIII’s court. Intrigue and scandals have undermined the values that used to be the foundation of the court. As morality was muddled, the court was divided into factions that were at constantly odds with each other.

The division of the court left the musketeers in a precarious moral situation. The musketeers were officially serving the King. At the same time, they were upholding the honor of the Queen. Queen Anne is Austrian by birth and is having an affair with the enemy of France. Honor is another overlaying theme in the story; this was examined in conjunction with the novel’s probe into morality. Conforming to the principles of being a musketeer, Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and d’Artagnan only act in manners they believed exemplified being honorable and chivalrous, especially in combats and the battlefield. It is their upholding honorable acts that they were commended by their regiments and their countrymen. However, honor is murky. What is an honorable act for one can be dishonorable for another. At countless points during the musketeers’ adventures, they found themselves in dire straits where they were forced to reckon with where their loyalties lay.

Indeed, four men like them, four men devoted to each other from their money to their lives, four men always supporting each other, never retreating, performing singly or together the resolutions they had made in common; four arms threatening the four points of the compass or all turning to a single point, must inevitably, be it surreptitiously, be it openly, be it by mines, by entrenchments, by guile, or by force, open a way to the end they wanted to reach, however well defended or far off it might be.

   Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers

Beyond honor and chivalry, the novel subtly probes into social and political concerns of the time, such as the glaring dichotomy between social classes. Class divisions are examined through the relationship between the musketeers and their servants. While they are comrades, class divisions also play a role in the friendship between the four main characters. However, the most palpable display of class division is in how monarchs treat their subjects. Royalties act rashly and rarely evaluate the consequences of their actions. They are capricious by nature and even adamant so long as their desires and whims are fulfilled. The rivalry between the Duke of Buckingham and King Louis XIII instigated a war. Ironically, the catalyst for the rivalry was the French King’s refusal to have the British royalty see Queen Anne.

As history has shown repeatedly, the instigators, especially the monarchs and powerful, rarely suffer from the consequences of their actions. It was the men who went to war who perished. The civilians who were caught in the crossfire were also part of the collateral damage. The locus of power lying in the hands of the few did not escape the notice of D’Artagnan. Moments of eureka made him realize how his and his friends’ fates and lives – and by extension, the general populace – were determined by the very few people who held power and influence. The cardinal also had no qualms about abusing his position to maintain his stranglehold on power. As such, the novel transforms, with Dumas’ unflinching gaze, into a political and social commentary that exposes the excesses of powerful monarchies.

The novel also finds enduring quality in Dumas’ characterization. He breathed vitality into his characters. The characters, may they be on the side of the good or the bad, command everyone’s attention. D’Artagnan loomed above the story. He is easily one of the most memorable characters in the ambit of literature. In the Author’s Preface, Dumas shared that the novel’s hero was inspired by Memoirs of Monsieur D’Artagnan, a historical novel by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras. Dumas encountered the book while doing research in the Bibliotheque Nationale for his History of Louis the Fourteenth. It was a serendipitous moment, to say the least. The rest, they say, was history. But while the charisma of d’Artagnan – he acted as the quartet’s de facto leader – loomed above the story, the characters moving within his orbit were compelling in their own rights. Their individual personalities added texture to what is already a lush tapestry.

Tous pour un, un pour tous (All for one, and one for all) is a motto that perfectly encapsulates what the friendship between Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and d’Artagnan. It is also a motto for which The Three Musketeers has become renowned. Their adventures and misadventures, chronicled in this timeless literary classic, have tickled the imaginations of many across generations. However, The Three Musketeers does not reduce itself to a mere story about friendship, adventures, and honor. As one navigates through the seas of adventures, one can see how Dumas skillfully wove into the novel’s rich tapestry germane subjects prevalent during the time. Beyond the overtones of romance, adventures, and loyalties the novel is a subtly scathing critique of the insatiable appetite for power and how the caprice of monarchies adversely impacts the lives of ordinary denizens. The Three Musketeers, without a doubt, is a literary classic that transcends and will transcend time and physical boundaries.

Nothing passes the time, or shortens the path, like a thought which engrosses all the faculties of an individual’s organisation. Our external Existence is as a sleep, of which this thought is the dream; and. whilst we are subjected to its influence, time has no longer any measure, nor is there any distance in space: we leave one place, and arrive at another, and are conscious of nothing between. Of the intervening scenes, the only remembrance preserved, is somewhat akin to the idea of an indefinite mist, partially broken by obscure images of mountains, trees, and plains.

   Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers
Book Specs

Author: Alexandre Dumas
Translator (from French): William Barrow
Publisher: The Reader’s Digest
Publishing Date: 2013 (1844)
No. of Pages: 568
Genre: Historical, Literary, Adventure

Synopsis

All For One, One For All!

When daring young swordsman d’Artagnan travels to Paris seeking honor and fortune in the king’s Guard, he quickly befriends the famed three Musketeers — Athos, Porthos, and Aramis.

Loyal servants to the crown, the four friends cross swords with street criminals, face the cardinal’s Guards in duels to the death, and save the honor of the queen by unraveling treasonous schemes in a race against time. It will take epic courage, chivalry, and skill to thwart the plots against them and achieve victory at last.

Alexandre Dumas’s classic swashbuckling tale of adventure, swordplay, and unbreakable friendship is enriched with brand-new, action-packed illustrations by renowned artist Brett Helquist. (Source: Goodreads)

About the Author

Alexandre Dumas, père was born born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie on July 24, 1802, in Villers-Cotterêts, Aisne, France. Dumas’s father, Thomas-Alexandre Davy de La Pailleterie was born out of wedlock to the marquis de La Pailleterie and Marie Cessette Dumas, a black slave of Santo Domingo. Thomas-Alexandre was a common soldier under the ancien régime who assumed the name Dumas in 1786. Following his father’s death in 1806, the family fell on hard times. The young Alexandre went to Paris to attempt to make a living as a lawyer.

Dumas was able to find employment in the household of the Duke d’Orléans, the future King Louis-Philippe. While working for Louise-Philippe, Dumas began writing articles for magazines. He also tried his fortune in the theater, making contact with the actor François-Joseph Talma and the young poets who were to lead the Romantic movement. His first play, Henri III et sa cour (Henry III and His Court), produced in 1829 was met with acclaim. The next year, his second play, Christine, was equally popular. These successes gave him sufficient income to write full-time. Following his success in the theater, Dumas pivoted to writing historical novels, often working with collaborators (especially Auguste Maquet).

His first serial novel was La Comtesse de Salisbury; Édouard III (July-September 1836). His most renowned novels are Les Trois Mousquetaires (1844; The Three Musketeers); Vingt ans après (1845; Twenty Years After); Le Comte de Monte Cristo (1844–45; The Count of Monte Cristo); Dix ans plus tard ou le Vicomte de Bragelonne (1848–50; Ten Years Later or, The Vicomte de Bragelonne); and La Tulipe noire (1850; The Black Tulip). The unfinished manuscript of a long-lost novel, Le Chevalier de Sainte-Hermine (The Last Cavalier or The Knight of Sainte-Hermine,), was discovered in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris in the late 1980s and first published in 2005. Dumas also published nonfiction works such as memoirs, travelogues, and collections of essays.

Dumas passed away on December 5, 1870, and remains one of France’s most celebrated writers.