RexLegendi reviewed The Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas fils
Review of 'The Lady of the Camellias' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
When Alexandre Dumas fils met Marie Duplessis, a well-known ‘society woman’ in Paris, she inspired him to write The Lady of the Camellias (1848), which later became the basis for the opera La Traviata by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. The story certainly lends itself to an operatic adaptation. It begins with the narrator buying a book (Manon Lescaut) at an auction of the belongings of the late Marguerite Gautier, a famous courtesan (or, more euphemistically, ‘kept woman’ – first in men’s pride, last in their esteem) in the French capital. According to the dedication, the book was given to her by a man named Armand Duval, who later visits the narrator to retrieve it. Once friends, Armand tells the narrator the story of his love for Marguerite.
The story did not captivate me right away. Dumas fils writes in an overly dramatic style that feels distant …
When Alexandre Dumas fils met Marie Duplessis, a well-known ‘society woman’ in Paris, she inspired him to write The Lady of the Camellias (1848), which later became the basis for the opera La Traviata by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. The story certainly lends itself to an operatic adaptation. It begins with the narrator buying a book (Manon Lescaut) at an auction of the belongings of the late Marguerite Gautier, a famous courtesan (or, more euphemistically, ‘kept woman’ – first in men’s pride, last in their esteem) in the French capital. According to the dedication, the book was given to her by a man named Armand Duval, who later visits the narrator to retrieve it. Once friends, Armand tells the narrator the story of his love for Marguerite.
The story did not captivate me right away. Dumas fils writes in an overly dramatic style that feels distant from the world as I know it. Armand’s emotional escapades, in particular, easily got on my nerves. Fortunately, his immaturity is balanced by Marguerite, perhaps one of the most memorable characters in literature. From the moment she enters the scene, the novel picks up. Though the reader is left in doubt about her true intentions for a long time, her response to Armand’s love reveals the wisdom of someone who understands the harshness of life.
My friend, if I were Mme the Duchess So-and-So, or if I had two hundred thousand francs of income, if I were your mistress and I had another lover besides you, you would have the right to ask me why I deceived you. But I am Mlle Marguerite Gautier, I am forty thousand francs in debt, I have not a penny to my name, and I spend a hundred thousand francs a year, which makes your question idle and my response futile.
The author adds several intriguing layers to the story. For instance, Armand’s father represents society’s answer to deviant elements. This aspect of the story somewhat reminded me of The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, where the suppression of women is also a theme, though expressed differently. Armand’s behaviour and thoughts draw parallels to Marcel Proust’s protagonist (The Prisoner). Finally, I appreciated the symbolic significance of the camellias. The Lady of the Camellias is a book worth reading.
If you loved me, you would let me love you in my own way; instead you continue to see in me nothing but a girl to whom luxury is indispensable, and whom you believe yourself always forced to pay for. You are ashamed to accept the proofs of my love. In spite of yourself, you intend to leave me one day, and out of delicacy you make sure your behavior is unexceptionable. Fair enough, my friend, but I had hoped for better.
