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Count of Monte Cristo Chap. 77 thru 84
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There was certainly a lot of plot advancement in these chapters.
I love the Count's last word in chapter 83, "One."
I am also surprised by the liberal inheritance laws in France at the time, that enables Valentine to inherit directly from both sets of grandparents. And, it sounds as if she will come into full possession of the money on reaching 18. This certainly puts her in a rather dangerous position until that time. It must also mean that she is 16-1/2 years old (if I read that correctly). Morrel must be at least 10 years older than she is, and she caught his eye when she was still 15.
I love the Count's last word in chapter 83, "One."
I am also surprised by the liberal inheritance laws in France at the time, that enables Valentine to inherit directly from both sets of grandparents. And, it sounds as if she will come into full possession of the money on reaching 18. This certainly puts her in a rather dangerous position until that time. It must also mean that she is 16-1/2 years old (if I read that correctly). Morrel must be at least 10 years older than she is, and she caught his eye when she was still 15.
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Then he's twice her age! When I am finished with the book, I'm going to check out Hayes' flowchart.
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I wonder what the life expectancy of a woman back then was...
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De Villefort's mother-in-law was 60, and still pretty healthy. I guess daughter's were just something to be married off, as young as possible. Perhaps young mothers had a high rate of dying in childbirth?
Was Valentine really that young? I don't remember a specific mention of her coming into her inheritance at 18 and I got the impression she was older than 16. But then there are so many details of this novel I'm never going to remember!I don't think that there is nothing particularly unusual about her being able to inherit directly from her grandparents. A woman could inherit from anyone who left her money or property, but if she married, her property became that of her husband. That was the case both in England and in France for most of the 19th century. (In the UK there was the entail issue to contend with, which could limit the ability to dispose of real property. I don't know if that existed under French law). There were certainly some women who chose not to marry in order not to lose control of their fortune.
On the other hand, under Islamic law women retained ownership of their own property upon marriage, even though Muslim men have the responsibility of supporting their wives. This is why a friend of mine who is married to a man who comes from a Muslim family describes Islamic marriage in these terms: "What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine".
Kim wrote: "Was Valentine really that young? I don't remember a specific mention of her coming into her inheritance at 18 and I got the impression she was older than 16. "
You're correct -- I think I got a bit mixed up here! She says she will come in to her majority in 18 months (chap. 79), but that could mean the age of 21, in which case she is 19-1/2.
You're correct -- I think I got a bit mixed up here! She says she will come in to her majority in 18 months (chap. 79), but that could mean the age of 21, in which case she is 19-1/2.
It just seemed to me that single women, at least in all of the British fiction I've read, always ended up impoverished. The richer ones were given dowries, but the estate always seemed to be entailed to the male line. Thanks for filling in the details, Kim. :)
Jeannette wrote: "De Villefort's mother-in-law was 60, and still pretty healthy. I guess daughter's were just something to be married off, as young as possible. Perhaps young mothers had a high rate of dying in chi..."Aristocratic daughters, yes.
I assumed 21 as well, and I also remember reading a book where the inheritance came at the age of 25, but naturally the title does not come to me at the moment.
Generally speaking, when you come into possession of an inheritance depends on the terms of the will, not on the age of majority. So at that time it would have been quite possible to leave property to a child, with control to be vested in trustees until the child is 25, for example.
ahhh... that makes sense. Thanks Kim.
Chapter 84 ends as Albert and Beauchamp, put aside their differences, and head out to visit the Count of Monte Cristo..