PG13- The Three Musketeers (v,b), The Man in the Iron Mask (v,b)

The many film versions of The Three Musketeers have made the names Athos, Porthos, Aramis and d'Artagnan known to many people who have never read any of the works of Dumas. However, these films can give a very mistaken and incomplete impression of the original novels. Even the texts themselves can be a source of confusion, as various publishers break the series into separate books at different points, and the ubiquitous abridged versions vary radically in what an editor deems important enough to keep. (Step one to reading Dumas: Avoid all abridged versions! You will be less confused by reading all those asides than you would be by skipping huge chunks of story.)

Through his fiction, Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) [called "pere" to distinguish him from his son, Alexandre Dumas "fils"] sought to recreate France's "golden age" (itself something of a fiction) by creating heroes whose lives were defined by honor. The Musketeers' actions are ruled by the demands of honor, whether those actions are to obey the King's orders, to love and defend worthy women, or to duel with those who dare to question their prowess or honor. Even when the heroes are led into committing crimes, they do so because honor demanded it. These books form the epitome of swashbuckling action and intrigue; in fact, Dumas is probably the writer most responsible for the popularity of this type of historical fiction.

The Three Musketeers is the first of three books about the adventures of Athos, Porthos, Aramis and d'Artagnan. This is the portion of the story which is most often adapted for film and stage--the fateful meeting of this quartet of friends, and their first adventures together as young d'Artagnan proves himself to be Musketeer material. This book occurs during the reign of Louis XIII, when Cardinal Richelieu wields power equal to the King's. (Some versions of The Three Musketeers split the book into two parts, giving the title The Four Musketeers to those sections occurring after d'Artagnan's commission.)

The first sequel to The Three Musketeers is Twenty Years After (which I have not yet read). Richilieu's successor, Cardinal Mazarin, wields power as Louis XIV's regent, and the Musketeers must help the young king gain his birthright.

The second sequel is a very long novel titled The Vicomte de Bragelonne. Because its unwieldy size made it difficult to sell, this book is commonly divided into three pieces, each of which is a novel by itself in size: Ten Years Later, Louise de la Valliere, and The Man in the Iron Mask. (Ten Years Later is sometimes used as an alternative title for the entire "Vicomte.") The last part is the most easily found of the three, but it can a very confusing read without the groundwork of the earlier sections. For this reason, many editions of "Iron Mask" include the later parts of "Louise." Personally, I have only read "Iron Mask" (and some parts of "Louise" which I think my copy included). My understanding of the first two parts is this: Raoul, the Vicomte of the title, and the son of Athos, becomes engaged to Louise de la Valliere, but their relationship is ended when Louis XIV begins to court her aggressively. Meanwhile, Aramis (now a Jesuit priest) has a plot afoot, and eventually d'Artagnan begins to suspect something. "Iron Mask" is the story of the fruition of Aramis's grand plot, the last deeds of Raoul, and the final fate of the four old friends.

[Some helpful explanations about Dumas and his works, as well as the online text of most of the Musketeers books, can be found at the FireBlade Coffeehouse: http://www.hoboes.com/html/FireBlade/Dumas/]

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Last Updated: August 31, 1999

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