The whole article is published on The Heretic Witch  - Revenge, Redemption, and Resilience
Reading: The Count Of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas https://marginalspace.substack.com/p/revenge-redemption-and-resilience

Imagine this. You are 19 years old with your whole life ahead of you. You’ve just been promoted at work and you are ready to marry the love of your life. The future is bright, and full of promise.

And then, in a single, devastating moment, it all comes crashing down. You’re falsely accused and imprisoned, condemned to isolation in a desolate dungeon. Your youth, your life, is stolen, not by fate, but by the envy and treachery of a group of men who conspired against you.

After years of despair, you forge yourself. You meet a fellow prisoner, a brilliant man, who teaches you everything he knows and reveals the location of a treasure. After 14 years you escape. You are no longer the same person, you are reborn- hardened, driven and immensely rich. Now, you have only one purpose: revenge.

This is the story of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

It was published serially between 1844 and 1846 in a newspaper, capturing the imagination of readers week after week. For an extended period, it became the talk of Paris, a cultural sensation that dominated conversations and cemented its place as one of the most gripping stories of its time. Dumas was a prolific writer, he often worked on multiple stories simultaneously, producing a vast body of work that has captivated readers for generations. He also had collaborators, people who helped him with the historical research, today we call them ghostwriters. He allegedly worked for 14 hours a day, and during his life, he produced hundreds of books, including, plays, travel stories, historical novels and adventure stories, like the Count of Monte Cristo. One has to admire his work ethic.

So what can we say about the Monte Cristo? It’s romantic, moving, dramatic, adventurous. It's one of these books that you don’t want to end. You have reached the 1,230-something page and you wish to be longer.

There is clearly something in Monte Cristo that resonates with all of us, because since its publication the book has been reissued, re-translated and re-adapted endlessly. We all have felt like Edmond Dantes, the protagonist, at some point in our lives. We’ve all felt the sting of injustice, we’ve all felt trapped and the painful necessity to break free. I have certainly.

It is one of the most captivating stories ever told, a tale of intricate plot, unparalleled suspense and riveting twists, that mesmerise readers. The first 300 pages are phenomenal. I can only compare them to the opening chapter of Moby Dick, which shares a similarly breathtaking brilliance.

The next 400 or so pages though with its melodramatic style, the repetitions and redundancies, can be frustrating and a little boring. Given that Dumas wrote it as a serialised work, it’s clear he was extending the narrative to sustain its publication, but the story could be shorter without losing any of its essence. However, as Umberto Eco suggests, the very elements some might view as imperfections are integral to the novel’s unique allure. These characteristics contribute to a narrative that remains as engaging today as it was when first published in 1844.

Although The Count of Monte Cristo explores philosophical and psychological themes, such as the nature of justice, the morality of vengeance, and the possibility of personal transformation, it's not a philosophical book in the sense that it does not go deep in exploring abstract ideas. Dumas seems more interested in captivating his readers with a story of human resilience, justice and redemption than offering answers to life’s grand questions. Instead, these themes are interwoven with the narrative adding complexity and depth to this epic adventure.

Alexander Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo has profoundly influenced literature, inspiring characters like Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin and Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Lupin reflects the Count's mastery of disguise and intricate plots, while Holmes shares his keen analytical mind, transformative abilities, and, intriguingly, the occasional use of substances like hashish to expand perception.

This passage speaks to the timeless human tendency to escape pain and seek solace in imagined worlds. In our modern context, it resonates strongly with escapist phenomena, such as video games, which offer carefully designed experiences that allow players to escape their everyday struggles and create alternative realities where they can achieve, explore, dominate and feel joy on their own terms.

Finally, one cannot ignore the parallels between The Count of Monte Cristo and Alan Moore’s character of V and the overarching narrative of V for Vendetta. It’s not a coincidence that V’s favourite story and film is The Count of Monte Cristo. Like Edmond Dantes, V endures unimaginable suffering before seeking vengeance against a corrupt, totalitarian government. Both characters challenge us to question power and the lengths one should go to achieve justice and freedom.