I've been between four and five stars on this one, but thought I'd be positive this once :)

I think this narrative is an incredible example of just what the novel can do - I'd be inclined to present it as justification for the invention of the form. It's a novel of endless shenanigans, treachery and melodrama.

In his introduction, Robin Buss appears to be keen to defend TCOMC from the label of 'popular fiction' by pointing out the references to Horace, Shakespeare etc - If pressed, I think I'd be inclined to defend popular fiction: I don't see that labelling Dumas as a popular novelist necessarily disparages his works.

Having said this, there are wonderfully thunderous moments that evoke Milton, the Tempest, Virgil, and others. I am thinking in particular of the 'Ideology' chapter appx halfway through :)

A cherry on top for me was the careful overlaying of The Divine Comedy as analogue - most obviously suggested by the name of Dantès. Dumas has thoroughly impressed me with this. Consider the descent (Inferno) of Chateau D'If and the WONDERFUL twist in the name Monte Cristo (that took far too long to click for me), the ascent of Purgatory being in the name of holiness. Thus, Christ's Mountain/Monte Cristo. I presume others came to this conclusion.

One learns an awful lot about poison when reading this novel, if that is to anybody's interest.

It looks gorgeous on my shelf!