There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness. We must have felt what it is to die, that we may appreciate the enjoyment of living.
The Count of Monte Cristo was first published in the Journal des Débats in eighteen parts, from 28 August 1844 to 15 January 1846. It is the tale of Edmond Dantes, wrongly sent to prison to further the purposes of three men. After fourteen years Edmond Dantes escapes and discovers a massive fortune on the island of Monte Cristo, as described to him by another prisoner, the Abbe Faria. Dantes uses his fortune to adopt a new identity, the Count of Monte Cristo, and then to seek revenge upon those responsible for framing him.
At over a thousand closely written pages long, The Count of Monte Cristo is a great read, full of intrigue, action, surprise, romance and, of course, a revenge plot. The length of the novel may be daunting for some. I wrote a summary to help me keep track of the plot and characters over a long reading period. That summary is now available through one of the links below, along with my own character map and brief descriptions of the major characters. Finally, I have written a review of Dumas’ novel for this website. These resources are provided for the private use of anyone who wants to read the book, or who just wants to read a condensed version of the plot.
© Reading Project, 2021
Reviews, Summaries, Notes and Character Maps are provided for personal use only and should not be reproduced without prior consent
