Go Deeper: Reading, Music & More

Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870) was raised in a poor family. His father, the son of a French Marquis and an enslaved Haitian woman, was a French general who was forced to retire early, never able to collect the back pay he was owed. His father’s early death and the injustices done to him—many due to racism—made a deep impression on the young Dumas, who later used the events to flavor his novels and plays with social conflict and drama. For many years Alexandre Dumas had to work day jobs to make ends meet, but in the off-hours (and sometimes on the company clock) he was always writing—a talent that eventually rewarded him with a series of successful plays, followed by several wildly popular magazine-serialized novels, including The Three Musketeers. Over the years, the prolific and increasingly famous writer endured financial and political turmoil, and was often criticized for his collaborative co-writing arrangements with other authors—accusations that often came from the French elite, who could not believe a mixed-race person could have attained such success on his own talents. After a series of financial setbacks, Dumas died in relative obscurity at age 68. Debate over his work continued after his death; critics over the centuries have argued about whether his novels are too easy to read, too action-packed, or even too numerous to take seriously. But he never had trouble connecting with readers—his books The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo are among the most widely read novels in history, sealing his reputation as a storyteller who has sparked the imagination of millions.

For a view of the criticism leveled at Dumas during his lifetime and afterward, read a 2008 article from the New York Review of Books by Graham Robb, “The Pens of the Musketeer.”

For a fresh look at Alexandre Dumas’s place in the pantheon of Francophone authors, have a look at Eric Martone’s introduction to the book The Black Musketeer: Reevaluating Alexandre Dumas within the Francophone World.

For an overview of Dumas’s life and works, delve into this article on Encyclopedia.com.

In the late 1700s, a general of mixed-race background had a glorious career in the French army and was widely celebrated for his bravery, compassion, and leadership skills. He was once imprisoned for two years by enemy Italian forces in a remote fortress, enduring unimaginable hardship and falling so ill that he thought he was being poisoned by the doctor sent to tend to him. If the story sounds familiar, it is—it later became the plot of Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, and the real-life general was his own father, Thomas-Alexandre Dumas. Although the general was eventually freed and returned home, his ordeals weren’t over; the social climate in France had changed, and racism locked doors that had once been open to him. And during their occupation of France two centuries later, the Nazis finished off the last remaining monument to the great general when they destroyed it as an undesirable commemoration of a man of mixed race. A New York Times article on the life of Alex Dumas explores the celebrated general’s life, and the 2012 Pulitzer Prize–winning biography The Black Count by Tom Reiss is a great read, telling the story in depth.

While writing this fresh take on The Three Musketeers, playwright Kirsten Childs researched the story’s setting and time period extensively. Among her finds were a reference to hand muffs “made from the fur of a mysterious creature, the ‘obuzer,’ which was previously unknown and might be either mammal or bird. A furrier named Tremblé made the muffs, and they were available in his shop on rue Dauphine at the sign of the Grand Monarch.” The muffs make an appearance in the play as part of Porthos’s wardrobe.

And a scene between Louis and Richelieu/Dumas features an omelet created by the “royal we” himself, inspired by a recipe for a dessert omelet invented by King Louis XIII. Enjoy!

OSF Study Guides offer resources and links to use in preparation for reading, streaming, or attending a play. These materials also offer teaching suggestions, discussion questions, research topics, related websites, and additional resources for each production. Visit the Study Guide for The Three Musketeers to delve into the story’s themes, historical background, and contemporary interpretations.

Reiss, Tom. The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo. New York: Crown, 2013.

DeJean, Joan. The Essence of Style: How the French Invented High Fashion, Fine Food, Chic Cafés, Style, Sophistication, and Glamour. New York: Free Press, 2005.

Darnton, Robert. Revolution in Print: The Press in France, 1775-1800. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989. p. 141-164.

Russo, Elena. Styles of Enlightenment: Taste, Politics, and Authorship in Eighteenth-Century France. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2007.

Martone, Eric, editor. The Black Musketeer: Reevaluating Alexandre Dumas within the Francophone World. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2011.

Thanks to playwright Kirsten Childs for generously sharing her resources.