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= The_Count_of_Monte_Cristo =
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Introduction
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'The Count of Monte Cristo' () is an adventure novel by the French
writer Alexandre Dumas. It was serialised from 1844 to 1846, then
published in book form in 1846. It is one of his most popular works,
along with 'The Three Musketeers' (1844) and 'Man in the Iron Mask'
(1850). Like many of his novels, it was expanded from plot outlines
suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter, Auguste Maquet. It is
regarded as a classic of French and world literature.
The novel is set in France, Italy, and islands in the Mediterranean
Sea during the historical events of 1815-1839, the era of the Bourbon
Restoration through the reign of Louis Philippe I. It begins on the
day when Napoleon left his first island of exile, Elba, beginning the
Hundred Days period of his return to power. The historical setting is
fundamental to the narrative. 'The Count of Monte Cristo' explores
themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy and forgiveness.
Marseille and Château d'If
============================
On the day in 1815 when Napoleon escapes from Elba, first mate Edmond
Dantès sails the 'Pharaon' into Marseille after the death of the
captain, Leclère. On his deathbed, Leclère charged Dantès to deliver a
package to General Bertrand (exiled with Napoleon) and a letter from
Elba to Noirtier, a Bonapartist in Paris.
The ship's owner, Morrel, decides to promote Dantès to captain.
Dantès's crewmate Danglars is jealous of this rapid promotion. On the
eve of Dantès's wedding to his Catalan fiancée, Mercédès, Danglars
meets Fernand Mondego, Mercédès's cousin and a rival for her
affections. Fernand and Danglars hatch a plot to anonymously accuse
Dantès of being a Bonapartist. Dantès's neighbour Caderousse is
present; he too is jealous of Dantès, and although he objects to the
plot, he becomes too drunk to prevent it. When Dantès is arrested on
his wedding day, the cowardly Caderousse stays silent.
Villefort, the deputy crown prosecutor in Marseille, is Noirtier's
son. Villefort knows his political career would be ruined if it were
known that his father is a Bonapartist, so Villefort destroys the
letter and silences Dantès by sentencing him without trial to life
imprisonment.
After six years of solitary imprisonment in the Château d'If, Dantès
is on the verge of suicide. However, another prisoner, the Abbé Faria,
an Italian scholarly priest, digs an escape tunnel that mistakenly
ends in Dantès's cell. The Abbé helps Dantès to deduce the culprits of
his imprisonment. Over the next eight years, Faria educates Dantès in
languages, history, culture, mathematics, chemistry, medicine, and
science. Knowing himself to be close to death from catalepsy and
having grown fond of his pupil, Faria tells Dantès the location of a
vast treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo. When Faria dies,
Dantès takes Faria's place in the burial sack, which guards throw into
the sea.
Transformed identity and preparation
======================================
Dantès cuts through the sack and swims to a nearby island, where,
claiming to be a shipwrecked sailor, he is rescued by Genoese
smugglers. Months later, he locates and retrieves the treasure; he
later purchases the island of Monte Cristo and the title of count from
the Tuscan government.
Having sworn vengeance on Danglars, Fernand, and Villefort, Dantès
returns to Marseille in search of information to accomplish his goal.
Travelling as the Abbé Busoni, Dantès finds Caderousse, who regrets
not intervening in Dantès's arrest. Caderousse informs him that
Mercédès eventually resigned herself to marrying Fernand. He recounts
that Dantès's father died of starvation, and that Morrel tried
unsuccessfully to secure Dantès's release and save his father, but now
Morrel is on the brink of bankruptcy. Both Danglars and Fernand have
prospered greatly. Danglars became a speculator, amassed a fortune,
married a wealthy widow, and became a baron. Fernand served in the
French Army, rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Dantès rewards
Caderousse with a diamond, but he does not disclose his real identity.
Later, Caderousse negotiates the sale of the diamond to a jeweller,
but he kills the jeweller to keep the diamond and the money. He is
eventually arrested and sentenced to the galleys.
To rescue Morrel from bankruptcy, Dantès poses as a banker, buys
Morrel's debts, and gives him three months' reprieve. At the end of
the three months, Morrel is about to commit suicide, but learns that
the debts have been mysteriously paid and that one of his lost ships
has returned with a full cargo; it was secretly rebuilt and laden by
Dantès.
Revenge
=========
Dantès reappears in 1838 as the mysterious, fabulously wealthy Count
of Monte Cristo. Fernand is now the Count de Morcerf, Danglars is a
baron and banker, and Villefort is a royal prosecutor.
In Rome, at Carnival time, Dantès befriends Viscount Albert de
Morcerf, the son of Mercédès and Fernand. He arranges for Albert to be
captured by the bandit Luigi Vampa (an ally of Dantès), and "rescues"
the boy, earning his trust. Albert introduces the Count to Parisian
high society. In his guise as the Count, Dantès meets Mercédès for the
first time in 23 years and eventually makes the acquaintance of
Danglars, Fernand and Villefort.
The Count purchases a home in Auteuil, a suburb of Paris. He has
learnt from his servant Bertuccio that it is the home in which
Villefort once had an extramarital affair with Danglars's wife, who
gave birth to a child that Villefort buried alive in order to cover up
the affair. The infant was rescued by Bertuccio, named Benedetto, and
raised by Bertuccio's sister Assunta, but Benedetto turned to a life
of crime as a young man, murdered Assunta, and was sentenced to the
galleys.
Having impressed Parisian society with his wealth and air of mystery,
the Count sets up the pieces for his revenge. He persuades Danglars to
extend him a credit of six million francs. He discusses the properties
of various poisons with Villefort's second wife Heloïse and allows her
to borrow some of his supply. He allows his ward, Haydée--the exiled
daughter of Ali Pasha of Janina, whom Dantès purchased from
slavery--to see Fernand, recognising him as the man who betrayed and
murdered her father and stole his fortune. Under the alias Lord
Wilmore, Dantès frees Benedetto and Caderousse from the galleys; then
he anonymously hires Benedetto to impersonate an Italian nobleman,
Viscount Andrea Cavalcanti, and introduces him to Parisian society.
Dantès manipulates the financial markets by bribing a telegraph
operator to transmit a false message, causing Danglars to lose
hundreds of thousands of francs.
Meanwhile, Villefort's daughter Valentine is engaged to marry Albert's
friend Franz, but she is secretly in love with Morrel's son
Maximilien. Noirtier, her grandfather, induces Franz to break the
engagement by revealing that Noirtier himself killed Franz's father in
a duel. Benedetto ingratiates himself to Danglars, who betroths his
daughter Eugénie to him after canceling her engagement to Albert.
Caderousse blackmails Benedetto, threatening to reveal his past if he
does not share his newfound wealth. Heloïse begins poisoning members
of Villefort's family, intending to ensure that all of the family's
wealth will be inherited by her son Édouard, rather than her
stepdaughter Valentine. However, Noirtier secretly doses Valentine
with a drug that will give her limited resistance to the poison.
Caderousse attempts to rob the Count's house but is caught by "Abbé
Busoni" and forced to write a letter to Danglars, exposing
"Cavalcanti" as an impostor. When Caderousse leaves the estate, he is
stabbed by Benedetto. Caderousse dictates a deathbed statement naming
his killer, and the Count reveals his true identity to Caderousse
before he dies.
The Count anonymously leaks to the newspapers Fernand's betrayal of
Ali Pasha. At the Chamber of Peers' inquiry into the accusations,
Haydée testifies against him as an eyewitness. Albert blames the Count
for his father's downfall and challenges him to a duel. The Count is
later visited by Mercédès, who recognized him as Dantès upon their
first meeting but chose not to say anything. Mercédès begs Dantès to
spare her son. He tells her of the injustices inflicted on him, but he
agrees not to kill Albert. Realizing that Dantès intends to let Albert
kill him, she reveals the truth to Albert, who makes a public apology
to the Count. Albert and Mercédès disown Fernand, renounce their
titles and wealth, and depart to begin new lives. Albert enlists as a
soldier, while Mercédès lives alone in Dantès's old house in
Marseilles. Fernand confronts the Count of Monte Cristo, who reveals
his identity. Fernand shoots himself.
At the party to celebrate "Cavalcanti"'s engagement to Eugénie
Danglars, the police arrive to arrest Benedetto for Caderousse's
murder. Benedetto flees, but he is arrested and returned to Paris.
Eugénie (who is implied to be a lesbian) flees Paris with her
girlfriend.
Valentine barely survives Héloïse's first attempt to poison her, and
Maximilien begs the Count to protect her from the unknown poisoner. He
does so by faking her death, making it appear that the poisoner
succeeded. Villefort deduces that Héloïse is the murderer, and before
leaving to prosecute Benedetto's trial, he gives her a choice between
the shame of a public trial or committing suicide in private. At the
trial, Benedetto reveals that he is Villefort's son and was rescued
after Villefort buried him alive, having learned the truth from
Bertuccio. Villefort admits his guilt and rushes home to prevent his
wife's suicide, but he is too late; she is dead and has poisoned her
son Édouard as well. The Count confronts Villefort, revealing his true
identity, which drives Villefort insane. Dantès tries but fails to
resuscitate Édouard, causing him to question if his revenge has gone
too far.
As a result of the Count's financial manipulations, Danglars is left
with a ruined reputation and 5,000,000 francs he has been holding in
deposit for hospitals. The Count demands this sum to fulfill their
credit agreement, and Danglars embezzles the hospital fund. He flees
to Italy with the Count's receipt for the cash and 50,000 francs of
his own, and he is reimbursed the 5,000,000 francs from the Count's
own bank account. While leaving Rome, he is kidnapped by Luigi Vampa.
The bandits extort Danglars' ill-gotten gains from him by forcing him
to pay exorbitant prices for food and water. Dantès anonymously
returns the money to the hospitals. Danglars finally repents of his
crimes, and a softened Dantès forgives him and allows him to depart
with his 50,000 francs.
Resolution and return to the Orient
=====================================
Maximilien Morrel is driven to despair by Valentine's apparent death
and considers suicide. Dantès reveals his true identity and persuades
Maximilien to delay his suicide for one month. One month later, on the
island of Monte Cristo, he reunites Valentine with Maximilien and
reveals the true sequence of events. Having found peace, Dantès leaves
the couple part of his fortune on the island and departs for the East
to begin a new life with Haydée, who has declared her love for him.
The reader is left with a final line: "'l'humaine sagesse était tout
entière dans ces deux mots: attendre et espérer!'" ("all human wisdom
is contained in these two words: 'Wait and Hope'").
Edmond Dantès and his aliases
===============================
* Edmond Dantès (born 1796): A sailor with good prospects, engaged
(1815) to Mercédès. After his transformation into the Count of Monte
Cristo (1830s), he reveals his true name to his enemies as each
revenge is completed. During the course of the novel, he falls in love
with Haydée.
* The Count of Monte Cristo: The identity Dantès assumes when he
emerges from prison and acquires his vast fortune. As a result, the
Count of Monte Cristo is usually associated with a coldness and
bitterness that come from an existence based solely on revenge. This
character thinks of Lord Wilmore as a rival.
* Chief Clerk of the banking firm Thomson & French, an Englishman.
* Lord Wilmore: An Englishman, and the persona in which Dantès
performs random acts of generosity.
* Sinbad the Sailor: The persona that Dantès assumes when he saves the
Morrel family and while conducting business with smugglers and
brigands.
* Abbé Busoni: The persona of an Italian priest with religious
authority.
* Monsieur Zaccone: Dantès, in the guise of the Abbé Busoni, and again
as Lord Wilmore, tells an investigator that this is the Count of Monte
Cristo's true name.
* Number 34: The name given to him by the new governor of Château
d'If. Finding it too tedious to learn Dantès's real name, he was
called by the number of his cell.
* The Maltese Sailor: The name he was known by after his rescue by
smugglers from the island of Tiboulen.
Allies of Dantès
==================
* Abbé Faria: Italian priest, sage and former secretary to Cardinal
Spada, imprisoned (1815) in the Château d'If. Edmond's dearest friend,
and his mentor and teacher while in prison. On his deathbed, he
reveals to Edmond the secret treasure hidden on Monte Cristo.
Partially based on the historical Abbé Faria.
* Giovanni Bertuccio: The Count of Monte Cristo's steward and loyal
servant. The Count first meets him in his role as Abbé Busoni, the
confessor to Bertuccio, whose past is tied with M. de Villefort.
Bertuccio's sister-in-law Assunta was the adoptive mother of
Benedetto.
* Luigi Vampa: Celebrated Italian bandit and fugitive.
* Peppino: Formerly a shepherd, becomes a member of Vampa's gang. The
Count arranges for his public execution in Rome to be commuted,
causing him to be loyal to the Count.
* Ali: Monte Cristo's mute Nubian slave.
* Baptistin: Monte Cristo's valet-de-chambre.
* Jacopo: A poor smuggler who helps Dantès survive after he escapes
prison. When Jacopo proves his loyalty, Dantès rewards him with his
own ship and crew. (Jacopo Manfredi is a separate character, the
"bankrupt of Trieste", whose financial failure contributes to the
depletion of Danglars's fortune.)
* Haydée (or Haidee): Monte Cristo's young, beautiful slave. She is
the daughter of Ali Tebelen, sold into slavery by Morcerf after her
father was killed. Buying her is part of Dantès' plan to get revenge
on Fernand. At the novel's end, she and Monte Cristo leave together,
presumably to eventually marry.
Morcerf family
================
* Mercédès Mondego (née Herrera): A Catalan girl engaged (1815) to
Edmond Dantès. She later marries Fernand, and they have a son, Albert.
She is consumed with guilt over Edmond's disappearance and is able to
recognize him when (1830s) they meet again. In the end, she returns to
Marseilles, living in a house provided by the Count, praying for
Albert. She is portrayed as a compassionate, kind and caring woman who
thinks of her loved ones more than herself.
* Fernand Mondego, Count de Morcerf: cousin of Mercédès; Edmond's
rival for her affection. Initially (1815) a Catalan fisherman in a
Spanish village near Marseilles, Fernand helps Danglars ruin Edmond by
sending the denunciation in a desperate but successful attempt to
separate him from Mercédès. He marries her, achieves the rank of
general in the French army, and purchases a peerage in the Chambre des
Pairs, keeping secret his betrayal of the Pasha Alì Tebelen and the
selling into slavery of both his daughter Haydée and her mother
Vasiliki. He shows a deep affection and care for his wife and son. He
(1830s) meets his end by suicide, in the despair of having lost
Mercédès and Albert, who disown him when they discover his hidden
crimes.
* Albert de Morcerf: Son of Mercédès and Fernand. He is (1830s)
described as a kind-hearted, joyful and carefree young man, and fond
of Monte Cristo, whom he sees as a friend. After acknowledging the
truth of his father's war crimes and the false accusation towards the
sailor Edmond Dantès, Albert leaves his home with Mercédès. He starts
a new life as a soldier under the name "Herrera" (his mother's maiden
name) and travels to Africa in search of fortune and honor.
Danglars family
=================
* Baron Danglars: Dantès's jealous junior officer (1815) and
mastermind behind his imprisonment, writing the letter of denunciation
which Fernand mails. He is later (1830s) a wealthy banker, but goes
bankrupt and is left with only 50,000 francs, after stealing 5,000,000
francs.
* Madame Hermine Danglars (formerly Baroness Hermine de Nargonne née
de Servieux): Once a widow, she had an affair with Gérard de
Villefort, a married man. They had an illegitimate son, Benedetto.
* Eugénie Danglars: Daughter of Baron Danglars and Hermine Danglars.
She (1830s) is free-spirited and aspires to become an independent
artist.
Villefort family
==================
* Gérard de Villefort: The royal prosecutor who (1815) imprisons
Dantès to protect his career. He goes insane (1830s) after his crimes
are exposed.
* Renée de Villefort (née de Saint-Méran): Gérard de Villefort's first
wife, mother of Valentine.
* The Marquis and Marquise de Saint-Méran: Renée's parents.
* Valentine de Villefort: The daughter of Gérard de Villefort and his
first wife, Renée. She is (1830s) 19 years old with chestnut hair,
dark blue eyes, and "long white hands". Though she is engaged to Baron
Franz d'Épinay, she is in love with Maximilien Morrel.
* Monsieur Noirtier de Villefort: The father of Gérard de Villefort
and grandfather of Valentine, Édouard, and, unknowingly, Benedetto. A
committed anti-royalist, it is his plot to restore Napoleon in which
(1815) Dantès becomes entangled. He is (1830s) paralyzed and only able
to communicate with his eyes, but retains his mental faculties and
acts as protector to Valentine.
* Héloïse de Villefort: The murderous second wife of Gérard de
Villefort, mother of Édouard.
* Édouard (or Edward) de Villefort: The only legitimate son of de
Villefort.
* Benedetto: The illegitimate son of de Villefort and Baroness Hermine
Danglars (Hermine de Nargonne), raised by Bertuccio and his
sister-in-law, Assunta, in Rogliano. While he and his loutish friends
are torturing and trying to rob Assunta, they accidentally kill her.
He runs away and later becomes "Andrea Cavalcanti" in Paris.
Morrel family
===============
* Pierre Morrel: Dantès's employer, owner of Morrel & Son. He
attempts (1815) to obtain Dantès's freedom, but is unsuccessful.
Later, on the verge of bankruptcy (1830s), he and his family are saved
from ruin by the Count.
* Maximilien Morrel: Son of Pierre Morrel, he is an army captain who
becomes a friend of Dantès. In love (1830s) with Valentine de
Villefort.
* Julie Herbault: Daughter of Pierre Morrel, wife of Emmanuel
Herbault.
* Emmanuel Herbault: An employee of Morrel & Son, who marries
Julie Morrel and succeeds to the business.
Other characters
==================
* Gaspard Caderousse: A tailor in Marseilles, he was (1815) a neighbor
and friend of Dantès who knew of Danglars and Fernand's plot but did
not speak up out of cowardice. Having become an innkeeper (1830s), he
is rewarded by "Abbé Busoni" with a valuable diamond for explaining
the denunciation plot. He then turns to crime, spends time in prison,
and ends up murdered by Andrea Cavalcanti.
* Madeleine Caderousse, née Radelle, dite La Carconte: Wife of
Caderousse, who egged him on to murder a Jewish jeweler. Caderousse
then killed her to gain ownership of the money.
* Louis Dantès: Edmond Dantès's father, who dies from starvation
during his son's imprisonment.
* Baron Franz d'Épinay: A friend of Albert de Morcerf, (1830s) engaged
to Valentine de Villefort. Originally, Dumas wrote part of the story,
including the events in Rome and the return of Albert de Morcerf and
Franz d'Épinay to Paris, in the first person from Franz d'Épinay's
point of view.
* Lucien Debray: Secretary to the Minister of the Interior, a friend
of Albert de Morcerf, and a lover of Madame Danglars, whom he provides
with inside investment information, which she then passes on to her
husband.
* Beauchamp: Journalist and Chief Editor of 'l'Impartial', and friend
of Albert de Morcerf.
* Raoul, Baron de Château-Renaud: Member of a noble family and friend
of Albert de Morcerf.
* Louise d'Armilly: Eugénie Danglars's music instructor and her
intimate friend.
* Monsieur de Boville: Originally an inspector of prisons, later a
detective in the Paris force, and still later the Receiver-General of
the charities.
* Barrois: Old, trusted servant of Monsieur Noirtier.
* Monsieur d'Avrigny: Family doctor treating the Villefort family.
* Major (also Marquis) Bartolomeo Cavalcanti: Old man who plays the
role of Prince Andrea Cavalcanti's father.
* Ali Tebelen (or Ali Tepelini): An Albanian nationalist leader, Pasha
of Yanina, whom Fernand Mondego betrays, leading to Ali Pasha's murder
at the hands of the Turks and the seizure of his kingdom. His wife
Vasiliki and daughter Haydée are sold into slavery by Fernand.
* Countess Teresa Guiccioli: Her name is not actually stated in the
novel. She is referred to as "Countess G--".
Background to elements of the plot
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'Georges', a short novel by Dumas, was published in 1843, preceding
when 'The Count of Monte Cristo' was written. 'Georges' is of
particular interest to scholars because Dumas reused many of the ideas
and plot devices in 'The Count of Monte Cristo'.
Dumas wrote that the germ of the idea of revenge as one of the novel's
themes sprung from an anecdote ('Le Diamant et la Vengeance') written
by Jacques Peuchet, an archivist of the Paris police, and published in
the multi-volume 'Mémoires tirés des Archives de la Police de Paris'
('Memoirs from the Archives of the Paris Police') in France in 1838.
Dumas included this essay in one of the editions of his novel
published in 1846.
Peuchet related the tale of a shoemaker, Pierre Picaud, living in
Nîmes in 1807. Picaud was engaged to marry a wealthy woman, but three
jealous friends falsely accused him of being a spy on behalf of
England in a period of wars between France and England. Picaud was
placed under a form of house arrest in the Fenestrelle Fort, where he
was a servant to a rich Italian cleric. The cleric began to treat
Picaud like a son, and when the cleric died, he left his fortune to
Picaud. Picaud spent years plotting his revenge on the three men who
were responsible for his misfortune. He stabbed the first with a
dagger on which the words "Number One" were printed, and he poisoned
the second. The third man, named Loupian, had married Picaud's fiancée
while Picaud was under arrest. Picaud lured Loupian's son into crime
and his daughter into prostitution, and then he fatally stabbed
Loupian.
In another of the true stories reported by Ashton-Wolfe, Peuchet
describes a poisoning in a family. This story is also mentioned in the
Pléiade edition of this novel, and it probably served as a model for
the chapter of the murders inside the Villefort family. The
introduction to the Pléiade edition mentions other sources from real
life: a man, Abbé Faria, did exist. He was imprisoned but did not die
in prison; he died in 1819 and left no large legacy to anyone. As for
Dantès, his fate is quite different from his model in Peuchet's book,
since that model is murdered by the "Caderousse" of the plot.
Publication
======================================================================
'The Count of Monte Cristo' was originally published in the 'Journal
des Débats' in eighteen parts. Serialization ran from 28 August 1844
to 15 January 1846. The first edition in book form was published in
Paris by 'Pétion' in 18 volumes with the first two issued in 1844 and
the remaining sixteen in 1845. Most of the Belgian pirated editions,
the first Paris edition and many others up to the 'Lécrivain et
Toubon' illustrated edition of 1860 feature a misspelling of the title
with "Christo" used instead of "Cristo". The first edition to feature
the correct spelling was the 'L'Écho des Feuilletons' illustrated
edition, Paris 1846. This edition featured plates by Paul Gavarni and
Tony Johannot and was said to be "revised" and "corrected", although
only the chapter structure appears to have been altered with an
additional chapter entitled 'La Maison des Allées de Meilhan' having
been created by splitting 'Le Départ' into two.
English translations
======================
The first appearance of 'The Count of Monte Cristo' in English was the
first part of a serialization by W. Harrison Ainsworth in volume VII
of 'Ainsworth's Magazine' published in 1845, although this was an
abridged summary of the first part of the novel only and was entitled
'The Prisoner of If'. Ainsworth translated the remaining chapters of
the novel, again in abridged form, and issued these in volumes VIII
and IX of the magazine in 1845 and 1846 respectively. Another abridged
serialization appeared in 'The London Journal' between 1846 and 1847.
The first single volume translation in English was an abridged edition
with woodcuts published by Geo Pierce in January 1846 entitled 'The
Prisoner of If or The Revenge of Monte Christo'.
In April 1846, volume three of the 'Parlour Novelist', Belfast,
Ireland: Simms and M'Intyre, London: W S Orr and Company, featured the
first part of an unabridged translation of the novel by Emma Hardy.
The remaining two parts would be issued as the Count of Monte Christo
volumes I and II in volumes 8 and 9 of the Parlour Novelist
respectively.
The most common English translation is an anonymous one originally
published in 1846 by Chapman and Hall. This was originally released in
ten weekly installments from March 1846 with six pages of letterpress
and two illustrations by M Valentin. The translation was released in
book form with all twenty illustrations in two volumes in May 1846, a
month after the release of the first part of the above-mentioned
translation by Emma Hardy. The translation follows the revised French
edition of 1846, with the correct spelling of "Cristo" and the extra
chapter 'The House on the Allées de Meilhan'.
Most English editions of the novel follow the anonymous translation.
In 1889, two of the major American publishers 'Little Brown' and 'T.Y.
Crowell' updated the translation, correcting mistakes and revising the
text to reflect the original serialized version. This resulted in the
removal of the chapter
'The House on the Allées de Meilhan', with the text restored to the
end of the chapter called 'The Departure'.
In 1955, Collins published an updated version of the anonymous
translation which cut several passages, including a whole chapter
entitled 'The Past', and renamed others. This abridgment was
republished by many Collins imprints and other publishers including
the Modern Library, Vintage, and the 1998 Oxford World's Classics
edition (later editions restored the text). In 2008 Oxford released a
revised edition with translation by David Coward. The 2009 Everyman's
Library edition reprints the original anonymous English translation
that first appeared in 1846, with revisions by Peter Washington and an
introduction by Umberto Eco.
In 1996, Penguin Classics published a new translation by Robin Buss.
Buss' translation updated the language, making the text more
accessible to modern readers, and restored content that was modified
in the 1846 translation because of Victorian English social
restrictions (for example, references to Eugénie's lesbian traits and
behavior) to reflect Dumas' original version.
In addition to the above, there have also been many abridged
translations such as an 1892 edition published by F.M. Lupton,
translated by Henry L. Williams (this translation was also released by
M.J. Ivers in 1892 with Williams using the pseudonym of Professor
William Thiese). A more recent abridgment is the translation by Lowell
Bair for 'Bantam Classics' in 1956.
Many abridged translations omit the Count's enthusiasm for hashish.
When serving a hashish jam to the young Frenchman Franz d'Épinay, the
Count (calling himself Sinbad the Sailor), calls it, "nothing less
than the ambrosia which Hebe served at the table of Jupiter". When he
arrives in Paris, the Count brandishes an emerald box in which he
carries small green pills compounded of hashish and opium which he
uses for sleeplessness. (Source: Chapters 31, 32, 38, 40, 53 & 77
in the 117-chapter unabridged Pocket Books edition.) Dumas was a
member of the Club des Hashischins.
In June 2017, Manga Classics, an imprint of UDON Entertainment,
published 'The Count of Monte Cristo' as a faithfully adapted manga.
Japanese translations
=======================
The first Japanese translation by Kuroiwa Shūroku was entitled "Shigai
Shiden Gankutsu-ou" (史外史伝巌窟王, 'A historical story from outside
history, the King of the Cavern'), and serialized from 1901 to 1902 in
the newspaper 'Yorozu Chōhō'. It was released in book form in four
volumes by publisher Aoki Suusandou in 1905. Though later translations
use the title "Monte Cristo-haku" (モンテ・クリスト伯, 'The Count of Monte
Cristo'), the "Gankutsu-ou" title remains highly associated with the
novel and is often used as an alternative. As of March 2016, all movie
adaptations of the novel brought to Japan used the title
"Gankutsu-ou", with the exception of the 2002 film, which has it as a
subtitle (with the title itself simply being 'Monte Cristo').
The novel is popular in Japan, and has spawned numerous adaptations,
the most notable of which are the novels 'Meiji Gankutsu-ou' by
Taijirou Murasame and 'Shin Gankutsu-ou' by Kaitarō Hasegawa. Its
influence can also be seen in perception of one of the first prominent
cases of miscarriage of justice in Japan, in which an innocent man was
charged with murder and imprisoned for half a century; it is known in
Japanese as the "Yoshida Gankutsu-ou incident" (吉田岩窟王事件).
'Monte Cristo Hakushaku' (モンテ・クリスト, 伯爵), a manga adaptation of the
novel by Ena Moriyama, was published in November 2015.
Chinese translations
======================
The first translation into Chinese was published in 1907. The novel
had been a personal favorite of Jiang Qing, and the 1978 translation
became one of the first mass-popularized foreign novels in mainland
China after the end of the Cultural Revolution. Since then, there have
been another 22 Chinese translations.
Reception and legacy
======================================================================
The original work was published in serial form in the 'Journal des
Débats' in 1844. Carlos Javier Villafane Mercado described the effect
in Europe:
George Saintsbury stated that "'Monte Cristo' is said to have been at
its first appearance, and for some time subsequently, the most popular
book in Europe. Perhaps no novel within a given number of years had so
many readers and penetrated into so many different countries." This
popularity has extended into modern times as well. The book was
"translated into virtually all modern languages and has never been out
of print in most of them. There have been at least twenty-nine motion
pictures based on it ... as well as several television series, and
many movies [have] worked the name 'Monte Cristo' into their titles."
The title 'Monte Cristo' lives on in a "famous gold mine, a line of
luxury Cuban cigars, a sandwich, and any number of bars and
casinos--it even lurks in the name of the street-corner hustle
three-card monte."
Modern Russian writer and philologist Vadim Nikolayev determined 'The
Count of Monte-Cristo' as a megapolyphonic novel.
The novel has been the inspiration for many other books, from Lew
Wallace's 'Ben-Hur' (1880), then to a science fiction retelling in
Alfred Bester's 'The Stars My Destination', and to Stephen Fry's 'The
Stars' Tennis Balls' (entitled 'Revenge' in the U.S.).
Fantasy novelist Steven Brust's 2020 novel 'The Baron of Magister
Valley' uses 'The Count of Monte Cristo' as a starting point. Jin Yong
has admitted some influence from Dumas, his favorite non-Chinese
novelist. Some commentators feel that the plot of 'A Deadly Secret'
resembles 'The Count of Monte Cristo', except that they are based in
different countries and historical periods.
Historical background
======================================================================
In the novel, Dumas tells of the 1815 return of Napoleon I, and
alludes to contemporary events when the governor at the Château d'If
is promoted to a position at the castle of Ham. The attitude of Dumas
towards "bonapartisme" was conflicted. His father, Thomas-Alexandre
Dumas, a Haitian of mixed descent, became a successful general during
the French Revolution. In 1840, the body of Napoleon I was brought to
France and became an object of veneration in the church of Les
Invalides, renewing popular patriotic support for the Bonaparte
family. As the story opens, the character Dantès is not aware of the
politics, considers himself simply a good French citizen, and is
caught between the conflicting loyalties of the royalist Villefort
during the Restoration, and the father of Villefort, Noirtier, loyal
to Napoleon, a firm bonapartist, and the bonapartist loyalty of his
late captain, in a period of rapid changes of government in France.
In 'Causeries' (1860), Dumas published a short paper, "État civil du
Comte de Monte-Cristo", on the genesis of his story. It appears that
Dumas had close contacts with members of the Bonaparte family while
living in Florence in 1841. He sailed around the island of Montecristo
in a small boat, accompanied by a young prince, a cousin to Louis
Bonaparte, who was to become Emperor Napoleon III of the French ten
years later, in 1851. During this trip, he promised that cousin of
Louis Bonaparte that he would write a novel with the island's name in
the title. In 1841, when Dumas made his promise, Louis Bonaparte
himself was imprisoned at the citadel of Ham - the place mentioned in
the novel. Dumas did visit him there, although Dumas does not mention
it in "Etat civil".
Film
======
* 1908: 'The Count of Monte Cristo', a silent film starring Hobart
Bosworth
* 1913: 'The Count of Monte Cristo', a silent film starring James
O'Neill
* 1918: 'The Count of Monte Cristo', a silent-film serial starring
Léon Mathot
* 1922: 'Monte Cristo', starring John Gilbert and directed by Emmett
J. Flynn
* 1929: 'Monte Cristo', restored silent epic directed by Henri
Fescourt
* 1934: 'The Count of Monte Cristo', directed by Rowland V. Lee
* 1942: 'The Count of Monte Cristo' (Spanish: 'El Conde de
Montecristo'), a Mexican film version, directed by Chano Urueta and
starring Arturo de Córdova
* 1943: 'The Count of Monte Cristo', directed by Robert Vernay
* 1946: 'The Return of Monte Cristo', directed by Henry Levin
* 1946: 'The Wife of Monte Cristo', directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
* 1953: 'The Count of Monte Cristo' (Spanish: 'El Conde de
Montecristo'), directed by León Klimovsky and starring Jorge Mistral
* 1954: 'The Count of Monte Cristo', starring Jean Marais
* 1958: 'Vanjikottai Valiban' (வஞ்சிக்கோட்டை வாலிபன்), Tamil film
adaptation and its Hindi remake 'Raaj Tilak'
* 1961: 'Le comte de Monte Cristo', starring Louis Jourdan, directed
by Claude Autant-Lara
* 1968: 'Sous le signe de Monte Cristo', French film starring Paul
Barge, Claude Jade and Anny Duperey, directed by André Hunebelle, and
set in 1947
* 1975: 'The Count of Monte Cristo', TV film starring Richard
Chamberlain, directed by David Greene
* 1982: 'Padayottam', a Malayalam film adaption set in Kerala context,
directed by Jijo Punnoose, starring Prem Nazir,
Madhu, Mammootty and Mohanlal
* 1986: 'Veta', Telugu film adaptation
* 1986: 'Legacy of Rage', a Cantonese-language adaptation starring
Brandon Lee
* 1986: 'Asipatha Mamai', a Sinhala adaptation
* 1988: 'Uznik zamka If (The Prisoner of Château d'If)', a 3-part
Soviet adaptation starring Viktor Avilov (Count of Monte Cristo) and
Aleksei Petrenko (Abbé Faria), with music and songs of Alexander
Gradsky
* 2002: 'The Count of Monte Cristo', directed by Kevin Reynolds and
starring Jim Caviezel, Dagmara Domińczyk, Richard Harris and Guy
Pearce
* 2024: 'The Count of Monte Cristo' directed by Matthieu Delaporte and
Alexandre de La Patellière and starring Pierre Niney
Television
============
* 1956: 'The Count of Monte Cristo', TV series based on further
adventures of Edmond Dantès after the end of the novel
* 1964: 'The Count of Monte Cristo', BBC television serial starring
Alan Badel and Natasha Parry
* 1966: 'Il conte di Montecristo', RAI Italian television serial
directed by Edmo Fenoglio. starring Andrea Giordana
* 1973: 'The Count of Monte Cristo', UK/Italian animated series,
produced by Halas and Batchelor and RAI Italy
* 1977: ' (大報復), Hong Kong television serial starring Adam Cheng, in
which the background of the story is changed to Southern China during
the Republican Era
* 1979: ' (日本巌窟王), Japanese television serial set in Edo period,
starring Masao Kusakari
* 1979: 'Le Comte de Monte-Cristo' (1979 miniseries), French TV series
starring Jacques Weber
* 1984: 'La Dueña', a 1984 Venezuelan telenovela with a female version
of Edmond Dantès
* 1994: 'Marimar', a Spanish language television series by Televisa
that later spawned remakes in Mexico and the Philippines.
* 1996: 'Itihaas', an Indian television series, created by Nirmala
Sood and co-produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor under their
banner Balaji Telefilms.
* 1998: 'The Count of Monte Cristo', television miniseries starring
Gérard Depardieu
* 2004: 'Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo' (巌窟王 'Gankutsuoo',
literally "The King of the Cave"), Japanese animation adaptation.
Produced by Gonzo, directed by Mahiro Maeda
* 2006: 'Montecristo', Argentine telenovela starring Pablo Echarri and
Paola Krum
* 2006: 'Vingança', telenovela directed by Rodrigo Riccó and Paulo
Rosa, SIC Portugal
* 2010: 'Ezel', a Turkish television series which is an adaptation of
'The Count of Monte Cristo'
* 2011: 'Un amore e una vendetta' (English: 'Love and Vendetta'), an
Italian television series loosely based on the book
* 2011: 'Revenge', a television series billed as an adaptation of 'The
Count of Monte Cristo'
* 2012: 'Antsanoty', an Armenia-Armenian television series which is an
adaptation of 'The Count of Monte Cristo'
* 2013: 'La Patrona', a loose Mexican remake of 1984 telenovela 'La
Dueña'
* 2016: 'Goodbye Mr. Black', a South Korean TV series loosely based on
'The Count of Monte Cristo.'
* 2016: 'Once Upon a Time's' sixth season features the Count as a
character, portrayed by Craig Horner. Several characters and plot
elements from the story are also alluded to
* 2016: 'Yago', Mexican telenovela starring Iván Sánchez and Gabriela
de la Garza
* 2018: ' (モンテ・クリスト伯 -華麗なる復讐- 'Monte Kurisuto Haku: Kareinaru
Fukushū'), a Japanese TV series starring Dean Fujioka
* 2018: 'Wes', a Sri Lankan-Sinhala television series that is an
adaptation of 'The Count of Monte Cristo' and was influenced by 'Ezel'
television series
* 2021: 'Miss Monte-Cristo', a South Korean adaptation on KBS
featuring female characters
* 2023: 'Montecristo', a Mexican adaptation on Vix+ starring William
Levy
* 2024: 'The Count of Monte Cristo', Italian and French produced,
English-language 8-part series starring Sam Claflin
Other appearances in film or television
=========================================
* 1973: 'The Count of Monte Cristo', animated short produced by
Hanna-Barbera
* 2007: The first section of 'The Simpsons' episode "Revenge Is a Dish
Best Served Three Times" has an adaptation of 'The Count of Monte
Cristo' but it is entitled 'The Count of Monte Fatso'
Sequel books
==============
In 1853, a work professing to be the sequel of the book, entitled 'The
Hand of the Deceased', appeared in Portuguese and French editions
(respectively entitled 'A Mão do finado' and 'La Main du défunt'). The
novel, falsely attributed to Dumas, but in fact, originally published
anonymously or sometimes attributed to one F. Le Prince, has been
traced to Portuguese writer .
Other sequels include:
* 1856: ', by .
* 1881: 'The Son of Monte Cristo', Jules Lermina (1839-1915). This
novel was divided in the English translation into two books: 'The Wife
of Monte Cristo' and 'The Son of Monte Cristo'). Both were published
in English in New York, 1884, translated by Jacob Ralph Abarbanell
(1852-1922).
* 1884: 'Edmond Dantès: The Sequel to Alexander Dumas' Celebrated
Novel The Count of Monte Cristo', Edmund Flagg (1815-1890). Published
in English by T.B. Peterson and Brothers in 1886 (no translator
credited).
* 1884: 'Monte-Cristo's Daughter: Sequel to Alexander Dumas' Great
Novel, "The Count of Monte-Cristo," and Conclusion of "Edmond
Dantès"', Edmund Flagg. Published in English by T.B. Peterson and
Brothers in 1886 (no translator credited).
* 1885: 'The Treasure of Monte-Cristo', Jules Lermina (1839-1915).
* 1869: 'The Countess of Monte Cristo', Jean Charles Du Boys
(1836-1873). Published in English by T.B. Peterson and Brothers in
1871 (no translator credited).
* 1887: 'Monte Cristo and his wife', presumably by Jacob Ralph
Abarbanell.
* 1902: 'Countess of Monte Cristo', by Jacob Ralph Abarbanell.
Plays and musicals
====================
Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet wrote a set of four plays that
collectively told the story of 'The Count of Monte Cristo': 'Monte
Cristo Part I' (1848); 'Monte Cristo Part II' (1848); 'Le Comte de
Morcerf' (1851) and 'Villefort' (1851). The first two plays were first
performed at Dumas' own Théâtre Historique in February 1848, with the
performance spread over two nights, each with a long duration (the
first evening ran from 6pm until midnight). The play was also
unsuccessfully performed at Drury Lane in London later that year where
rioting erupted in protest against French companies performing in
England.
The adaptation differs from the novel in many respects: several
characters, such as Luigi Vampa, are excluded; whereas the novel
includes many different plot threads that are brought together at the
conclusion, the third and fourth plays deal only with the fate of
Mondego and Villefort respectively (Danglars's fate is not featured at
all); the play is the first to feature Dantès shouting "the world is
mine!", an iconic line that would be used in many future adaptations.
Two English adaptations of the novel were published in 1868. The
first, by Hailes Lacy, differs only slightly from Dumas' version with
the main change being that Fernand Mondego is killed in a duel with
the Count rather than committing suicide. Much more radical was the
version by Charles Fechter, a notable French-Anglo actor. The play
faithfully follows the first part of the novel, omits the Rome section
and makes several sweeping changes to the third part, among the most
significant being that Albert is actually the son of Dantès. The fates
of the three main antagonists are also altered: Villefort, whose fate
is dealt with quite early on in the play, kills himself after being
foiled by the Count trying to kill Noirtier (Villefort's half brother
in this version); Mondego kills himself after being confronted by
Mercedes; Danglars is killed by the Count in a duel. The ending sees
Dantès and Mercedes reunited and the character of Haydee is not
featured at all. The play was first performed at the Adelphi in London
in October 1868. The original duration was five hours, resulting in
Fechter abridging the play, which, despite negative reviews, had a
respectable sixteen-week run. Fechter moved to the United States in
1869 and Monte Cristo was chosen for the inaugural play at the opening
of the Globe Theatre, Boston in 1870. Fechter last performed the role
in 1878.
In 1883, John Stetson, manager of the Booth Theatre and The Globe
Theatre, wanted to revive the play and asked James O'Neill (the father
of playwright Eugene O'Neill) to perform the lead role. O'Neill, who
had never seen Fechter perform, made the role his own and the play
became a commercial, if not an artistic success. O'Neill made several
abridgments to the play and eventually bought it from Stetson. A
motion picture based on Fechter's play, with O'Neill in the title
role, was released in 1913 but was not a huge success. O'Neill died in
1920, two years before a more successful motion picture, produced by
Fox and partially based on Fechter's version, was released. O'Neill
came to despise the role of Monte Cristo, which he performed more than
6000 times, feeling that his typecasting had prevented him from
pursuing more artistically rewarding roles. This discontent later
became a plot point in Eugene O'Neill's semi-autobiographical play
'Long Day's Journey Into Night'.
In 2008, the Russian theater of Moscow Operetta set a musical
'Monte-Cristo' based on the book with music of Roman Ignatiev and
lyrics of Yulii Kim. Six years later it won in Daegu International
Musical Festival in South Korea. Original plot was slightly changed
and some characters are not mentioned in the musical.
'The Count of Monte Cristo' is a musical based on the novel, with
influences from the 2002 film adaptation of the book. The music is
written by Frank Wildhorn and the lyrics and book are by Jack Murphy.
It debuted in Switzerland in 2009.
Audio adaptations
===================
* 1938: 'The Mercury Theatre on the Air' with Orson Welles (Dantés),
Ray Collins (Abbé Faria), George Coulouris (Monsieur Morrel), Edgar
Barrier (de Villefort), Eustace Wyatt (Caderousse), Paul Stewart (Paul
Dantés) Sidney Smith (Mondego), Richard Wilson (the Officer), Virginia
Welles (Mercédès); radio broadcast 29 August 1938
* 1939: 'The Campbell Playhouse' with Orson Welles (Dantés), Ray
Collins (Caderousse), Everett Sloane (Abbé Faria), Frank Readick
(Villefort), George Coulouris (Danglars), Edgar Barrier (Mondego),
Richard Wilson (a Jailer), Agnes Moorehead (Mercédès); radio broadcast
1 October 1939
* 1939: Robert Montgomery on the 'Lux Radio Theater' (radio)
* 1947-52: 'The Count of Monte Cristo' radio program starring Carleton
Young
* 1960s: Paul Daneman for 'Tale Spinners For Children' series (LP) UAC
11044
* 1961: Louis Jourdan for Caedmon Records (LP)
* 1964: 'Per Edström' director (radio series in Sweden)
* 1987: Andrew Sachs on BBC Radio 4 (later BBC Radio 7 and BBC Radio 4
Extra), adapted by Barry Campbell and directed by Graham Gould, with
Alan Wheatley as L'Abbe Faria, Nigel Anthony as de Villefort, Geoffrey
Matthews as Danglars and Melinda Walker as Mercedes
* 1989: Richard Matthews for Penguin Random House ()
* 2005: John Lee for Blackstone Audio
* 2010: Bill Homewood for Naxos Audiobooks ()
* 2012: Iain Glen on BBC Radio 4, adapted by Sebastian Baczkiewicz and
directed by Jeremy Mortimer and Sasha Yevtushenko, with Richard
Johnson as Faria, Jane Lapotaire as the aged Haydee, Toby Jones as
Danglars, Zubin Varla as Fernand, Paul Rhys as Villefort and Josette
Simon as Mercedes
* 2017: The Count of Monte Cristo musical adaption by Berry &
Butler
* 2021: Radio Mirchi Kolkata's station aired 'The Count of Monte
Cristo' in Bengali, translated by Rajarshee Gupta for Mirchi's 'Sunday
Suspense' Programme. Edmond Dantès was voiced by actor Gaurav
Chakrabarty. Abbé Faria was voiced by RJ Mir, Fernand Mondego by
Anirban Bhattacharya and the story was narrated by RJ Deep. Apart from
being a 6-hours epic, this adaptation was famous for having "Pitcairn
Story" as the background music. This BGM is now being more identified
with this epic.
* 2024: Little Lucky Productions created the first-ever fiction
podcast adaptation of" The Count of Monte Cristo," split into two
parts. Part 1 premiered in May 2024, Part 2 premiered in Fall 2024.
External links
======================================================================
*
* [
http://www.gibralfaro.uma.es/criticalit/pag_1790.htm "Critical
approach on 'The Count of Monte Cristo'] by Enrique Javier González
Camacho in 'Gibralfaro', the journal of creative writing and
humanities at the University of Malaga
*
*
[
https://web.archive.org/web/20130813045512/http://www.artsreformation.com/talespinners/
"Tale Spinners for Children"]: 'The Count of Monte Cristo' MP3
download
*
[
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist255-s01/thenardier/renee/pierrepicaud.htm
Pierre Picaud: The "Real" Count]
*
[
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=206741156968091180908.00046805f5c8cbc93f143&msa=0&ll=48.858278,2.295671&spn=0.017026,0.031543
"'Count of Monte Cristo' Paris Walking Tour"] identifies locations
from the novel in Paris mapped on Google Maps
*
* [
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tmcz7/ 'The Count of Monte
Cristo'] on BBC Radio 7
* [
http://www.shmoop.com/count-of-monte-cristo/ 'The Count of Monte
Cristo'] on Shmoop.com
*
[
https://vocal.media/bookclub/book-review-the-count-of-monte-cristo-by-alexandre-dumas
Caleb Foster's review of 'The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre
Dumas']
License
=========
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License URL:
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Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Count_of_Monte_Cristo
