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Count of Monte Cristo Chap. 31 thru 34
I just finished chapter 32 and I'm curious to find out how Franz's experience with hashish will contribute to Dante's plans.
And, it appears we have jumped ahead in time some 8 years.
And, it appears we have jumped ahead in time some 8 years.
I finally figured out who Albert is.
I am really surprised that for all the burning revenge Edmond was consumed with, he still hasn't taken any action. But, I am enjoying the story.
I am really surprised that for all the burning revenge Edmond was consumed with, he still hasn't taken any action. But, I am enjoying the story.
Mod
You should recognize the name de Moncerf. Albert is Fernand's son. I don't know who Franz is, except that he is Albert's friend.
Do the little summary sentences make sense to you? Do they help you find your place relative to the longer book? Hayes and I tried to write them in a vague/spoiler-free way.
Thank you! It is helping me, too. :)
Jeannette wrote: "You should recognize the name de Moncerf. Albert is Fernand's son. I don't know who Franz is, except that he is Albert's friend."Franz's dad is the person that Noirtier (de Villefort's father) killed early in the piece.
Where in the book did Noirtier kill someone? I thought the name was vaguely familiar.
It's described in the chapter when Noirtier shows up at his son's place, and changes his clothes and shaves off his beard/mustaches. Can't remember where it is.
Okay, I can find it then! thanks
I can see why your org chart would be helpful, but I don't want to spoil the surprises!
I can see why your org chart would be helpful, but I don't want to spoil the surprises!
Mod
After Edmond is taken to the Chateau D'If, de Villefort rides in great haste to warn the king of Bonaparte's imminent return. After leaving the king, he heads back to his lodgings, and is visited by his father, Noirtier. The father and son chat happens in chapter 12.
Hayes wrote: "It's described in the chapter when Noirtier shows up at his son's place, and changes his clothes and shaves off his beard/mustaches. Can't remember where it is."
Is he the son of General Quesnel? I don't see where they mention his title. Maybe it's revealed later?
Is he the son of General Quesnel? I don't see where they mention his title. Maybe it's revealed later?
I think Franz is the son of General Quesnel..so many names, I need an org chart too!
I will now go look at chapter 12... love having a search feature on the ebook...
okay here it is (page 143 on mine):
Noirtier and Villefort are talking.
Mentioned once, geez... pay attention, there's gonna be a quiz!
okay here it is (page 143 on mine):
Noirtier and Villefort are talking.
V: However incompetent the Royalist police may be, they do know one dreadful thing.
N: Which is?
V: The Description of the man who visited General Quesnel on the day of his disappearance.
Mentioned once, geez... pay attention, there's gonna be a quiz!
But they do not mention his familial connection to Baron Franz d'Epinay in chapter 12. I assume this will be revealed later in the story, as I have not encountered this tidbit yet, and I've read through chapter 45.
It's not surprising, as it seems every time someone recounts a story, we get more of these connections. I bring this up in a later discussion thread. (chap. 40 - 46).
It's not surprising, as it seems every time someone recounts a story, we get more of these connections. I bring this up in a later discussion thread. (chap. 40 - 46).
No, the family relationship isn't mentioned, unless somewhere in chap 12 there is a mention of a son, and later Franz mentions his father was a general, or something.
Kim compared it to the Arabian Nights (all 1001 of them!), with story within a story within a story... very tangled.
Kim compared it to the Arabian Nights (all 1001 of them!), with story within a story within a story... very tangled.
Arabian Nights, and Sinbad the Sailor are recurring themes, definitely. Was it part of the pop culture of the times? At some point the Count denies being a total Orientalist, but it's after he becomes friends with Franz and albert, so it's beyond this point.
Kim compared it to the Arabian Nights (all 1001 of them!), with story within a story within a story... very tangled.
I think that sums it up quite nicely. Dumas gets away with recounting the same scenes multiple times, just by changing the teller of the tale.
Kim compared it to the Arabian Nights (all 1001 of them!), with story within a story within a story... very tangled.
I think that sums it up quite nicely. Dumas gets away with recounting the same scenes multiple times, just by changing the teller of the tale.
Funny. I referred to The 1001 Nights because that's the direct translation of the French title. (The Italian title too, Hayes?). I'd forgotten that it was called Arabian Nights. It must the effect of this novel on my thought processes!
Jeannette wrote: "I finally figured out who Albert is. I am really surprised that for all the burning revenge Edmond was consumed with, he still hasn't taken any action. But, I am enjoying the story."
"Slowly, slowly, catchee monkey," as a verse I knew in childhood went.
In Italian too, Le mille e una notte.
You're up early... what time is it there? 6:00AM?
You're up early... what time is it there? 6:00AM?
"Orientalism" was a big popular theme in French culture in the 19th century; probably partly a result of Napoleon's venture to Egypt.
Of course! I'd forgotten about that... the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, etc.
Hayes wrote: "In Italian too, Le mille e una notte.You're up early... what time is it there? 6:00AM?"
Yep. Well, 7.00am now. Just made two layers of cake and some lemon syrup for the birthday cake I have to have ready for 2.00pm tomorrow. All that remains now is the assembly.
And now - time to get ready for work!
I hope you're getting paid for these cakes, Kim! :)
chap 31 (or is it 32?) and Franz is being entertained by Sinbad the Sailor.
p 349: ...superb statues carrying baskets on their heads. The baskets contained two pyramids of wonderful fruit: Sicilian pineapples....
Sicilian pineapples? Aren't pineapples from the tropics, Polynesia, etc.? Must go research.
p 349: ...superb statues carrying baskets on their heads. The baskets contained two pyramids of wonderful fruit: Sicilian pineapples....
Sicilian pineapples? Aren't pineapples from the tropics, Polynesia, etc.? Must go research.
You learn something new every day. From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple
The plant is indigenous to South America and is said to originate from the area between Southern Brazil and Paraguay; ... The natives of southern Brazil and Paraguay spread the pineapple throughout South America, and it eventually reached the Caribbean. Columbus discovered it in 1493 in the Indies and brought it back with him to Europe. ... The Spanish introduced it into the Philippines, Hawaii (introduced in the early 19th century, first commercial plantation 1886), Zimbabwe and Guam. Many say that the fruit was first introduced in Hawaii when a Spanish ship brought them there in the 1500s. The fruit was cultivated successfully in European hothouses, and pineapple pits, beginning in 1720.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple
Bless all those people with too much time on their hands who write Wikipedia articles. What did we do before it existed? Wait until the library opened and check the encyclopaedia, I guess! Reading the article confirmed the correctness of my vague notion that the French word for pineapple - ananas - came from the original word for the fruit.
Ananas, or ananasso, in Italian too. Indeed, I don't know what would I do without Wikipee.
I think the Sicilian pineapples were cut from my abridged copy...
I am a huge Wikipedia fan! But has anyone every met a contributor? Who are these people?
I am a huge Wikipedia fan! But has anyone every met a contributor? Who are these people?
I don't know. Would be interesting to meet someone.
I'm languishing in the section where the hotel keeper is telling the story of the brigand, Vampa. *yawn* It do go on a bit too long.
I'm languishing in the section where the hotel keeper is telling the story of the brigand, Vampa. *yawn* It do go on a bit too long.
Hayes wrote: "Ananas, or ananasso, in Italian too. Indeed, I don't know what would I do without Wikipee."
Ananas in German, too! :)
Ananas in German, too! :)
Kim and Hayes: Do you get the pleas for donations from Wikipedia, like we do in the US? If you do, you would see the photos of some of the contributors, and the guy running the place. Unfortunately, they pick some of the oddest/scruffiest people to display on their appeal.
I think those are pretty funny, actually. I saw a few screen shots that were good, with the face of "fearless leader" above and various words below, like the example:
I haven't seen these captioned ones. Are the wiki folks in on the joke? That would be pretty funny.
I avoid looking on wiki as a source, but it's getting harder to ignore them.
I avoid looking on wiki as a source, but it's getting harder to ignore them.
Kim wrote: "What did we do before it existed? Wait until the library opened and check the encyclopaedia, I guess! "We owned an encyclopedia, and my mother would send me to consult it; if it wasn't a random fact already in my weird memory.
My son wrote a Wiki article a few years ago. This now means that whenever someone in the family refers to having read something in Wikipedia, one of my other children will question the accuracy of the article by asking whether their brother wrote it. Wikipedia may not be a source to quote in university papers, but at least it's a good starting point for casual research. I love it!
Yeah, it's not something I'd ever cite, but it's often a good jumping-off point.
They are fun to read, with a grain of salt sometimes.
I like it becasue the articles are all set up in the same way so I know exactly where to find the information I'm looking for. If it's for something really important, I'll go double check somewhere else. If it's just for an overview I'll take the information and assume it's okay.
There was a rumor going around the university here that some teachers would put in mis-information on purpose to see which of their students were copying straight from wikipee. (They obviously don't know how to use Ctrl + F, or a search engine.)
One student of mine showed up with a paper copied directly from wikipee (as most of them did and do), but he printed it out without taking out the hyperlinks. I failed him for sheer stupidity. (The others at least changed the font and the pictures and made an attempt at a little "original" work.
There was a rumor going around the university here that some teachers would put in mis-information on purpose to see which of their students were copying straight from wikipee. (They obviously don't know how to use Ctrl + F, or a search engine.)
One student of mine showed up with a paper copied directly from wikipee (as most of them did and do), but he printed it out without taking out the hyperlinks. I failed him for sheer stupidity. (The others at least changed the font and the pictures and made an attempt at a little "original" work.
That is sad. My daughter has consistently been required to have both book and web sources, and they typically restrict the number of wiki sources she is allowed to cite. Good policy, in my opinion.
The bibliographies are always full of lovely books, but the text comes straight off the web.
Small typo in my eBook on page 391:
The carriage halted a few yards from the Mesa Sudans.
It should be the Meta Sudans.
Photo and Caption from Wikip:
The Meta Sudans before the Colosseum in 1858
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Sudans
Form wikipee:
The carriage halted a few yards from the Mesa Sudans.
It should be the Meta Sudans.
Photo and Caption from Wikip:
The Meta Sudans before the Colosseum in 1858
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Sudans
Form wikipee:
A meta was a tall conical object in a Roman circus that stood at either end of the central spina, around which racing chariots would turn. The Meta Sudans had the same shape, and also functioned as a similar kind of turning point, in that it marked the spot where a Roman triumphal procession would turn left from the via Triumphalis along the east side of the Palatine onto the via Sacra and into the Forum Romanum itself.
Thanks, Hayes! It's nice to have a local guide to Rome. I admit that I am rather lazy about looking up all of the exotic locales described in the book.
Does Sinbad the Sailor know that his conversation in the Colosseum has an eavesdropper? I'd say yes, that the whole thing was a set up.
And I think the whole story about Vampa the brigand too. The young men tell the hotel owner that they have never heard of Vampa in Paris; so I think it was invented and told to Albert and Franz to put them in the right frame of mind.
And I think the whole story about Vampa the brigand too. The young men tell the hotel owner that they have never heard of Vampa in Paris; so I think it was invented and told to Albert and Franz to put them in the right frame of mind.
So, you think that the innkeeper is in on this? I never thought that Vampa was fabricated, too. I wonder what his real day job is?
I do (think the innkeeper is in on it) ... otherwise how did the boys get their suite next door to the Count's. It's all set up too well.
It's kinda like Mission Impossible!
It's kinda like Mission Impossible!
Chapter 34 ends as Franz and Albert enter the rooms of their neighbor, the Count of Monte Cristo.