Did you know the author of 'The Three Musketeers', 'The Count of Monte Cristo' & 'The Iron Mask' was a black writer called Alexander Dumas.
By JDusty1982
I didn’t! But thank you so much for this—now I’m off to look it up 🥰
Reader discussion: The three musketeers
Public reader discussion about The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.
Clue to a pun in The Three Musketeers?
By motionGoose
At some point, when the Three Musketeers and d’Artagnan are heading to the Bastion Saint Gervais, Aramis drops this Latin bit: “Animadvertuntur in desertis,” and Porthos basically says something like, yeah, it would’ve been nice to have a desert around, but there isn’t one. I’m guessing it’s meant as a joke about Porthos not knowing Latin, but I can’t track down what that phrase actually means. Anyone know where it’s from or what it translates to?
The Three Musketeers - Fun Facts
By MoonQuill2006
I’m still waiting for December 1st so I can finally start The Three Musketeers in a serious way, but I figured I’d drop a few “wait, really?” things I found that you might not know. First off, Dumas wasn’t totally alone on it—he had this ongoing writing partnership with Auguste Jules Maquet, who didn’t exactly have a huge success record. I’ve heard Maquet might’ve come up with a lot of the plot and maybe helped a lot with the actual writing. Also, the book didn’t just come out all at once. It was printed in 1844 in Le Siècle, one chapter at a time from March to July, and people apparently lined up to get copies so they could keep going. And a bunch of the characters are based on real guys. Like d’Artagnan is supposedly Charles de Batz-Castelmore from Gascony (took the Artagnan name from a property his mom’s family owned), and his career was actually under Mazarin and Louis XIV, not Louis XIII and Richelieu. Same deal with Porthos, Aramis, and Athos—each linked to a real musketeer. Then there’s a weird little bonus: d’Artagnan shows up in Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac (Act I, Scene IV) and basically congratulates Cyrano after he beats de Valvert in a duel. Oh, and the motto—“One for all, all for one”—is also Switzerland’s motto, which I didn’t know. Anyone else have fun facts about this book? Or was any of this news to you?
What other works by Alexandre Dumas do you recommend reading besides the most famous ones?
By quantumHarmony
I know Dumas wrote a bunch of stuff, and he even owned a lot of works he did, but it feels like people pretty much always bring up just The Count of Monte Cristo and The Saga of the Three Musketeers.
The Three Musketeers is really great
By notebookdeviate9725
I’m around 200 pages in and I’m really enjoying it so far. The writing feels straight to the point, but it still has a kind of skillful wording without getting all flowery. The way it sets up scenes and gets people’s motivations clear, then keeps the plot moving while still leaving you hooked on what’s coming next, honestly feels kind of unreal. And I’m even more impressed because I think it’s a translation.
The Three Musketeers: Chapter 4 discussion
By Superuser
D’Artagnan’s quick temper lands him in three different duels, but I do at least like that he knows it’s basically his own doing. If he’s going to die, then I guess it’s kind of fitting it would be by a musketeer. What are you thinking about the way the main characters are bouncing off each other so far? Anyone stand out as a favorite yet? Anything else from this chapter you want to bring up?
TIL Alexander Dumas (writer of the Three Muskateers)'s father was the first French black General and was the highest ranking black military officer in history for nearly 200 years.
By glade-comfort
I keep wondering if Alexander Dumas was actually black.