Dec. 2: The Count of Monte Cristo

Minutes: 45

Pages: 70

Summary: Maximilian meets his secret love, Valentine de Villefort, Villefort’s daughter from his first marriage. Valentine laments: her father neglects her, her stepmother despises her, and she has a fiance she does not want to marry. Maximilian makes Valentine promise not to settle by marrying Franz d’Epinay, despite her father’s strong desire to see them together. The 2 are nearly an impossible match; Maximilian is far too poor to be appropriate for Valentine (Villefort seems to hate the entire Morrel family). The Count of Monte Cristo arrives at the Villefort home, and reminds Madame de Villefort that they have met once before, in Italy. She recalls he had been hailed as a great doctor because he had saved two lives and asks about his knowledge of chemistry, particularly that of poisons. He describes to her the method he used to make himself immune to poison and about the potion used to revive Edwar; helpful in small doses, deadly otherwise. In response to Madame de Villefort’s hints, Monte Cristo offers to send her a vial of the potion the next day.

Reflection: His plot thickens

Nov. 27: The Count of Monte Cristo

Minutes: 45

Pages: 70

Summary:

Reflection:

Nov. 25: The Count of Monte Cristo

Minutes: 45

Pages: 70

Summary:

Reflection:

Nov. 23: The Count of Monte Cristo

Minutes: 45

Pages: 70

Summary: Maximilian meets his secret love, Valentine de Villefort, Villefort’s daughter from his first marriage. Valentine laments: her father neglects her, her stepmother despises her, and she has a fiance she does not want to marry. Maximilian makes Valentine promise not to settle by marrying Franz d’Epinay, despite her father’s strong desire to see them together. The 2 are nearly an impossible match; Maximilian is far too poor to be appropriate for Valentine (Villefort seems to hate the entire Morrel family). The Count of Monte Cristo arrives at the Villefort home, and reminds Madame de Villefort that they have met once before, in Italy. She recalls he had been hailed as a great doctor because he had saved two lives and asks about his knowledge of chemistry, particularly that of poisons. He describes to her the method he used to make himself immune to poison and about the potion used to revive Edwar; helpful in small doses, deadly otherwise. In response to Madame de Villefort’s hints, Monte Cristo offers to send her a vial of the potion the next day.

Reflection: His plot thickens

Nov. 20: The Count of Monte Cristo

Minutes: 45

Pages: 70

Summary: Monte Cristo sets up a beautiful, young, Greek slave of his in a separate apartment and tells her she is free to leave at anytime, yet she decides to stay with him. Monte Cristo pays a visit to Maximilian Morrel (the son of his former captain), who is staying with his sister, Julie, who is now married. Their house is filled with a sense of bliss, love, and serenity that overwhelms Monte Cristo with emotion, so he comments on the uncommon happiness of this household and Emmanuel (Julie's husband) and Julie tell him of the angelic benefactor who once saved them. They show Monte Cristo the proof of this angel and lament that they have never identified their benefactor. Monte Cristo pretends to guess that the benefactor might have been an Englishman he once knew who did not believe in true gratitude but performed many generous actions, but Maximilian admits that his father has a more superstitious theory regarding their savior: he believes that their benefactor was Edmond Dantès, acting from beyond the grave causing Monte Cristo to become overwhelmed, and he leaves abruptly and awkwardly.

Reflection: We see a side of the Count that I almost thought was buried away forever. He shows that, despite his extraordinary intelligence and demeanor, he is still human.

Nov. 18: The Count of Monte Cristo

Minutes: 45

Pages: 70

Summary: Knowing that Villefort's wife will be borrowing the horses the next day, Monte Cristo arranges for the horses to become wild while they pass by his house. As the runaway horses go by, bearing the panic-stricken Madame de Villefort and her son, Edward, Ali (the mute) lassos them easily, saving mother and son. Edward passes out from fear, and Monte Cristo uses a special potent elixir to revive him. Villefort visits Monte Cristo in order to thank him for saving his wife and son. Monte Cristo engages Villefort in a conversation about justice. Villefort reveals that his father, Noirtier has been paralyzed by a stroke.

Reflection: His scheme's depth, to me, reveals the tremendous intelligence of Dumas himself. A multifaceted and intricate story is hard to make be cohesive, yet it all makes perfect sense.

Nov. 16: The Count of Monte Cristo

Minutes: 45

Pages: 70

Summary: Monte Cristo now engages in a clever, complex ruse to win the good graces of the Danglars and Villefort families; He instructs his mute servant to purchase Danglars’s two most beautiful horses for twice their price, knowing that these horses actually belong to Madame Danglars. With these two horses attached to his coach, Monte Cristo then visits Danglars at home in order to open an unlimited credit account with him, an act that astonishes and humbles Danglars, who is now a banker. Madame Danglars is told that her horses have been sold, and she sees them attached to Monte Cristo’s carriage. She becomes enraged with her husband for selling them. Monte Cristo excuses himself from the scene. Later that evening, Monte Cristo, in a gallant gesture, returns the horses as a gift.

Reflection: If it wasn't evident before, Dantes' transformation into the Count is incredible. Monte Cristo and Dantes are different enough to be different people.