#he's really funny btw. dumas I mean

[alicedrawslesmis]

Alex Dumas wasn't a solo genius he was a brand. He was an enterprise. He was like the author of the vampire diaries

[vapaus-ystavyys-tasaarvo]

The Three Musketeers readalong: Ch3

It’s been a week, oops. Well, I’m determined to catch up so let’s do this

- This whole chapter is extremely comedic because all the characters are ridiculous human beings. (Spoilers: this will be a recurring theme.)

- It always bothered me so much that Tréville invites d’Artagnan in and then pretty much immediately decides to call for the 3Ms. And then proceeds to chastise them in front of this random stranger! Why did he invite d’Artagnan in if he knew he was going to handle this issue first? Why not ask d’Artagnan to leave? You’d almost think this had to have been somehow intentional, maybe to humiliate the 3Ms? Idk. More likely it’s just narrative convenience but it’s just so weird. Oh well.

- Tréville is such a drama queen. And not about the things that you’d think would be legitimate reasons to be a bit dramatic over? I mean people died. (Which btw, yikes.) But no, the problem is honour... I guess. Anyway the reader already knows that most of what he’s saying is heavily exaggerated.

- Also the other musketeers eavesdropping outside the door like younger siblings while the dad scolds their older brothers.

- Porthos lying for Athos (aww)

- Aramis meanwhile calmly recounts how he killed one of the guards with the opponent’s own sword. (Okay is it just me or is Aramis actually kind of terrifying? Also now I’m trying to remember if he’s depicted as the most skilled swordsman among the four? I don’t think it’s ever stated directly because I’d think I would remember it, but I do remember that later he also fights two guards while the others each only fight one and he seems to do fine. Anyway, that’s something to pay attention to, I guess. It might not even come up though.)

- Athos is such a martyr always :p (sorry but he is! Not in the attention seeking way, but in the gratuitously self-destructive way.) And Tréville’s immediate moodswing when he shows up is gold.

- ... And then Tréville grabs the injured arm lol

- This all also got me thinking about the fact that all four main characters are introduced in the context of them getting their asses kicked. The first thing d’Artagnan does is get beat up. The first thing we really find out about the Three Musketeers is that they lost a fight. These guys might be larger than life in some ways but they’re very much human. They don’t always win and they aren’t above being ridiculed. And their pain and humiliation is kinda funny.

- Of COURSE d’Artagnan doesn’t leave. He might be mortified from witnessing that uncomfortable little drama but he’s not just going to give up, is he?

- .... unless he’s distracted by REVENGE (Well, he is a Dumas protagonist...)

- And without even meaning to, he’s already fully involved in the intrigue. Partly because he just can’t help being too clever for his own good.

I can remember why I was so intent on turning this book into a play as a kid. It’s got that sort of feeling to it, you can easily imagine it on stage. I feel like scenes like these were made to be performed. It has that kind of chaotic energy of a farce (except it doesn’t make me cringe).

Finally, a note on locations again because I’m me:

Rue Férou (where the boys had their little scuffle) is also in the same neighbourhood as d’Artagnan and de Tréville. In fact it’s the next street over from d’Artagnan’s new home and almost crosses with de Tréville’s street.

Also as it happens, it’s later revealed that Athos also lives on the rue Férou.

(I’m not convinced that the street was called Rue Férou in this era though, since all the contemporary maps seem to call it Rue Saint Sulpice (not to be confused with the modern Rue Saint-Sulpice north of the church). On the other hand Wikipedia seems to disagree with me. But do I trust Wikipedia more than the maps which are primary sources? Then again it seems to have been named after a 16th century guy who owned the land it was on. It could of course be that the name IS its original name (the maps from the 16th century don’t label it at all so that doesn’t help) but it was only officially changed to Rue Saint Sulpice for a little while before being changed back because people kept calling it by its old name? That was the sort of thing that happened sometimes. Or maybe Rue Férou was always just a colloquial name that eventually became official.)

Anyway basically everything in Paris so far since d’Artagnan’s arrival has been happening within a very small area!

[alicedrawslesmis]

I liked Mort btw! It was fun. It was also kinda funny to read that book after Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy because neither of them are in the style of books I usually read (I mean the last books I'd read were by Dumas and Dostoyevsky) and they have kind of a similar voice?

Douglas Adams is I think a stronger writer with a more striking character (what's his deal with digital watches?) but Pratchett more than makes up for it in actual plot. And story. And like. Characters. Adams is funny but the book ended and I was like. But it didn't even start?

Idk if Terry gets even better later (I heard that this is the case) but as is, he's pretty good. I like Death I think she's really cool (I'm latina so Death is a she. dw about it.)