This blog contains spoilers! Downton Abbey spawned such a high degree of loving obsession from people around the world that it would seem wrong if it never featured in this blog series. We were late arrivals to it: by the time we were catching up, there had already been three series and their associated Christmas Specials. Everybody knew that Matthew died in a car accident at the most inopportune moment possible, and that the lovely Lady Sybil died in childbirth. I do wonder how differently I would have felt about the series if I had experienced the same shock as those who watched it the first time round. Now, I'll caveat the following statement with the fact that I love Downton Abbey - it's one of my comfort series that I'll go back to time and time again to watch on my phone. But, in writing terms, I think it's something of a cautionary tale. The tale being: know when to stop. The first three series of Downton Abbey are pure drama, taking us powerfully - and often pa...
Historical fiction is not a new idea, and the nineteenth century teemed with it. Literary giants like Walter Scott, Charles Kingsley and Robert Louis Stevenson all delved into the realms of the past to set their adventures, many of their stories recalling the bygone idealism of chivalry which was deemed as sorely missing from their own times. The restructuring of the class system, as the industrial revolution grew, created a certain amount of nostalgia and, from this, grew a renewed readership for the past.
This wasn't just happening in Britain and, in the spring of 1844, Alexandre Dumas serialised what was to become one of the best known stories in the world: "Les Trois Mousquetaires" or "The Three Musketeers". This remains a title thousands of people recognise, but only a fraction of them have read.
The Three Musketeers - yes, I read it in English because my French is limited to saying hello and goodbye - is my favourite book and I keep hoping to find a film which actually lives up to it. But I have finally come to accept that part of what I love the most about the book is the narrative and the shrewd observations made in the narrator's passing comments. It's witty, light-hearted, adventurous and fun, but it also features storylines which are dark and, in some cases, vindictively evil.
With spies and devious actions from both the politically-minded Cardinal Richelieu and the loyal musketeers, both sides are vying to out-do the other in wit and cunning. But, as in all good plots, nothing is black and white and, while modern interpretations have made the cardinal into the "bad guy", he is only persevering to protect what he deems important.
The final portion of the book is the part which elevates it far and away above most of its movie counterparts. If you're looking for a happy ending, be prepared for it to be tinged with sadness. The conclusion to this book is brilliantly real, with strong emotions, love, heartbreak and remorse all playing their part.
Overall, read this book! On the surface it is a fantastic swashbuckling adventure, but you can also delve deeper into the political undercurrents which run through every storyline in the book - and, yes, there are a good many of those!
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