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Plots from classical antiquity in A. Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo
https://doi.org/10.31425/0042-8795-2025-5-109-124
Abstract
The article details A. Dumas’ use of antiquity-inspired motifs in his novel The Count of Monte Cristo. According to the author, those could be assigned to the following categories: a specific mention of the culture of classical antiquity (such as characters quoting Virgil, Pindar, or Horace); a situational mention (mythological contrasts and comparisons common in European culture); and allusions introduced exclusively in connection with certain characters (for example, the novelist projects the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe onto the story of Maximilien Morrel and Valentine de Villefort). Eliseyeva sets out to explain Dumas’ choice of classical characters and plots for his novel, hypothesizing that, rather than his personal favourites among classical literature, the choice was determined by the subjects and characters of classical antiquity referenced in the works of popular writers, such as Shakespeare, Byron, Goethe, etc. In other words, Dumas’ allusions to antiquity function as a universal language easily understood by educated readers and the novel’s characters alike.
About the Author
L. G. Eliseyeva
Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Lyubov G. Eliseyeva, Junior research associate
Department of Comparative Studies of Ancient Civilizations
119334; 32A Leninsky Av.; Moscow
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Review
For citations:
Eliseyeva L.G. Plots from classical antiquity in A. Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. Voprosy literatury. 2025;(5):109-124. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31425/0042-8795-2025-5-109-124
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