Alexandre Dumas (2) (1824–1895)

This famous novel doesn't quite stand up on its own. It's goosed, so to speak, by having being based on a titillating real-life affair between the author and a notorious but upper-demimonde courtesan, one widely admired in the Paris of the time for her unearthly beauty and impeccable style. The novel also stands in the shadow of Manon Lescaut by Abbé Prévost, which is one of the most famous tragic romances in all literature and which happens to play a considerable rôle in this one.

Anyone interested in sample this short, florid tale is highly recommended to read Manon first. You won't be disappointed! Having enjoyed that masterpiece, one of my all-time favorite books, I predict you will then find this one a tasty bonbon.… (more)

A view into the life of a sex worker in Paris in the 19th century. Her lifestyle required $100,000 francs a year to support; you can imagine the balancing act she had to keep up. She was 20 years old, beautiful, intelligent, but sick with tuberculosis, and a young man of modest means wanted her all to himself. The sh*thead never realized the sacrifice she made for him. Ah well.
Dumas fils writes so descriptively of Marguerite; what is hard to take is the attitude on the part of men that she is somehow less than her non-sex-worker counterparts. Shades of Sor Juana...Why do they create this job in society yet want to blame the woman who fills it?… (more)

I feel like my criticism of this book can't help but be unfair, but even with a generous eye towards its time and society of origin I still didn't like it much. It is a tragedy that simply takes too long to get to the point. After finishing the book I have learned that it was the basis for a variety of adaptations including the opera "La Traviata" and the film "Moulin Rouge!", and having seen the latter I recognize the parallels.

The author definitely wrote the book with a sympathetic bent towards "kept women", but the general negative attitudes of the characters towards women in general are tedious to me as a modern reader. In the opening frame story, which lasted far too long, the author quoted Jesus's statement to a woman who tradition holds was a prostitute, "Much shall be forgiven thee, because thou hast loved much." After this Biblical quote, the narrator of "Camille" asked, "Why do we make ourselves more strict than Christ?" While the story doesn't answer that question directly the events of the story clearly argue that harshly judging others is unfair and cruel. No matter what one might suspect, people's true motivations and circumstances are never certain and might justify or even necessitate their choices.

Words I learned in this book:
cabriolet - A two-wheeled carriage with a hood, drawn by one horse.
phaeton - An open four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage.
… (more)