Virtually any topic for the virtual learner. Richelieu and Rochefort hire a sharpshooter to assassinate the king. Although these articles may currently differ in style from others on the site, they allow us to provide wider coverage of topics sought by our readers, through a diverse range of trusted voices. Questions or concerns? The Three Musketeers is novel based on history and adventure by Alexandre Dumas. These articles have not yet undergone the rigorous in-house editing or fact-checking and styling process to which most Britannica articles are customarily subjected. Get 30% your subscription today. The ending, indeed, seems to question many of the books dearly held values. At the beginning of the story, D’Artagnan arrives in Paris from Gascony and becomes embroiled in three duels with the three musketeers Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. The Three Musketeers is a novel written by Alexander Dumas about the adventures of a young man named D’Artagnan after he leaves his home to join the Musketeers of the Guard. It was published as a serial from March to July 1844. Shortly after arriving in Paris, D'Artagnan meets three of the Musketeers: Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Interested in participating in the SUMMARY: A historical romance, it relates the adventures of four fictional swashbuckling heroes who lived under the French kings Dumas wrote two sequels that concerned D’Artagnan and the three musketeers: D’Artagnan, the hero, is a Gascon, a young man who embodies in every aspect the hotheaded The enduring quality of Dumas’s texts lies in the vitality he breathes into his characters, and his mastery of the roman feuilleton, replete as it is with teasers and cliffhangers. Since it was forbidden to duel … It is almost as though Dumas presents this wonderful Romantic adventure, providing people with a chance to escape day to day toil and immerse themselves in better thoughts about their country, and then spurns it. The three musketeers set out to re-band the rest of the musketeers, in secret, for the king's birthday celebration. History at your fingertips In the meantime, more information about the article and the author can be found by clicking on the author’s name. He cannot bring himself to see the lie of Romanticism through to the end.

The techniques Dumas employed to such success in 1840-- particularly his mastery of the form of the Romance--still work today.

It is not necessary to know about Dumas’s life, or about French history, or about the genre of Romance, to enjoy SparkNotes is brought to you by Barnes & Noble. The daring escapades of the … It was published in 1844 before the 1848 revolution in France the author usually write about various injustices, abuses and illogicalities of ancient period, giving the novel a political appearance during the period France republicans and monarchist’s debate is still intense. On the way, an older man insults his horse, and D’Artagnan is so insulted he … As we saw in the closing portions of the book, Dumas gives us a fully developed Romance within his historical framework. Even bearing in mind that this turn to ambiguity is typical for the end of the Romance, it is hard not to interpret the ending of the novel as Dumas’s rejection of Romantic values.Dumas’s formula serves his story well. His incorporation of Romanticism into the historical novel lifted an entire genre of literature into public adulation, and gave the French people a story that reassured them about their country even as it brought them away from their country's troubles. Was all that earlier fighting really worth it, then? In the epilogue, d'Artagnan befriends the Comte de Rochefort, a Cardinalist agent. The four become such close friends that when D’Artagnan serves an apprenticeship as a cadet, which he must do before he can become a musketeer, each of his friends takes turns sharing guard duty with him. Both the possibility of futility and this return to the normal at the end of a great Quest, characterize the form of the Romance as much as do its lighter aspects. D'Artagnan becomes a lieutenant in the Musketeers, but his promotion comes from the Cardinal--the Cardinal whom he and his four friends had fought so valiantly against for the first half of the novel. During the assembly, D'Artagnan is able to stop the sniper from killing the king, but the shot narrowly misses its target and the Cardinal blames the musketeers in the crowd for the attempted assassination. Summary. After an initially tumultuous meeting, D'Artagnan earns the respect of the musketeers, and the four men become close friends. Summary Overall Summary The Three Musketeers is a marvelous journey and should be appreciated foremost for its engaging story. These three men, who are known as "The Three Musketeers" in all over the country by many people, are brave, fearless and determined individuals at the same time. This contribution has not yet been formally edited by Britannica. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Dumas sees the form through.With Dumas’s historical context in mind, the melancholy of the Romance becomes even more pronounced. The best popular literature, like the work of Alexandre Dumas, supercedes the latter category to come into our minds as a work of literature in its own right. Just when they are about to start the duel, the soldiers of the cardinal bust this place. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica.Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Popular literature must be considered on two fronts: aesthetically and socially, as literature and as a popular artifact.