The Count Of Monte Cristo By Alexandre Dumas
A classic adventure story. The Count Of Monte Cristo is everything you expect it to be and more. There is a reason why it hasn't been forgotten since being released centuries ago.
The story starts in an optimistic manner. Edmond Dantes is a young man who is about to marry the love of his life and receive a promotion to become the captain of a ship. Dantes has many friends and is well-liked by all. Some of his friends, however, become jealous of Dante's prosperity and plot against him. They write a letter accusing Dantes of delivering Napolean a letter in a treasonous fashion. The accusation is taken seriously by the police and Dantes is dramatically arrested at his wedding. The prosecutor quickly uncovers the plot to frame Dantes and prepares to set him free. But just before the prosecutor sets Dantes free, Dantes reveals that he was delivering the letter to a man named Noritier. Noritier happens to be the prosecutor's father. The prosecutor knows that he can not incriminate his father for treasonous activities, so he sends Dantes to prison. The prison is called Chateau d'If, and it holds the most dangerous political prisoners in France. It is an impenetrable fortress that sits atop a rocky island where rough seas frequent.
While in prison, Dantes meets a very wise old man who teaches him about history and philosophy. Dantes is fascinated. The man then tells Dantes about a treasure that lives on an island called Monte Cristo. The old man soon dies and Dantes hides in the man's clothes, hoping to be taken outside for a chance to escape. Dantes is led up to the side of a cliff and tossed off the island where he is now free to search for the treasure and take revenge on those that betrayed him.
Before reading The Count Of Monte Cristo, I really didn't know what to expect. I was very surprised, however, at how modern the plot was. What Dumas has done is create one of the first "prison break" "redemption" stories. Many people are turned off by classics for some of the following reasons, "They're long...They're boring...They're hard to read". First of all, you are right, they are long, but they are long for a reason. During the time period when these books were written, people didn't have cell phones or TV so they entertained themselves by reading. Therefore, authors would make their books as detailed as possible so the customer would feel like they were getting what they paid for (and possibly that publishers paid authors by the number of pages in their books).
Secondly, they are not boring. Classical authors made sure that every part of their book contained enough detail to immerse the reader in the setting. A perfect example of this is Herman Melville's novel, Moby Dick. In the novel, Melivle goes off on an 80-page tangent about the facets of boating, even going so far as to describe a bucket for one 0f his chapters. Melville did this because he knows that most people don't know a lot about boating so he made sure the reader felt in tune with what the charters in his story were going through. Finally, they are not hard to read. Nothing is hard to read, (except for Uylesses or maybe 100 Years of Solitude) as long as you take the time and effort to understand what the author is saying, you will be able to decipher the main elements of the story. Sure the language is a little more proper or obscure especially if you're reading a translation, (which The Count Of Monte Cristo is) but with time, you will adapt and get used to it.
Anyways, The Count Of Monte Cristo is a fantastic story, and you shouldn't fear the prejudices that accompany classic literature in the 21st century. The Count Of Monte Cristo is a perfect book for people interested in reading classics. The language is not too difficult, it strays from boring sections, and the length is very manageable. So, I hope I convinced you that classics aren't that scary, and you can get through them. Go check out The Count Of Monte Cristo!
