The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

Published by Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd: Great Britain, Date unknown.

The second book in 'The D'Artagnan Romances.' Followed by 'Twenty Years After.'

First published in French 1844.

A true classic, and one of which many adaptations have been made over the years, The Three Musketeers follows the adventures of Athos, Aramis and Porthos - the "three inseparables" - and their young friend D'Artagnan as they get caught up in the political machinations of France, along with various romantic subplots. Cardinal Richelieu is a nemesis of sorts, though not as directly involved as he is in many of the movie adaptations, while Milady, the Countess de Winter, is a suitably violent and murderous adversary.

The important thing to note going in to the book itself is that it is written in an era that has a different basic morality than our own. Certain crimes that we would consider fairly insignificant are seen as 'beyond the pale' to the characters of the book, while other things that we would generally be appalled at are dismissed as unimportant, or at least diminished. And this is hightened even further due to the book's setting being far earlier than when Dumas wrote it, meaning that on occasion he is even forced to defend decisions made by his heroes that seem distasteful to his audience. For example, D'Artagnan at one point forges a love note in order to rendezvous with de Winter under an assumed identity! The encounter itself is not commented on greatly (being one that can be found in other books of that era) but Dumas feels compelled to comment:  "This note was in the first place a forgery; it was likewise an indelicate thing to do. It was even, according to our present morals, something like an infamous action; but at that period people were not so scrupulous." (page 331)

The difference in morality of the era also means that at times a modern reader may feel uncomfortable at various conclusions the characters come to. Driven by honour and passion, there is a distinct lack of forgiveness or tolerance from the heroes of the story, particularly to someone like de Winter, whom it must be noted is guilty of horrendous crimes, but whom is often condemned for something that another male adversary would be able to solve with a duel or two.

The book is easy to read - Dumas is very talented at holding the reader's attention - and it is interesting to see just how faithful various adaptations have been, or not! Taking into account the fact that certain elements may be troubling for our modern sensibilities, it is worth checking out.

Completed 3 May 2020.

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