The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

This section has plenty of action with Fouquet racing for his fortified island and Colbert and the king in hot pursuit, by carriage, horse, and boat. One of the few things we know about the historical figure named d'Artagnan is that he arrested Fouquet on behalf of Louis XIV. However, it's almost certain it didn't happen the way Dumas describes!

The scene between d'Artagnan and Fouquet before the arrest is quite entertaining with d'Artagnan basically warning Fouquet and telling him he should escape right away. Both characters realize too late that they could have been natural allies. Maybe back when d'Artagnan "retired" from the king's service, Aramis could have convinced him to serve Fouquet. There was plenty of money at that time, which always tempted d'Artagnan. Their "bromance" continues through the crazy chase (sorry for any animal lovers who have to read about how disposable these men considered their horses!) and the opportunity each has to kill or injure the other. Another example of Fouquet's nobility, I suppose. As it is, another last minute plot is foiled by the arrival of the king and the exceptional abilities of d'Artagnan. (Besides being a lover of the arts and of women, Fouquet is apparently a terrific equestrian.)

It's understandable that Colbert and also the musketeers might have been able to get to the coast in record time after Fouquet, and even the king, who would have the best horses. But the whole retinue - no way! We saw earlier what a big deal it was for them just to make it to Fontainebleau or other local sites.

What do you think of d'Artagnan's behavior and speeches toward both Fouquet and Louis? It seems to me that he was awfully close to losing the good graces of the king by his attitude and arguments against arresting Fouquet.

At the end we see Aramis and Porthos, each dealing with the crisis in their own way. Poor old loyal Porthos, who never had a clue!

I was sitting in a bus next to a horse lover when reading about the horse chase. It was well written, but also very cruel, and reminded of a modern car chase with crashes and explosions. It definitely had some action movie touch.
I was also amazed about the timings, but we have had these discussions before. It is interesting how different certain sections of the series feel. We had these long sections at court where days could hardly pass and then we have sections like this one where everything is just passing before your eyes like a movie.

Porthos is again so naïve. He finally understands what Aramis was up to and he accomplice to which actually means treason and therefore punishment. I do not know whether I can actually believe this. In The Three Musketeers I did not consider him so mentally weak. I would have thought he could have judged the situation himself and could at least question Aramis much earlier about the plans/ actions. He seems to be reduced to a kind of giant dog following his master blindly and protecting him in a way.

I agree that Porthos seems to be portrayed as both stronger and stupider as the series goes along. Originally, he was more vain than anything else.

Robin, I love how you summarized this section.

I finally read these chapters last night. I found all the parts about Fouquet boring - even the one with the chase. The entire time I thought to myself ‘ I don’t care what happens to Fouquet - he betrayed Aramis and I’m mad at him.’

I agree that Porthos is portrayed as too naive. But perhaps he respects Aramis too much and didn’t want to question him.
At least we finally see what Aramjs told him to get him to follow along. Porthos thought he was serving the true king 🤴 when in reality he was serving the usurper.
I don’t think Philippe is necessarily an usurper though - if anything they are both true kings.
Anyway, I respect Aramis for being honest. It’s clear he mostly feels bad for Porthos. His concern for his own demise is secondary, which proves he is not as selfish as most people think.
Everything in the sequels is exaggerated though - Porthos is invincible, D’Artagnan is the bravest soldier ever, Athos is ridiculously noble and Aramis is an evil genius.
I must admit I liked the characters better in the first book - they seemed so much more real. Now they are like cartoon versions of their old selves. Everything feels forced. Dumas milked the story for many chapters where essentially nothing significant happened and now he’s rushing to bring everything to an end. I’m disappointed 😔

Ana, great way to put it - they are now cartoons, which is a shame.