For this proposal, I will be writing and researching about the Count of Monte Cristo that was written by Alexander Dumas in 1844 (Yardley.). This book has one of the most complicated character web ever written in literature (Roberts). What this book truly explores is the theme pertaining to the aristocracy versus the bourgeois and the definition that the West defines as justice (“Themes of the Count of Monte Cristo”, IMDb). The reason that justice is such a strong theme in this book is that the main character Edmond Dantes was imprisoned when he was framed for treason by delivering a letter for Napoleon when he was imprisoned on Elba (“Themes of the Count of Monte Cristo”, IMDb). This letter was turned in by his friend in order to have a chance to be with his fiancée Mercedes (“Themes of the Count of Monte Cristo”, IMDb). Mercedes learns that Edmond was executed and rushes to marry his best friend because she is pregnant with Edmond’s son (“Themes of the Count of Monte Cristo”, IMDb).
Dauntes is actually not executed and is imprisoned for thirteen years where he becomes acquainted with a priest who found the treasure of Sparta (Yardley). When the priest dies, Dauntes escapes and is taken by pirates for years and then returns to Marseilles after finding the treasure of Sparta and decides to enact his divine plan of revenge to make those pay who robbed him of his liberty and love (“Themes within the Count of Monte Cristo”, Prezi).
This book explores the themes of love, justice, history, and vengeance. It is one of the most spectacular stories ever written and was made into a movie in the 2000’s. This book would be amazing to research because of the history with the manuscript being published in a time before the printing presses where the author had to write the pages by hand. Thus, the themes that inspired this writer were taken from the classics as there were not a great deal of books that the public had access to in these times. By studying a book written in this era, there is an enormous opportunity to learn a great deal about history and the systems of justice that caused the United States to form its legal system from European roots. The Count of Monte Cristo has inspired generations of readers and continues to do so, thus, this book would be an excellent choice to pursue for a research paper.
If I were to pursue the Count of Monte Cristo as my topic, I would explore the themes of love, justice, vengeance, and history in literature. I would ask where these themes originally originated. I would explore previous literature from philosophers in order to inquire where Dumas was inspired to write his characters? Additionally, I would try to piece together the complicated web that Dumas possessed and see how it inspired other authors that followed in his footsteps. This paper would be a fascinating choice due to the caliber of history, writing, and sophistication that the Count of Monte Cristo provides to readers around the world.
The answers to these questions would provide for a sophisticated analysis that would allow me to explore many different great works of literature in order to make parallels between the themes that Dumas explores in his novel. Given that these themes are some of the most intense and complicated themes that exist in literature, this paper would be an in depth analysis that would provide for a fascinating debate between how these themes existed in Dumas’s time versus the times that we currently live in today.
Works Cited
Roberts, Adam. “The Count of Monte Cristo.” The Valve. 2006. Web. 28 March 2016. <http://www.thevalve.org/go/valve/article/the_count_of_monte_cristo/>.
“Themes of the Count of Monte Cristo”. IMDb. 2016. Web. 28 March 2016. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245844/plotsummary/>.
“Themes Within the Count of Monte Cristo”. Prezi. 2016. Web. 28 March 2016. <https://prezi.com/r_csns3devhv/copy-of-the-count-of-monte-cristo-themes-motifs-and-symbols/>.
Yardley, Jonathan. “Dumas, The Papa of Popular Fiction.” The Washington Post. 2016. Web. 28 March 2016. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19124-2004Apr16.html/>.
