Should have read classics discussion
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The Three Musketeers
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Lisa, the usurper
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Feb 28, 2012 08:13AM
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Have made a start on this today. I got excited at the mentions of the names Porthos and Aramis in the first chapter so I think I'm on the right track!
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Haha, I always think of Dogtanian! I need to fix this!
Clare wrote: "Haha, I always think of Dogtanian! I need to fix this!"*snorts* Did I miss something?
Lisa, I forced myself to read The Three Musketeers because the film version was one of my favorites when I was younger. :)
Lisa wrote: "I hate to say it, but Kiefer Sutherland always pops into my mind when I think of this book."Nothing against Kiefer Sutherland but that movie version was horrid. Except the names of the characters it had very little in common with the book. I prefer the 1973 version with Michael York, Oliver Reed, Christopher Lee, Faye Dunaway, Charlton Heston and Richard Chamberlain. It's the right mix of adventure, romance and comedy. At times a little bit silly but good movie anyway.
Niq wrote: "Clare wrote: "Haha, I always think of Dogtanian! I need to fix this!"*snorts* Did I miss something?
Lisa, I forced myself to read The Three Musketeers because the film version was one of my fav..."
The cartoon! http://dogtanian.net/characters/
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Nothing against Kiefer Sutherland but that movie version was horrid. Except the names of t..."
Usually once Disney gets a hold of something it tends to differ greatly from its original format! That is actually the only version I had seen, so it is good to know about some other versions!
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*snorts* Did I miss something?
Lisa, I forced myself to read The Three Musketeers because the film version was o..."
That is funny! Thanks! Maybe I see a new picture coming!
I really like the book, I am reading it now and am almost done with it. It is really good.
How many people are reading the full book (roughly 600+ pages) and how many the shorter book edited for the younger reader (less than half that length, according to the copies in my library)?
Everyman wrote: "How many people are reading the full book (roughly 600+ pages) and how many the shorter book edited for the younger reader (less than half that length, according to the copies in my library)?"Well, I don't read versions for younger readers if I can help it. I would be wondering all the time what interesting parts and details were omitted.
P.S. I've read the full version of The Three Musketeers several times and I don't think there's anything in the book that needs to be censored for the sake of younger readers.
Everyman wrote: "How many people are reading the full book (roughly 600+ pages) and how many the shorter book edited for the younger reader (less than half that length, according to the copies in my library)?"The long one for me as I love all the pretty details. why
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Everyman wrote: "How many people are reading the full book (roughly 600+ pages) and how many the shorter book edited for the younger reader (less than half that length, according to the copies in my library)?"Definitely the longer version for the same reason as Zuzana. I already struggle with the fact that I cannot read it in French. Reading a shorter version and missing all the details would be too much for me! ;-)
I read the novel a couple of months ago, so I look forward to reading all of your comments!
Will have to add this to my kindle for reading when I can. Sorry not much time at the moment for group readings or participation due to doing a bookkeeping course.
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It's good to hear from you Sharon! Those darn school books take up way too much time! Enjoy the book when you have time!
Well, I'm at chapter four and enjoying it very much! I have to say, knowing very little about French history during this time and next to nothing about the Musketeers, I'm a little surprised at the tone at the beginning. I had always thought that The Musketeers were a highly respected form of, shall we say, Royal military, who were almost above reproach (don't know where I got this idea from :-Z ) Yet in the first four chapters they sound like a somewhat organized, loosely controlled street gang. Perhaps the respectability comes later .......????
Cleo wrote: "... Yet in the first four chapters they sound like a somewhat organized, loosely controlled street gang. Perhaps the respectability comes later .......???? "Their discipline is rather lax, isn't it? But despite heavy drinking and participating in duels they are portrayed as extremely brave, loyal and honorable men (unlike Richelieu's gardists).
Cleo wrote: "Well, I'm at chapter four and enjoying it very much! I have to say, knowing very little about French history during this time and next to nothing about the Musketeers, I'm a little surprised at th..."They remind me very much of the soldiers in Cyrano de Bergerac, who were Gascons like d'Artagnan.
Jim wrote: "They remind me very much of the soldiers in Cyrano de Bergerac, who were Gascons like d'Artagnan."I'll have to put this on my "to-read" shelf. :-)
The competition between the Cardinal's guard and the Musketeers certainly make for some interesting situations! I'm up to the point where D'Artagnan meets Madame Bonacieux and I'm wondering what trouble his admiration of her is going to get him into .....????
I was reading an Oxford World Classics edition but I discovered an old Three Musketeers on my shelf that must have been published in the early 1900s and found I enjoy that translation much more.
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Lisa wrote: "I'm behind as usual, so I'm glad to see that everyone is discussing the book and keeping it going!"Please catch up! :-) We could use your input! Once you get going, it is really interesting and hard to put down!
Cleo wrote: "I was reading an Oxford World Classics edition but I discovered an old Three Musketeers on my shelf that must have been published in the early 1900s and found I enjoy that translation much more. "I have two editions, too. We already had one translation from 1978 and my father forgot all about it and bought a newer edition in 1987. I very much prefer the older edition, it has superb illustrations - one of the reasons I fell in love with the book.
I've added a few links so you get the idea:
This is Aramis: http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r2...
D'Artagnan: http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r2...
D'Artagnan and Rochefort's first meeting (check out the horse): http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r2...
Triumphant musketters after beating the Cardinal guards: http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r2...
I'm on chapter 9 and so far I'm enjoying it. It's my first time reading this book, but The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorites.D'artagnan's impulsiveness and naivete are keeping the plot moving forward, but I'm a little worried that those traits will begin to grate on me eventually.
John wrote: "D'artagnan's impulsiveness and naivete are keeping the plot moving forward, but I'm a little worried that those traits will begin to grate on me eventually. ..."I'm on Chapter 18 and it's getting better and better. Dumas is always high drama but in this book in particular he's almost outdone himself! :-)
Initially I too found D'Artagnan emotionally "wearing". After meeting Athos, Porthos and Aramis he seems to settle down a little but perhaps I anticipate myself. He's just got himself involved in another scrape and it will be interesting to see how it turns out ...
Zuzana wrote: "Cleo wrote: "I was reading an Oxford World Classics edition but I discovered an old Three Musketeers on my shelf that must have been published in the early 1900s and found I enjoy that translation ..."Wow, Zuzana, these pictures (engravings ????) are wonderful! But now you've peaking my curiosity ......... I have to wonder why Aramis, who wants to become an abbé, has a picture of a woman beside him and reflected from his cape ....... Hmmmm ........ Very intriguing!
Cleo, there is a big adventure/quest in store for D'Artagnan in the first part of the novel and as a result we also learn bits of the backstory of Athos, Porthos and Aramis. They joined the musketeers and left their real names behind for a reason. I won't say more.The pictures in the book are like delicious appetizers. If you study them carefuly you can almost always find some spoilery information.
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I was also wondering it D'Artagnan's impulsiveness will become annoying. He is someone that would be hard to be friends with since you constantly have to help get him out of scrapes!
It surprised me that the king and the Cardinal would have their own guards until I really thought about the time period. Can't quite trust anyone can you?
Well, I'm up to Chapter 12, and I have some more impressions. First off, D'artagnan does seem to have calmed a little, or at least his manic personality is more directed, which helps.The biggest thing I noticed in the last couple chapters is the dialog. It seems almost more suited to a play than a novel. As I come to sections of extended dialog, I keep thinking the style of the exchanges belongs in The Taming of the Shrew. It is a little distracting, but not intolerable.
I'm reading the Project Gutenberg ebook, and I can't find a reference to who translated it, but it seems more a style issue than the particular words used, so I'm guessing it would give the same feel in French.
I loved this book (the long version) when I read it originally. It's been awhile but it's a beautiful read. The dialog and the attention to detail in the descriptions were fantastics for a "faction" fan like me. I found D'Artagnan tiresome but winning, which I think can be attributed to his age. Either way though, it's completely different from the movie (as books and movies always are). If you take each separately for the different creatures they are, there is plenty to enjoy in both mediums.
I'm up to chapter 12. I'm enjoying the book a great deal. I find D'Artagnan's impulsiveness and overwrought passions quite humorous, especially his love for Mme. Bonacieux, and his disregard for her husband languishing in the Bastille. The three musketeers are great characters as well. As for John's comment above about the dialog seeming play-like, the copy I have (Barnes & Nobles Classics) contains an introduction commenting that because the book was written as a serial in a newspaper and because of the constraints of deadlines and page/word counts, it does rely heavily on dialog in order to quickly meet these requirements. After all, dialog is far less dense than other forms of prose, so it was quite common for these serializations, which were written piecemeal, to use that as a means to reach a line count by deadline.
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The Cardinal seems like a "likable" villian. I like intelligent and shrewd bad guys! I seem to have a hard time remembering which Musketeer is who. I know that they explain Athos, Orthos and Aramis, but for some reason, I can't seem to keep them straight.
I happen to actually be reading this when I joined this group. :) And I just finished the buddy read....We must all have the same tasts. :) Anyways! This book is good so far, it was slow at first and I got easily distracted, but I`m a distracted person and need peace and queit to read. Anways, so far it`s really good, and I really like it.
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Lisa wrote: "What did everyone think of the incidents with the horses? When Athos was explaining how he started gambling away the horses and the diamond ring, I probably got more angry than D'Artagnan!..."I thought the same thing. It just got worse and worse.
Lisa wrote: "What did everyone think of the incidents with the horses? When Athos was explaining how he started gambling away the horses and the diamond ring, I probably got more angry than D'Artagnan! I coul..."It's almost as if we're seeing a reversal here; the hot-headed, quick-tempered Gascon D'Artagnan is becoming sensible and responsible yet his older comrades are more immature and self-centered. I'm right at this scene now and I was a little surprised at the lack of sympathy Athos showed for the poor innkeeper after he had nearly ruined him financially by drinking and eating his stores (although his "ruin" may have been exaggerated). I'm also surprised that D'Artagnan is not rushing to the rescue of Mdm. Bonancieux.
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Lisa wrote: "My the Lady de Winter is quite the cunning, devious woman isn't she? She is quite the master of finding and exploiting people's weaknesses. Another great villian!"I know! And the way Dumas "unfolds" her character is impressive. I can understand how she can enchant D'Artagnan, yet at the same time she almost exudes evil. Scary!
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I really enjoyed this read. I especially loved the character of Milady, she's brilliant!
Lisa wrote: "I just finished the book and enjoyed it immensely. It was full of twists and turns that seemed to speed up toward the end of the book. Good choice everyone!"Wow, Lisa, that's fantastic! And I thought I was a fast reader!
For me, D'Artagnan has just had a close call with his choice of beverages at the camp. :-) For a young man who at times seems so sensible, other times he is very naive. I guess you can put that down to youthful joie de vivre ........ the young often think they're invincible.
I'm glad to hear that it gets even more rollicking as it moves along.
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I really enjoyed reading this, moreso than I expected. I did find some sections rather tedious (Milady's scenes with Felton), but overall I found it to be very good, despite its age. I especially liked the way it linked itself into actual history in the way that many historical fiction novels do today.
Everyman wrote: "How many people are reading the full book (roughly 600+ pages) and how many the shorter book edited for the younger reader (less than half that length, according to the copies in my library)?"I read an unabridged version and it was only about 540 pages.
Cleo wrote: "Well, I'm at chapter four and enjoying it very much! I have to say, knowing very little about French history during this time and next to nothing about the Musketeers, I'm a little surprised at th..."You don't necessarily have to understand the history to understand the plot and enjoy the story. I read the three musketeers and the count of Monte cristo for my AP English class. We had to pick an author to write a research paper on author's style. According to many of my resources about Alexandre Dumas he wasn't historically accurate anyway.
If anyone is interested I can post my paper about Dumas here. Might help everyone understand the story more. I know it helped me researching about it.
Cleo wrote: "Jim wrote: "They remind me very much of the soldiers in Cyrano de Bergerac, who were Gascons like d'Artagnan."I'll have to put this on my "to-read" shelf. :-)
The competition between the Cardina..."
I love Milady! She is the ultimate villain! D'artagnan's infatuation with her was funny and ironic.
Should have read classics
Books mentioned in this topic
The Count of Monte Cristo (other topics)The Three Musketeers (other topics)
Cyrano de Bergerac (other topics)
The Taming of the Shrew (other topics)
