The Three Musketeers: The Siege of La Rochelle (Lecture on Ch. XXIII-XLI)

'See enemies everywhere. Distrust everyone, your friend, your brother, your mistress — above all your mistress.'

Welcome back to the exhilarating world of seventeenth century France, where we are continuing our journey to become a member of the King's musketeers.

Today we're discussing the history of the femme fatale, trickster archetypes, the picaresque genre, swashbucklers, chivalric romance, gothic literature, the figure of Cardinal Richelieu, nineteenth century bestsellers, the love life of Alexandre Dumas, and the miracle of literature.

As always, please do feel free to enjoy the discussion even if you haven't read these parts of The Three Musketeers yet. I'm refraining from plot details for later in the story, so you can enjoy our talk before, during, or after your reading in the way that best suits you.

Timestamps:

0:00 the swashbuckling continues

2:00 latest Count of Monte Cristo film

4:00 the universal trickster archetype

7:00 Cardinal as shadow trickster

9:00 influence of the picaresque genre

12:00 tracing a literary line from Homer

14:00 three horsemen of the Renaissance

15:00 what does swashbuckler mean?

17:00 beware the enemy that gives gifts

18:00 is our hero Homeric or Virgillian?

20:00 the evolution of gothic literature

22:00 Sir Walter Scotts Waverly novels

23:00 the fruits of the French Revolution

24:00 when the past bears upon the present

26:00 gothic presentation of Catholicism 

28:00 how to write a Victorian bestseller

29:00 the figure of Cardinal Richelieu

30:00 how to navigate a dangerous court

32:00 the history of the femme fatale

34:00 femme fatales in biblical literature

36:00 why the femme fatale resonates

37:00 primordial she-demon of the night

38:00 my interpretation of Genesis

40:00 defending the mother of mankind

42:00 a Shakespearean femme fatale

44:00 on Victorian female vampires

45:00 Ian Fleming & Raymond Chandler

46:00 the rise of the byronic anti-hero

49:00 difference of terror vs horror

50:00 seeing the world inside your mind

51:00 kidnapping of Mme. Bonacieux

52:00 a world full of angels & demons

53:00 mapping out the hero’s journey

55:00 where are you on your quest?

57:00 reunited with the musketeers

58:00 Homeric interpolated stories

1:00:00 the miracle of great literature

1:02:00 the romanticism of d’Artagnan

1:04:00 is our hero a reader of novels?

1:05:00 musketeer or man of God?

1:06:00 the religious thesis of Aramis

1:08:00 Dumas’ ecclesiastical satire

1:09:00 Catholic-Protestant differences

1:10:00 being in a madhouse of idiocy

1:12:00 Aramis vs Edmond Dantes

1:14:00 finding ourselves in fiction

1:16:00 going from Hamlet to Falstaff

1:18:00 the macabre backstory of Athos

1:19:00 branded with the fleur-de-lis

1:20:00 are the musketeers really villains?

1:22:00 male need for emotional support

1:24:00 d’Artagnan becomes a musketeer?

1:26:00 the musketeers prepare for war

1:28:00 duelling with Lord de Winter

1:30:00 realism, romance, absurdism

1:32:00 the monstrous nature of Milady

1:33:00 d’Artagnan, Milady, & Kitty

1:36:00 Milady as vengeance personified

1:38:00 the classic trope of the bed trick

1:39:00 thinking about the nighttime world

1:40:00 a scene of romantic subterfuge 

1:41:00 Alexandre Dumas’ love life

1:43:00 the sapphire ring of Milady

1:44:00 ‘do you take me for a weak female?’

1:46:00 Milady’s fury with d’Artagnan

1:48:00 who was the wife of Athos? 

1:50:00 d’Artagnan vs Cardinal Richelieu

1:52:00 reaching the siege of La Rochelle

1:54:00 war from love & private vengeance

1:56:00 Milady’s assassins vs d’Artagnan

1:58:00 leaving off on a cliffhanger

1:59:00 our next reading discussion

Resources to Explore:

• Film Appreciation: I've seen a lot of love for the latest film adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo, directed by Matthieu Delaporte. This three-hour saga premiered at Cannes and received twelve minutes of applause, and it's not hard to see why. The cinematography, direction, and acting is superb. If you're in the mood for more Dumas, treat yourself to a viewing and let us know what you make of it.

• Complementary: One can see in both The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo that two of the most profound influences upon Alexandre Dumas were William Shakespeare and Niccolò Machiavelli. Othello and Hamlet are two plays that left the psychic residue in Dumas' mind, whilst one can discern the wisdom of The Prince everywhere in his fiction too. These works are slim but incredibly profound, so check them out if you have some time. Or you could have a listen to one of my discussions on them here, here, and here.

• Rabbit Holes: We mentioned many of the different literary traditions that are winding together in the work of Alexandre Dumas. If you are keen to explore, I'd recommend picking just one tradition or genre that most fascinates you and plan to dip in to a representative work in the future. For the picaresque, there is Lazarillo de Tormes. For chivalric literature, why not go for Don Quixote's favourite, Amadis de Gaul? For the gothic, there's a slim option with Matthew Lewis' The Monk, and a meatier option with Anne Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho (and, indeed, we have a discussion on the rise of the gothic here). For history, you can't go wrong with Sir Walter Scott's Waverley, which I'm personally loving a reread of at the moment.

• Swashbuckler Expansion: Are you in the mood for more swashbuckling adventures? If so, there are many great film adaptations of some of the best swashbucklers in the tradition. Here are a few that come immediately to mind for me: Cyrano de Bergerac, Zorro, The Scarlett Pimpernel, Robin Hood, and, of course, The Princess Bride. If you do check one of these out, let us know how you think they compare with The Three Musketeers. Another option: pick a classic James Bond or Detective Marlowe film and locate the influence of Dumas lurking in their thrilling narrative conventions.

• Thank You: I'd like to say a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart for your incredibly kind words and beautiful well wishes in response to my news about expecting my first child. I'm saving all of the great advice and encouragement, which I'll draw a lot of comfort and strength from during the chaos, and am currently having fun stocking up the little one's future library with your amazing children's book recommendations. I'm so grateful for you all!

Reading Assignment:

Our next discussion will take us through to the exhilarating climax of this grand adventure, running to chapter sixty-seven and the epilogue. We will be discussing this breathtaking final leg of the journey this coming weekend.

Now we're finding out just how dangerous it is to live the life of a musketeer as we continue to accompany d'Artagnan, Porthos, Athos, and Aramis on this extraordinary adventure. So continue enjoying the story, making notes on any themes or ideas that capture your attention and imagination.

Questions to Consider:

1) What did you make of the latest instalments of The Three Musketeers?

2) Who is your favourite musketeer among the four inseparables?

3) Can you recognise the narrative techniques of Dumas in our modern popular entertainment? 

4) What do you think about the characterisation of Milady? And do you have a favourite femme fatale when it comes to the world of stories?

5) Do you enjoy stories that feature real historical events and figures?

And please do share with us your impressions, favourite passages, and striking ideas from the the latest events of novel. If this is your first reading, does the story meet your expectations? If this is a reread, is the experience any different this time around?

All for one, and one for all!