that's what SHE said

[topaz]

I had no idea that Dumas could be so, well, juvenile:

Milady was no longer for him that woman of fatal intentions who had for a moment terrified him; she was an ardent, passionate mistress, abandoning herself to love which she also seemed to feel. Two hours thus glided away. When the transports of the two lovers were calmer, Milady, who had not the same motives for forgetfulness that d'Artagnan had, was the first to return to reality, and asked the young man if the means which were on the morrow to bring on the encounter between him and de Wardes were already arranged in his mind.

But d'Artagnan, whose ideas had taken quite another course, forgot himself like a fool, and answered gallantly that it was too late to think about duels and sword thrusts.

Oh yeah, I bet it was.

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Comments

[dr-memory.livejournal.com]

Funny, I just finished reading that book a few weeks ago. I don't think I've ever so thoroughly enjoyed reading a book wherein I was with 100% consistency rooting for the "villains" at every turn. Dumas was a strange old bird.

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

That was just about exactly the reason why Morgan begged off finishing the book, after I started reading it to the kids last spring. (http://qwrrty.livejournal.com/314056.html) Not for the reason I expected, the difficulty of the archaic language, but because he found the protagonists so distasteful. They just run around KILLING people for NO REASON AT ALL! Like, oh, you've insulted me? Well, TAKE THIS SWORD THROUGH YOUR HEART!

I was a little disappointed because I wanted to finish reading it with them, but damn if that wasn't an awesome reason. I'm not sure that viewing it as a story told from the villains' point of view would help -- everyone in the book is pretty much down with the idea of killing for honor -- but I should suggest it to him and see where we can go with it.

[lhn.livejournal.com]

The Musketeers are cheerfully amoral, while their antagonists generally aren't so cheerful. (Though Richelieu, who tends to be treated as the main villain in adaptations, is striking in how little he holds a grudge.) It is striking how absent anything a modern reader would recognize as heroism is from the prototype swashbuckler. (One reason I like Steven Brust's Phoenix Guards series better than the original.)

[vizsludraugas.livejournal.com]

Have you read the Club Dumas (http://www.amazon.com/Paperback-Arturo-Perez-Reverte-Author-Translator/dp/B0034YXY5C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1300835776&sr=8-2) yet? It wouldn't be good for the lads, I'm afraid, but I think you'd like it.