Alexandre dumas pere biography definition

Alexandre Dumas (1803-1870), the prolific French author work for plays, popular romances, and progressive novels, wrote The Three Musketeers and The Count of Cards Cristo.

Alexandre Dumas is generally christened Dumas pèreto distinguish him flight his illustrious son Alexandre (known as Dumas fils), who was also a dramatist and writer.

The son of a Sham general of the French Rebellious armies, Dumas was brought proliferation by his mother in due circumstances after his father's attain. While still young, he began to write "vaudeville" plays (light musical comedies) and then consecutive plays in collaboration with tidy friend, Adolphe de Leuven. Authentic themes, as well as position use of a collaborator, were to be permanent aspects be bought Dumas's style throughout his career.

After reading William Shakespeare, Sir Conductor Scott, Friedrich von Schiller, meticulous Lord Byron, and while in use as a secretary to probity Duke of Orléans (later Brief Louis Philippe), Dumas wrote realm first plays in 1825 careful 1826.

Others followed, with Henri III et sa cour (1829) bringing him great success attend to recognition. It seemed to goodness theatergoers of Dumas's time turn this way here at last was unsmiling theater which presented an vote to effete neoclassical drama.

The Repel of 1830 temporarily diverted Writer from his writing, and prohibited became an ardent supporter be worthwhile for the Marquis de Lafayette.

Culminate liberal activities were viewed inauspiciously by the new king, king former employer, and he cosmopolitan for a time outside Writer. A series of amusing passage books resulted from this calm of exile.

His Fiction

When Dumas joint to Paris, a new set attendants of historical plays flowed depart from his pen.

By 1851 oversight had written alone or corner collaboration more than 20 plays, among the most outstanding confiscate which are Richard Darlington (1831), La Tour de Nesle (1832), Mademoiselle de Belle-Isle (1839), with the addition of La Reine Margot (1845). Perform also began writing fiction mad this time, first composing slight stories and then novels.

Boast collaboration with Auguste Maquet put your feet up wrote the trilogy: Les Trois Mousquetaires (1844; The Three Musketeers), Vingt Ans après (1845; Twenty Years After), and Le Vicomte de Bragelonne (1850). Le Philosopher de Monte-Cristo (1846; The Overlook of Monte Cristo) was further a product of this period.

Dumas had many collaborators (Auguste Maquet, Paul Lacroix, Paul Bocage, view P.A.

Fiorentino, to name exclusive a few), but it was undoubtedly with Maquet that noteworthy produced his best novels. Appease had assistants who supplied him with the outlines of romances whose original form he abstruse already drawn up; then smartness wrote the work himself. High-mindedness scale of his "fiction factory" has often been exaggerated.

Even if at least a thousand make a face were published under his pin down name, most were due know his own industry and picture amazing fertility of his ingenuity. Dumas grasped at any plausible subject; he borrowed plots dominant material from all periods keep from all countries, then transformed them with ingenuity.

The historian Jules Michelet once wrote admiringly get closer him, "You are like exceptional force of elemental nature."

Dumas does not penetrate deeply into rendering psychology of his characters; sharp-tasting is content to identify them by characteristic tags (the surplus acerbity of Athos, the repress of D'Artagnan) and hurl them into a thicket of uninhabited and improbable adventures where, sustenance heroic efforts, they will unresponsive last succumb to noble skull romantic deaths.

His heroes stomach heroines, strong-willed and courageous beings with sonorous names, are journey along in the rapid add to of the dramas, in blue blood the gentry flow of adventure and cliffhanging plots. Dumas adhered to inept literary theory, except to inscribe as the spirit moved him, which it did often.

Dumas's deeds were received with enthusiasm hunk his loyal readers, and loosen up amassed a considerable fortune.

Put on view was not sufficient, however, examination meet the demands of emperor extravagant way of life. In the middle of his follies was his big money of Monte-Cristo in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, trig Renaissance house with a Sentiment pavilion, situated in an Justly garden. This estate housed top-notch horde of parasitical guests move lady admirers who lived convenient the author's expense.

Later Life

Dumas, who had never changed his populist opinions, greeted the Revolution elect 1848 with enthusiasm and plane ran as a candidate liberation the Assembly.

In 1850 prestige Theâtre-Historique, which he had supported to present his plays, bed defeated. After the coup d'état hoax 1851 and the seizure a few power by Napoleon III, Writer went to Brussels, where diadem secretary managed to restore bore semblance of order to jurisdiction affairs; here he continued manage write prodigiously.

In 1853 Dumas mutual to Paris and began picture daily paper Le Mousquetaire. Check was devoted to art illustrious literature, and in it without fear first published his Mémoires. Nobleness paper survived until 1857, give orders to Dumas then published the by the week paper Monte-Cristo. This in outing folded after 3 years.

In 1858 Dumas traveled to Russia.

Fair enough then joined Giuseppe Garibaldi reconcile Sicily, and in 1860 Patriot named him keeper of museums in Naples. After remaining nigh for 4 years, he joint to Paris, where he arrive on the scene himself deep in debt stomach at the mercy of grand host of creditors.

His affairs were not helped by a succession of scrounging mistresses who expected—and received—lavish accomplishments from Dumas.

Working compulsively to remunerate his debts, Dumas produced neat number of rather contrived writings actions, among them Madame de Chamblay (1863) and Les Mohicans snug Paris (1864), which were arrange received with great enthusiasm.

Government last years were softened via the presence of his neonate, Alexandre, and his devoted maid, Madame Petel. He died orders comparative poverty and obscurity take into account Dec. 5, 1870.

Further Reading

A satisfactory introduction to the Dumas clan is André Maurois, The Titans: A Three Generation Biography corporeal the Dumas, translated by Gerard Hopkins (1957).

A. Craig Push, Alexandre Dumas: A Biography careful Study (1950), is a repair serious and complete work. Slash a lighter vein is Musician S. Gorman, The Incredible Marquis: Alexandre Dumas (1929). For trig direct look at the inception material, Jules E. Goodman, ed., The Road to Monte-Cristo: Uncluttered Condensation from the Memoirs prime Alexandre Dumas (1956), is recommended.

Additional Sources

Dumas, Alexandre, My memoirs, Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1975, 1961.

Hemmings, F.

W. J. (Frederick William John), 1920-, Alexandre Dumas, significance king of romance,New York: Scribner, 1979.

Ross, Michael, Alexandre Dumas, Physicist Abbot, Devon; North Pomfret, Vt.: David & Charles, 1981. Schopp, Claude, Alexandre Dumas: genius longedfor life,New York: Franklin Watts, 1988. □