In terms of following the historical method, Herodotus is outmatched by Thucydides and many of the other ancient historians, and especially not any competent modern historian. However, Herodotus does still manage to get quite a bit correct, is one of the only primary sources for the Persian War, and was one of the first writers to at least attempt an organized study of history in writing. But what interests me the most about Herodotus is his method of studying the world. The Histories is not so much Herodotus' examination of the historical truth but what I would call a 'people's history.' Herodotus contrasts different views of the world from different cultures and nations, he explores the lives of all kinds of different people, both men and women, European and Asian. Even when he offers his own opinion on a particular subject, he often includes the opinions of others as well.
Usually I prefer far more character-centric stories, but the plot is so captivating that it more than makes up for how not very complex most of the characters are. That isn't to say that the characters aren't interesting, many of them are very interesting. The Count is one of the characters who is amazingly complex, both in terms of his character itself, but also how he looms over the narrative in general. The Count of Monte Cristo is very long, but again, the narrative is so captivating that it was not difficult for me to remember all the different characters and plot-points that build up as the narrative progresses. Despite its length, I ironically remember more about the Count of Monte Cristo than most other books I've read. As one point of criticism, a section mid-way through the book can somewhat drag in that it introduces entirely new characters that are partially important later and pretty much put the overarching narrative on hold for a few chapters. Granted, elements introduced in this section are ultimately important, but reading this section by itself was not my favourite.
SPOILERS
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(Because the Count is so deeply tied to the narrative, this section ends up going over many of the themes present in the Count of Monte Cristo)
The Count: Edmond Dantès is by far the best character. In the beginning, Edmond is an innocent teenager with a loving fiancée and a great job on the verge of being promoted. But these blessings cause envy in Danglars and Fernand. show more They conspire to get Edmond thrown in jail on false charges, being inadvertently helped by the corrupt prosecutor Villefort. And just like that, Edmond is thrown in a dungeon. Our identity is often derived from what we do, whom we interact with, what we dream of, but as a prisoner, Edmond can do nothing, he cannot interact with anyone but the jailers sometimes, and he loses any hope of escape. Thus the old Edmond is practically dead, he can do nothing but long to actually die. Yet Edmond discovers another prisoner through a tunnel, Abbe Faria. Abbe Faria helps Edmond find himself through reading, advice, and socialization after so many years, but the new Edmond has changed. And this new version of Edmond is solidified once the Abbe helps Edmond realize who conspired to have him thrown in jail. Edmond is reborn as a creature of wisdom and revenge and once he finds mass wealth on the Isle of Monte Cristo, he becomes a divine agent, the Count of Monte Cristo. The Count now believes himself to be an agent sent to carry out God's wrath on the wicked and pour out His blessings on the righteous. The Count blesses his former employer and an old acquaintance of his before moving on to his plan of revenge. As a being whose sole purpose is his mission of revenge, almost every action of the Count furthers that mission in some way. He collects pieces of the pasts of his enemies so that he is able to, in the right circumstances, expose them. He maneuvers people around so that the right relationships and agreements can be formed and he has eyes on everything. This is the Count at the height of his God-complex, he makes himself out to be otherworldly. He speaks of exotic and foreign information, he decorates himself and his properties in oriental and distinct fashion, his entourage is comprised of all the nations, and his demeanor is cold, almost Byronic. But there is one loose thread, his former fiancée, Mercedes, now married to Fernand (now Comte de Morcerf). Mercedes isn't particularly important to the Count's plan so he mostly tries to avoid her, yet Mercedes keeps trying to get through to him, even while seemingly not knowing that he is Dantes. Mercedes is the only person able to make the Count be moved, to be reminded that he is human. Before Mercedes, the Count firmly believes that the offspring should suffer as well for the sins of their father, and so, after everything goes perfectly according to plan, the Count prepares to duel Fernand and Mercedes' son, Albert. But on the morning of the duel, Mercedes rushes to him and cries out, 'Edmond!' Dantès attempts to justify himself; he spent decades rotting in a dungeon, has Mercedes experienced that? But has Dantès felt the pain of his lover preparing to kill his son. The Count has planned all of this, not because he rotted in a dungeon or because he is a divine agent, but because he is Edmond Dantès, who loves what is just and exposes what is unjust. His enemies have wronged him, yes, but they have wronged many and have still not faced any consequences. After the Count's duel with Albert is halted, Fernand confronts him, ready to duel, but the Count then reveals himself. Fernand is petrified and rushes back home to find his family leaving him. In utter defeat, Fernand shoots himself. The Count enacted justice on Fernand, but the Count was not the one to pull the trigger, nor did he harm the innocent. But the Count is still the Count. Before Fernand's death, the Count had been entertaining Madame de Villefort's interest in poison and once she started poisoning her family to ensure her son Eduardo's inheritance, the Count did not intervene. In this case, the Count likes to let things take their course. However, the Count comes to learn another lesson from this. The Count's friend, Morrel, reveals that he is in love with Villefort's daughter, Valentine, stunning the Count. The Count rushes to save Valentine's life in a way where she appears completely dead but really isn't. Emboldened by his daughter's death, Villefort finally confronts his wife and practically forces her to pick between suicide or execution. Villefort leaves and hears a case that ends up exposing Villefort to the public (through a very elaborate plan set up by the Count) and rushes back home only to find his wife dead and even her son. The Count arrives and reveals himself to Villefort, but then the Count realizes Eduardo, a child, is also dead, and panics. The Count tries everything to heal Eduardo but it's no use. The Count got his revenge on the now insane Villefort, but at a very heavy cost. The Count realizes that despite his masterful plan, he cannot account for everything, especially the fallout of his revenge. Consequently, the Count reflects on his entire mission. Was he wrong to do any of this? The Count revisits his old prison as a tourist and comes to the conclusion that he was not completely wrong and that he will end this the right way. He is still ultimately the Count and his last conversation with Mercedes makes that clear. There was no scenario where he and Mercedes came together again, Mercedes is left broken and Dantès has irreversibly changed. With Danglars' family more than okay and Danglars all alone, the Count pretty much rage-baits Danglars into giving up his entire fortune, completing the Count's mission. Meanwhile, Morrel is on the verge of suicide over Valentine's supposed death, but the Count tells him to have hope and wait. After too much time passes, the Count agrees to give Morrel a poison that will apparently kill him, but it doesn't. Morrel wakes up to find Valentine alive and with her is Haydee, the Count's slave (but in like a kind of not problematic way), who professes her love for him. The Count was ready to let Haydee go since the Count's purpose has been fulfilled, but Haydee lets him know that he can live for life's sake. The Count sets sail for new adventures with Haydee, leaving a letter behind to Morrel and Valentine. In it, the Count confesses that he played God and writes: "Attendre et esperer" ("hope and wait"). The Count intentionally prolonged Valentine's coma because the Count believes that one can only experience true happiness after experiencing devastating loss and despair. In spite of any potential faults with his approach, one cannot help but admire the eccentricity of the Count of Monte Cristo show less
SPOILERS
------------
(Because the Count is so deeply tied to the narrative, this section ends up going over many of the themes present in the Count of Monte Cristo)
The Count: Edmond Dantès is by far the best character. In the beginning, Edmond is an innocent teenager with a loving fiancée and a great job on the verge of being promoted. But these blessings cause envy in Danglars and Fernand. show more They conspire to get Edmond thrown in jail on false charges, being inadvertently helped by the corrupt prosecutor Villefort. And just like that, Edmond is thrown in a dungeon. Our identity is often derived from what we do, whom we interact with, what we dream of, but as a prisoner, Edmond can do nothing, he cannot interact with anyone but the jailers sometimes, and he loses any hope of escape. Thus the old Edmond is practically dead, he can do nothing but long to actually die. Yet Edmond discovers another prisoner through a tunnel, Abbe Faria. Abbe Faria helps Edmond find himself through reading, advice, and socialization after so many years, but the new Edmond has changed. And this new version of Edmond is solidified once the Abbe helps Edmond realize who conspired to have him thrown in jail. Edmond is reborn as a creature of wisdom and revenge and once he finds mass wealth on the Isle of Monte Cristo, he becomes a divine agent, the Count of Monte Cristo. The Count now believes himself to be an agent sent to carry out God's wrath on the wicked and pour out His blessings on the righteous. The Count blesses his former employer and an old acquaintance of his before moving on to his plan of revenge. As a being whose sole purpose is his mission of revenge, almost every action of the Count furthers that mission in some way. He collects pieces of the pasts of his enemies so that he is able to, in the right circumstances, expose them. He maneuvers people around so that the right relationships and agreements can be formed and he has eyes on everything. This is the Count at the height of his God-complex, he makes himself out to be otherworldly. He speaks of exotic and foreign information, he decorates himself and his properties in oriental and distinct fashion, his entourage is comprised of all the nations, and his demeanor is cold, almost Byronic. But there is one loose thread, his former fiancée, Mercedes, now married to Fernand (now Comte de Morcerf). Mercedes isn't particularly important to the Count's plan so he mostly tries to avoid her, yet Mercedes keeps trying to get through to him, even while seemingly not knowing that he is Dantes. Mercedes is the only person able to make the Count be moved, to be reminded that he is human. Before Mercedes, the Count firmly believes that the offspring should suffer as well for the sins of their father, and so, after everything goes perfectly according to plan, the Count prepares to duel Fernand and Mercedes' son, Albert. But on the morning of the duel, Mercedes rushes to him and cries out, 'Edmond!' Dantès attempts to justify himself; he spent decades rotting in a dungeon, has Mercedes experienced that? But has Dantès felt the pain of his lover preparing to kill his son. The Count has planned all of this, not because he rotted in a dungeon or because he is a divine agent, but because he is Edmond Dantès, who loves what is just and exposes what is unjust. His enemies have wronged him, yes, but they have wronged many and have still not faced any consequences. After the Count's duel with Albert is halted, Fernand confronts him, ready to duel, but the Count then reveals himself. Fernand is petrified and rushes back home to find his family leaving him. In utter defeat, Fernand shoots himself. The Count enacted justice on Fernand, but the Count was not the one to pull the trigger, nor did he harm the innocent. But the Count is still the Count. Before Fernand's death, the Count had been entertaining Madame de Villefort's interest in poison and once she started poisoning her family to ensure her son Eduardo's inheritance, the Count did not intervene. In this case, the Count likes to let things take their course. However, the Count comes to learn another lesson from this. The Count's friend, Morrel, reveals that he is in love with Villefort's daughter, Valentine, stunning the Count. The Count rushes to save Valentine's life in a way where she appears completely dead but really isn't. Emboldened by his daughter's death, Villefort finally confronts his wife and practically forces her to pick between suicide or execution. Villefort leaves and hears a case that ends up exposing Villefort to the public (through a very elaborate plan set up by the Count) and rushes back home only to find his wife dead and even her son. The Count arrives and reveals himself to Villefort, but then the Count realizes Eduardo, a child, is also dead, and panics. The Count tries everything to heal Eduardo but it's no use. The Count got his revenge on the now insane Villefort, but at a very heavy cost. The Count realizes that despite his masterful plan, he cannot account for everything, especially the fallout of his revenge. Consequently, the Count reflects on his entire mission. Was he wrong to do any of this? The Count revisits his old prison as a tourist and comes to the conclusion that he was not completely wrong and that he will end this the right way. He is still ultimately the Count and his last conversation with Mercedes makes that clear. There was no scenario where he and Mercedes came together again, Mercedes is left broken and Dantès has irreversibly changed. With Danglars' family more than okay and Danglars all alone, the Count pretty much rage-baits Danglars into giving up his entire fortune, completing the Count's mission. Meanwhile, Morrel is on the verge of suicide over Valentine's supposed death, but the Count tells him to have hope and wait. After too much time passes, the Count agrees to give Morrel a poison that will apparently kill him, but it doesn't. Morrel wakes up to find Valentine alive and with her is Haydee, the Count's slave (but in like a kind of not problematic way), who professes her love for him. The Count was ready to let Haydee go since the Count's purpose has been fulfilled, but Haydee lets him know that he can live for life's sake. The Count sets sail for new adventures with Haydee, leaving a letter behind to Morrel and Valentine. In it, the Count confesses that he played God and writes: "Attendre et esperer" ("hope and wait"). The Count intentionally prolonged Valentine's coma because the Count believes that one can only experience true happiness after experiencing devastating loss and despair. In spite of any potential faults with his approach, one cannot help but admire the eccentricity of the Count of Monte Cristo show less
Frighteningly human, incredibly vivid, and made me reflect on myself more than anything else I have read. There were multiple points where the narrator's stream of thoughts, whether good or bad, aligned so unbelievably close with mine.