Recommended by Louis Wilson
Thrown into prison on a remote island for a crime he did not commit, Edmond Dantes gives up all hope of ever returning to civilisation. However, when he hears from an old man of a legendary treasure buried on the island of Monte Cristo, he can think of nothing but escaping, finding the nonpareil treasure and taking terrible revenge on those who put him in penitentiary.
The Count of Monte Cristo, written by Alexandre Dumas in 1844, is one of his most famous novels, along with The Three Musketeers. The book is set around the time of Napoleon and this is a key element in Edmond Dantes's imprisonment. The book begins with Dantes set to marry his fiancee, but the day before his wedding he is imprisoned. After many years in prison, he hears of the treasure on Monte Cristo and then decides to take his revenge on those who framed him.
Dumas significantly changes Dantes's personality during his time in prison. He goes from being kind, loving and generous to vengeful, bitter and unpleasant. This is what I find so interesting about The Count of Monte Cristo, how Dumas changes his character's personality, creating a unique and extremely interesting window into the complex world of human emotions.
The book also dabbles in the world of politics in France at that time. Dantes finds the legal system at that time inadequate and therefore has to take matters into his own hands. He takes on the role of a sort of God, choosing people's fates and doing what he thinks is right, not taking into account what the law has to say. This is an interesting concept as at the time God was seen as all powerful and comparing oneself to him would have been a terrible sin.
If you are looking for a book with a great main plot but also extremely interesting sub-plots, and many different characters with different personalities, then I highly recommend you read The Count of Monte Cristo.
No comments:
Post a Comment