The historical Alex

[Madame Yvette]

History lovers like myself might be interested in the biography of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas by Tom Reiss, "The Black Count". The book won the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 2013. There are also many anecdotes about him in the Memoirs of his son, Alexandre Dumas père, some of which have found their way into the game. I used to devour the works of Alexandre Dumas père (and also fils to some extent) as a teenager, and I am honoured to have met Alexandre Dumas grand-père decades later. :)

[funewchie]

Alexandre Dumas?

...Surely he's not the same guy who wrote The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo (one of my favorite classic novels)?

[Madame Yvette]

No, Alex Dumas, the character in the game, was the writer's father. It is thought that the real events in his father's life inspired Alexandre Dumas to write The Count of Monte Cristo.

[funewchie]

Oh, I knew that it's Thomas-Alexandre Dumas in the game, and he's the father.

I was talking about what you said about his son, Alexandre Dumas pere.
At the time, I didn't realize that Thomas's son was the famous writer.
---

(When I had some free time, I looked it up for myself.
And it confirmed Alexadre Dumas pere was the writer of Three Musketeers and Count of Monte Cristo... and that he was the son of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas.)

[Madame Yvette]

I just learned (from The Black Count) that the detail in the game about women changing their dresses several times in the course of a single party was actually TRUE. So, in the future, trust your tailor! (and Luther). :D

[Ivy in my Heart]

I think it's awesome when historical fiction inspires us to research and learn about that actual period of history and the people in it. For me, what piqued my interest in the French Revolution more than any history class ever could was the "Rose of Versailles" manga.* Got me to read several Marie Antoinette biographies and everything.

As for this game, it sent me on a serious Wikipedia binge, starting with Louis Antoine de Saint-Just and just spiralling from there.

*Oops, I just dated myself... ^^*

[Madame Yvette]

In my opinion, anything that inspires someone's interest in history is great. :)

If "The Rose of Versailles" were a game, I'd start playing it today. My interest in Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution was inspired by Dumas's novel "The Queen's Necklace" (Dumas again!), which lead me to read my first biography ever, Stefan Zweig's "Marie Antoinette" at thirteen. I read Antonia Fraser's book much later. At the moment I'm reading Nancy Goldstone's "In the Shadow of the Empress", a collective biography of Maria Theresa of Austria and her daughters, but I've neglected it a little because of "The Black Count", which is more thrilling than any detective novel. :)

[amaska]

Originally posted by Madame Yvette:

In my opinion, anything that inspires someone's interest in history is great. :)

If "The Rose of Versailles" were a game, I'd start playing it today. My interest in Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution was inspired by Dumas's novel "The Queen's Necklace" (Dumas again!), which lead me to read my first biography ever, Stefan Zweig's "Marie Antoinette" at thirteen. I read Antonia Fraser's book much later. At the moment I'm reading Nancy Goldstone's "In the Shadow of the Empress", a collective biography of Maria Theresa of Austria and her daughters, but I've neglected it a little because of "The Black Count", which is more thrilling than any detective novel. :)

How is the "In the Shadow of the Empress"? I was thinking of getting it for my daughter who is interested in both Maria Therese and Marie Antoinette, but she is still very young, so I am not sure how she would handle a thick biography and the interests pass quickly at this age (it was Tudors only a couple of weeks ago). I put the Black Count on my list of to-read one day :), it's a pity there is no audio version, just some pointless summary, well, maybe they release it one day or maybe I have time one day.

And I am only playing this game because once, ages ago, I accidentally looked into one book on Saint Just. It's a pity there are so few his biographies and nothing in English... But there are bits and pieces here and there...

[Madame Yvette]

It depends on how old your daughter is. There is plenty of politics and battles and power struggles between the great powers of the day beside the biographical details, which she might find tiresome. It also requires some previous knowledge about that complicated period of European history. If you can get a copy of Stefan Zweig's biography of Marie Antoinette (I don't know if there is an English translation) I think that it could be more interesting to her. It is not very long and it's more about psychology than politics. After all, Marie Antoinette herself was only fourteen when she made her debut on the stage of Versailles. And perhaps Dumas's Marie Antoinette novels could be a good starting point. :)

As for Saint-Just, I found an interesting article about him which mentions two biographies of him in English.

https://www.historytoday.com/miscellanies/french-revolutions-angel-death

[amaska]

Thanks for this, I think I will have her started on the Dumas better :), She will have enough time to read serious historical books once she is older. It is also that English is not her first language, so adds a layer of complexity.

As to St. Just, you are right, forgot those two, the best is still probably the French one of Bernard Vinot. My favourite author on revolutionary period is now Timothy Tackett though his book on Terror is still on my list, but I really loved the When the King took flight. Becoming revolutionary is a bit more demanding, but very good for showing the atmosphere of 1789.

[Madame Yvette]

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll put "When the King Took Flight" on my list. Or was it Robespierre? :D