After the execution of Louis XVI, on January 21, 1793, France was in a constant state of alarm due to the various confrontations with the European’s monarchies that opposed the revolutionary mobilizations. Meanwhile, two of the French political factions, that enjoyed of greater influence, were in conflict; the Jacobins (Radical Republicans), and the Girondins (Moderate Republicans). Taking advantage of this tense situation, other parties were trying to break free Marie Antoinette of Austria, the Queen, and save her from a certain death. Marie Antoinette, like her husband, Louis XVI, had been arrested on August 13, 1792, and remained locked up in custody in the Temple Tower along with her children and her sister-in-law, Princess Elizabeth. Many years later, Alexander Dumas, inspired by the figure of one of the conspirators at that time, created the character of the Knight of Maison-Rouge, whose name gives this book its title. The novel describes, chapter after chapter, the intrigues of the most faithful servant of the Queen.
However, the protagonist of the story is a different actor; Maurice Lindley, Officer of the National Guard, secretary of the Rue Lepelletier’s section, and Chief of Thermopylae.
On the night of March 10, 1793, Maurice is captivated by the beauty of a mysterious woman who is walking through the streets of Paris. Maurice decides to accompany the stranger to her home, which is located in the suburb of Saint Victor. When they get to this neighborhood, in a moment of distraction, Maurice loses sight of the young lady.
Surrendered to a dangerous passion, Maurice manages to find the whereabouts of this Madame, and he establishes a relationships with her. Through his loving bond with this woman, Maurice will see his head at risk as he is deceived by the Knight of Maison-Rouge in an attempt to see the Queen in private.
Characters:
Maurice Lindley
He is a patriot, of liberal education. He has participated in the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. He played, as well, an important role on August 10, 1792, when members of the different Sections of Paris, together with the National Guard, entered the Palais des Tuileries and defeated the Swiss Guard that constituted the defense of the castle. The King and his family had scape earlier that day seeking refuge in the National Assembly. However, this entity suspended the King from his functions ending the constitutional monarchy that had been established in September 1791. The National Assembly immediately ordered the arrest of the royal family.
Faithful to his revolutionary principles, Maurice is a character who differs from his compatriots by the nobility of his heart; never mistreating those unfortunates who are condemned to the guillotine, as it turn out to be the case of Louis VI.
There are some cowards who, totally deficient in real courage, retain a desire to torture the vanquished in order to persuade themselves that they are the conquerors (…), who now speak to you mounted guard near the scaffold on which perished the late king. My drawn sabre in my hand, I was prepared to slay any one who attempted to rescue him. Notwithstanding, on his approach I removed my hat, and turning toward my men said,— ‘Citizens, I here warn you that I shall run my sword through the body of the first man that insults the king.’ And I defy any one to assert that a single shout was heard to proceed from my company
(Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, by Alexandre Dumas; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; year 1897; page 167 and 168).
Jean Lorin
Patrol leader, Officer of the National Guard, as well as Maurice, and member of the Club of the Thermopylae. He is also a poetry lover, an activity to which he assiduously dedicates himself writing his own verses and reciting them in any dialogue he has with his comrades. Here is an example:
Eleonora, Eleonora! Now I ‘ve taught you how to love, Tell your passionate adorer Does the lesson weary prove?
(Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, by Alexandre Dumas; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; year 1897; page 21).
Genoveva de Treilly
She is a young woman of aristocratic manners and tastes, gifted with a great sensitivity for music and painting. The financial ruin of her family led her to accept a marriage of convenience with a close friend of her father, a man without any particular charm that belonged to a lower social class, and who was in possession of some fortune. Is also interesting to mention that Genoveva, from a very young age, saw her destiny attached to M.Morand’s by a feeling of brotherhood and gratitude. M.Morand had provided great relief to her relatives on more than one occasion. M.Morand was currently her husband’s partner.
Genoveva is a candid and gentle lady, although not lacking in outbursts of passion, occasionally indulging in the whim of being seductive.
The young woman let fall her hood, with a smile not quite free from coquetry, when, by the light of the moon, which at this moment shed its lustre between two clouds, he again beheld, for the second time, the raven hair hanging in masses of shining curls, the beautifully arched aud pencilled eyebrows overshadowing the almond-shaped eyes, so soft and languishing, an exquisitely formed nose, and lips fresh and brilliant as coral (…) Suddenly he felt a warm perfume pervade his face, and lips slightly touch his mouth, leaving between his lips the disputed ring
(Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, by Alexandre Dumas; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; year 1897; page 28 and 29).
Dixmer
Master tanner, Captain of the Hunters of Victor’s Legion, and husband of Genoveva de Treilly. He is an individual of a cruel nature, capable of carrying out the most Saintguinary acts driven by his resentment and his personal interests.
Kill an innocent woman ! Oh, Madame, what makes you say so 1 It must be that grief for my absence hasturned your brain (…) No, Madame, I do not wish to strike you ; nevertheless in all probability you will die. Only your death, instead of being as you seem to fear an ignominious one, shall be most glorious. Thank me, Madame ; while punishing, I will immortalize you (…) You will follow the end to which we were tending when interrupted on our route. In your own eyes and in mine, you will die guilty ; in the eyes of the world you will die a martyr
(Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, by Alexandre Dumas; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; year 1897; page 381).
M.Morand
He is Dixmer’s business partner. He is responsible for the skins’ manufacturing process through the use of acids provided by smugglers. He also keeps the factory’s accounts. He is a shy man, always dress in an elegant way; his manners denote a degree of distinction similar to Genoveva’s, and consequently superior to Dixmer’s.
He was a short man, dark, with bushy eyebrows, and wore green spectacles —like a man whose eyes are fatigued from excess of work — concealing his black eyes, but not effectually obstructing their scintillating gleams. At the first words he uttered, Maurice recognized that mild, yet commanding voice engaged in his behalf when endeavoring to save him from becoming a victim to that terrible discussion. He was habited in a brown coat, with large buttons, a white waistcoat; and his fine cambric shirt-frill was often during dinner smoothed by a hand which Maurice, no doubt from its being that of a tradesman, admired much for its beauty and delicacy of appearance
(Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, by Alexandre Dumas; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; year 1897; page 80).
Simon
He is a shoemaker; at the time the events are related, he works in an enclosure of the Temple Tower. The second son of the Queen[i], considered by the royalists as the successor to the throne, is entrusted to his care. The child is subjected to constant physical punishment and humiliation by the shoemaker.
This character is described as a rude, dirty and boastful person. During the course of the novel he rages at Lorin for being a handsome, intelligent, gallant and vigorous man. He is also contemptuous in his dealings with Maurice due to the friendship that unites him with the latter.
Mr., and Mrs. Tison
While Mr. Tison is in charge of cleaning the Temple Tower, his wife is responsible for searching the prisoners when she is order to do so (that is to say, the Queen, Marie Antoinette; the daughter of the aforementioned, the Royal Princess, the latter’s daughter; and the sister of Louis VI, Princess Elizabeth). Mr. and Mrs. Tison are both outraged when Santerre, Major General of the National Guard, forbids them to leave the Temple without authorization. Santerre also decides not to let them see their daughter during the time they are locked in the Tower since he has fired her as a laundress. Mr. Tison protests clumsily, exclaiming the following:
Ah, man Dieu!” said Tison, terrified, ” what are you saying to me ? Shall I not see my daughter except when I go out? (…) Well, then, I will go out altogether. Give me my dismissal. I am neither traitor nor aristocrat, that I should he detained in prison. I tell you I will go out
(Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, by Alexandre Dumas; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; year 1897; page 51).
Mrs. Tison, on the other hand, is desperate and blames the Queen for Santerre’s determination.
-My dear Madame Tison, -said the queen- you know… -I only know, Citizeness Capet, – said the horrible woman, gnashing her teeth- that you are the cause of all the misery of the people ; and also that I have reason to suspect you, and you know it
(Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, by Alexandre Dumas; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; year 1897; page 52).
Héloise Tison
She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tison. She works as a washerwoman. She is in charge of cleaning the prisoners’ clothes until Santerre prohibits her from entering the Temple. She lives in Rue des Nonandieres, nº 24.
The Widow Plumeau
A middle-aged woman who runs the tavern of the Temple Tower.
Turgy
He used to be one of the many servant of Louis XVI, and Marie Antoinette, when the royal family resided in the Tuileries Palace. Turgy was transferred to the Temple, where he continued his service, after the arrest of Louis VI. The National Convention fired the rest of the servants.
Arthémise
Dancer at the Paris Opera, and Lorin’s lover.
Scevola
Maurice’s servant.
Marie Antoinette of Austria
Widow Capet[ii]. She is portrayed as a generous, and sympathetic woman.
We must mentioned an interesting fact about her: Passing through the garden on the ground floor of the Temple Tower, one could see the room in which Louis XVI was held in solitary confinement before being executed. The Queen, whose rooms had been arranged on the upper floors of the Tower, had always refused to go down to the lower floor to prevent her eyes from resting on the place where her husband spent the last hours of his life.
Exhausted by anguish, the tears have left deep furrows on her face. The attempts of the Knight of Maison-Rouge to free her family, which give rise to the hope of saving her children from the martyrdom to which they are subjected by the Republic, are the only thing that keeps her alive.
God be praised, then ! ” cried the queen, falling with fervor on her knees. ” If he could write since this morning, he is safe. Thanks, God ! thanks ! So noble a friend deserves thy miraculous preservation
(Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, by Alexandre Dumas; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; year 1897; page 55).
Santerre
As we have already mentioned, Santerre is General of the Parisian Division of the National Guard, which is why he frequently appears on scene in command of a battalion. However, despite the degree of authority he possesses, he does not have the power to make important decisions regarding the Queen’s captivity.
Fouquier-Tinville
He is member of the Revolutionary Court, his functions are those of public prosecutor.
Mr., and Mrs. Richard
Mr. Richard is the designated custodian to lead over the administration of the prison located on the ground floor of the City Palace. His wife assists him in his tasks. As a marriage, both have their permanent residence in this building.
Duchesse and Gilbert
They are responsible for guarding Marie Antoinette inside the cell assigned to her in the Concierge. Of the two of them, Gilbert is the one who feels moved by the Queen’s plight; he frequently speaks words of encouragement to the latter to try to bring her relief despite her fatal fate. The following paragraph, cited bellow, is a good example of his behavior towards the Queen.
-Look ! -said Gilbert, in a low tone- how very pale she is; it is frightful! Those red circles round her eyesdenote her suffering. She has surely been weeping. -You well know, – said Duchesne- Capet’s widow never weeps. She is too proud for that. -Then she must be ill, -said Gilbert, and raising hisvoice:- Tell me, Citizen Capet, -said he- are you ill? -…Thank you, gentlemen, I am not ill; only I suffered much last night. -Ah, yes, your misfortunes! -No, gentlemen, my miseries are always the same (…) but I have suffered much inconvenience from the smell of the tobacco which that gentleman is smoking at this moment. Indeed, Gilbert was smoking, which was his habitual occupation. -Confound my stupidity! – cried he, much grieved from the kindness with which the queen had expressed herself-. Why did you not tell me so before, Citizen? -Because I thought, sir, I had no right to deprive you of any enjoyment. -Well, you shall be incommoded no more; by me, at least, -said Gilbert, casting away his pipe, which broke upon the tiles- for I shall smoke no more
(Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, by Alexandre Dumas; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; year 1897; page 333, 334 and 335).
Giraud
Architect of the city.
Gracchus
Jailer of the Concierge.
Girard
Abbe of the Church of St. Landry.
Jacinta
Maid of the Abbe Girard.
Scenarios:
The Temple Tower
This fortress was built in the Middle Ages, in 1240, by the Order of the Templars. It began to serve as a prison after the French Revolution; the members of the royal family were the only persons to be locked in there. The Temple Tower does not longer exist. Between 1808 and 1810, a large part of the building were demolished by order of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1860, Napoleon III ordered to destroy the remaining part.
The Concierge
This edifice is still located on the banks of the Seine. It’s also known as the City Palace. It used to be the residence of the kings of France between the 10th and 14th centuries. After Charles V left it to settle in the Louvre Palace, the ground floor became a state prison. The upper floors remained, since then, at the disposal of Parliament for the holding of its sessions.
Revolutionary Court
It had its headquarters inside the Concierge Palace, in a space wide enough to hold public trials. Most of the accused were sentenced to death.
National Institutions:
The National Convention
It was a constituent assembly created in September 1792 as a result of the dismissal of Louis XVI. Initially, it concentrated both the executive and the legislative powers. With the creation of the Public Safety Committee, it began to exercise the functions solely of the legislative power. The National Convention was dissolved on October 26, 1795, being replaced by the Directory.
Public Safety Committee
It was created in April 1793 by the National Convention with the purpose of stopping the reprisals of the royalists, the Girondists, and the European’s nations, for which it quickly acquired a repressive character and became one of the most important bodies in France. In December 1783 the Convention delegated executive power to this institution. The Public Safety Committee was in compliance with its functions until July 1795 when it was dissolved.
Attempts to free the Queen:
1st Kidnapping Attempt: Introducing the Knight of Maison-Rouge as a character in the novel
On the night of March 10, 1793, the Knight of Maison-Rouge enters the Temple district disguised as a National Guard hunter, and accompanied by a woman. The attitude of both arouses the suspicions of the sentry on duty who ends up raiseding the alarm. The guards immediately try to arrest them, but both characters escape in time taking refuge in a house on the Rue Saint Honoré.
2nd Kidnapping Attempt: The Carnations, and the Underground of the Widow Plumeau’s Tavern
Through a carnation given to the Queen, a paper is sent to her containing a message written in lowercase.
To-morrow, Tuesday, ask permission to walk in the garden(…) After two or three turns, feign to feel fatigued, approach the cabin, and ask the Widow Plumeau to allow you to sit clown. Then, in a moment, pretend to feel worse, and faint away. They will then close all the doors that they may be able to render you assistance, and you will remain with Madame Elizabeth and Madame Royale. Immediately the trap-door of the cellar will open Precipitate yourself, your sister, and daughter through this aperture, and you are all three saved
(Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, by Alexandre Dumas; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; year 1897; page 245).
Days before, the men of the Knight of Maison-Rouge had built an underground with the sole purpose of connecting the basement of the canteen of the Temple Tower to those belonging to a house located on the Rue de la Corderie. The plan was to kidnap the Queen when she entered the tavern, taking advantage of a moment of distraction of the battalion that was guarding that day.
3rd Kidnapping Attempt: The Concierge Subterranean
Another underground, of a different nature from the previous one, as it had already existed for a long time, passed below the Mayor’s office and led to the Council chamber, a room that had been arranged to serve as a cell for the Queen. By lifting a loose slab from the Hall of Lost Steps, anyone could enter in it and find himself in the enclosure where Marie Antoinette was guarded, removing, on the final path, another slab near a fireplace.
Look at the danger we run, -continued Giraud-. Well, now with a grating which I shall place in the middle of this underground passage before it reaches the cell of the Widow Capet, I shall save the country
(Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, by Alexandre Dumas; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; year 1897; page 353, and 354).
4th Kidnapping Attempt: The Identity Exchange
A man, by forcing into Marie Antoinette’s cell, would clear the entrance for a woman to approach the Queen with whom she would exchange her clothes allowing the monarch to leave the Ministry camouflaged. Meanwhile, his accomplice would kill the sentries guarding the dungeon.
5th Kidnapping Attempt: The lattice bars
One night, during her confinement in the Concierge, the Queen receives two letters, each from a different emissary. The first one gives her details about the attempted of which we have already spoken (the identity exchange that would be carried out the next day). The second, written by the Knight of Maison-Rouge, offers Marie Antoinette another alternative.
Madame, to-morrow, at half-past nine, a man will be conversing with the gendarmes who guard you, through the window of the women’s court. During this time your Majesty will saw the third bar of your window, going from the left to the right. Cut slanting. A quarter of an hour will suffice for your Majesty; and then be prepared to escape through the window. This advice reaches you from one of your most devoted and faithful subjects j one who has consecrated his life to your Majesty’s service, and would be happy also to sacrifice it for you
(Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, by Alexandre Dumas; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; year 1897; page 403, and 404).
The Queen could sneak into the Woman’s Courtyard by filing down the center bar of the lattice; this would allow to easily remove the other two. Once the bars were torn off she would escape through one of the exits of the Place Dauphine.
The plan to assassinate Marie Antoinette
The attempts to free the Queen, some more ingenious than others, completely failed. It is well known that Marie Antoinette died on the guillotine. Having reached this instance/stage, in which nothing could be done to save the unfortunate woman, the Knight of Maison-Rouge visits Abbe Girard.
-Now listen to me, Father! -said the Chevalier, in a voice hoarse with emotion- I have spoken like a submissive child ; I have not uttered one bitter word or uncharitable sentiment; no menace has escaped my lips. Yet now my head whirls ; fever burns in my veins; now despair gnaws my heart ; now I am armed. Behold ! here is my dagger. And the young man drew from hisbosom a polished blade which threw a livid reflection on his trembling hand
(Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, by Alexandre Dumas; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; year 1897; page 443).
The Knight of Maison-Rouge implores the Abbe his permission to disguised himself as an acolyte as he wishes to accompany the priest to the City Palace. Once they were there, both would enter into the Queen’s cell, and the Knight of Maison-Rouge would have an interview with her, since he had never been in Marie Antoinette’s presence, nor did she know him except by name. Abbe Girard agrees to this request, and before the Knight of Maison-Rouge leaves the scene we hear him say the following words:
Oh ! -murmured the Chevalier-, she shall die at least like a queen, and the hand of the executioner shall never touch her!
(Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, by Alexandre Dumas; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; year 1897; page 444).
Similarities between the events that actually occurred during 1793 in France, and Dumas’s novel:
The Carnation Plot
Carried out by Alexandre Gonsse de Rougeville, and Jean-Baptiste Michonis, the “carnation plot” consisted in a conspiracy to free the Queen during her confinement at the Concierge.
Alexandre Gonsse de Rougeville had been one of Louis VI’s servants when he was still King. Jean-Baptiste Michonis, on the other hand, was a prison inspector at the City Palace. At first, Jean-Baptiste appeared to be a faithful revolutionary until Alexandre Gonsse de Rougeville convinced him to support the royalist cause.
The Queen was transferred from the Temple Tower to the Concierge on August 1, 1793. On the 28th, Alexandre Gonsse de Rougeville entered Marie Antoinette’s cell accompanied by Jean-Baptiste Michonis. Alexandre Gonsse de Rougeville had two red carnations on his lapel, one of which contained a small paper with a message for the Queen. During the interview, Alexandre Gonsse de Rougeville dropped the two carnations as he approached the fireplace, and then he left the room. The Queen found the carnations, and among them the note in which Alexandre offered her money to bribe the sentries who guarded her cell. Marie Antoinette managed, the best she could, to compose an answer by tracing letters on a piece of paper with a pin; then she handed her response to one of her guards in whom she trusted the most. Unfortunately, this guard gave the letter to the janitor’s wife who gave it to Jean-Baptiste Michonis. The prison inspector took it upon himself to distort the marks made on the paper so that it would not serve as evidence against the Queen.
Two days later, on August 30, 1793, Alexandre Gonsse de Rougeville returned to visit the Queen together with Jean-Baptiste Michonis. The details of their plan were discussed at that meeting. The janitor and his wife, along with the gendarmes, were bribed to help with the escape attempt. As agreed, on the night of September 2, Michonis looked for Marie Antoinette at ten o’clock at night. Then he removed her from her cell under the pretext of having orders from the municipality to get her out of the Palace. In the meantime, Alexandre was waiting outside with a carriage to lead her to a house where she would be safe. The plan ended up failed due to one of the bribed sentinels who stood between Marie Antoinette and Jean-Baptiste Michonis before they managed to leave the Concierge. This sentry threatened to call for reinforcements to arrest them.
Regarding the note hidden in the carnations, there are two other versions about what happened with it afterwards. One of them states that the letter was discovered by one of the guards, and not the Queen. The other theory assures that the carnations were picked up from the ground by the janitor’s wife, and, noticing this, Alexandre Gonsse de Rougeville hurried to run after her to snatch them away.
Dumas relied on these episodes to write the following chapters:
Chapter XX. The florist
Chapter XXI. The red carnation
Chapter XXII. Simon the censor
Chapter XXV. The letter
The decree that separated the dolphin from her mother, Marie Antoinette
The fate of Louis Charles, called Louis XVII by the royalists, was a matter of concern for the Republic, as it was feared that the conspirators would use the child to reestablish the monarchy. The Public Salvation Committee decided, therefore, by decree, that the child should be separated from his mother; if Marie Antoinette managed to escape, her son would find himself isolated in an enclosure of the Temple Tower to which no one would have access. On July 3, 1793, the dolphin was separated from the Queen, and entrusted to the care of the shoemaker Antoine Simon, who became his guardian. Simon subjected the boy to physical and verbal abuse, which deteriorated the delicate health of the kid who ended up dying two years later.Dumas faithfully respected this historical fact.
The clumsy entrance of Marie Antoinette to the Palace of the Concierge
The Queen accidentally hit her forehead with a lintel when passing through the immense door of the Temple to be transferred to the State prison. This fact is recreated by Dumas, although in a different way, in Chapter XXXIV when Marie Antoinette enters the Concierge.
Accusation of pedophilia against Marie Antoinette
On August 14, 1793, the Queen was taken to the Revolutionary Court. During the trial, her son, Louis Charles, was forced to testify against her mother accusing both Marie Antoinette, and her aunt, Princess Isabel, of having sexually abused him. Marie Antoinette, indignant, addressed the audience begging the women to come to her aid, exclaiming: “Nature rejects such an accusation made to a mother. I appeal to all mothers present in the room “.
In his novel, Dumas uses a similar phrase in Chapter VI when the guards separate the Queen from her son by claiming they are acting for the good of the dolphin due to the depraved acts of her mother.
Dumas also refers to Fouquier-Tinville’s intention to present Louis Charles as a witness in the trial against Marie Antoinette. However, in his book, during the interrogation to which the child is subjected by Santerre and the public prosecutor, the dolphin avoids uttering a single word against his mother. This explains why in the novel the child is never brought to testify to the Revolutionary Court.
The member of the aristocracy who inspired Dumas to create The Knight of Maison-Rouge: Alexandre Gonsse de Rougeville
Alexandre was born on September 17, 1761. His father, François-Joseph Gonsse, was a farmer who managed to make fortune, and acquired several lands and properties. François-Joseph was distinguished with various honorary titles that his children later inherited, including Alexandre. Since his childhood, the latter had a deep desire to belong to the aristocracy, so he added the particle “de Rougeville” to his surname to hide the social circumstances of his family, among with the inferiority of his birth. In 1775, Alexandre joined the King’s Gendarmes Company, from which he would be expelled shortly after his admission. Despite this failure, Alexandre left to North America to participate in the US War of Independence in an endeavor to secure a military position. Upon his return, he forged several documents to obtain the Cross of Saint Louis’ Order, and the title of Knight with it. This fragdulent act allowed him to become a squire for Louis’ XVI brother, thus being involved in the assault on the Palais des Tuileries on August 10, 1792. Alexandre would remain isolated in a Parisian prison for a month. When he regained his freedom, he tried to save Louis XVI from the guillotine, but his efforts were in vain. After the death of the King, Alexandre Gonsse de Rougeville also tryied, on several occasions, to free Marie Antoinette. The carnation plot was his last attempt to achieve this purpose.
Personalities of the French Revolution included by Dumas in his novel
Although the book focuses on the conspiracies of the Knight of Maison-Rouge, and despite the fact of this being a fictional character, the narrative is framed, as we have already said, in the context of the political events that took place in France during 1793. To recreate the social tension of that time, Dumas incorporated several actors who existed in real life, and whose positions and functions have been described to the letter in the novel. Such is the case of Antoine Joseph Santerre, Antoine Quentin Fouquier-Tinville, Antoine Simon, Toussaint Richard and his wife, Marie Anne Richard, and finally Jean Gilbert. However, as far as the outcome of the book is concerned, there is one detail that we should mention.
Toussaint Richard, and his wife were bribed by Alexandre Gonsse de Rougeville and participated in the famous Carnation Plot. Jean Gilbert was also bribed, but he later betray his accomplices. Dumas dispensed with these facts for the development of his work. In his novel, Toussaint Richard, Mrs. Richard, and Jean Gilbert remain loyal to the Republic as they are never bribed by any realist. Therefore, the author of the book elaborates the Carnation Plot in a different way, using the Temple Tower as the setting, and not the Concierge as it actually happened.
Critique
When writing any type of story, even seemingly insignificant information play an important role in giving a sense of unity to the literary work. No detail is mentioned without a clear purpose, usually resulting in the subsequent clarification of some intrigue. However, in the present novel there are some facts that are not clarified, thus leaving several questions unanswered.
A) Genoveva’s mysterious visit to Auteuil
In Chapter XII, Genoveva meets an acquaintance of hers in the Auteuil‘s neighborhood. She appears accompanied by Maurice, but he does not enter into her friend’s house. Instead, he is forced to wait for Genoveva on the edge of a park that is a few miles away. This episode is not mentioned again in any other chapter of the book. Only a few additional details are revealed to the reader thanks to a dialogue between Genoveva and Dixmer that takes place when she returns from her walk with Maurice.
B) The Muscadin
When Maurice Lindley, and Jean Lorin are cornered by an armed group of citizens, who acusse them of being traitors, a group of young men suddenly appears to help them. These gentlemen wore luxurious clothes, and each one of them carried a saber and two pistols that hung from their belts. It is later deduced that the Knight of Maison-Rouge was leading these men.
This event is quite odd at this point of the story as the reader already knows the identities of the accomplices of the Knight of Maison-Rouge. It doesn’t make much sense to find this group of fameless aristocrats who never reappear on scene. It is contradictory that our conspirator has more allies, and, later, finds himself at his own when he loses contact with the only two persons that, at the first half of the book, tried to help him save the Queen.
C) The past of Genoveva, Dixmer, and Morand
We are aware of the fact that Genoveva’s family was ruined in the American war, and that her marriage to Dixmer was a bond of convenience. We also know that the latter was working as a business agent for Morand’s father before he was introduced to Genoveva. And, finally, we know that this couple moved to Blois after their wedding; Dixmer acquired his current house, in the old Rue Saint Jacques, together with the attached workshops that would constitute his factory. Morand ended up contributing half the capital becoming Dixmer’s partner.
Genoveva offers this sort of tale to Maurice to satisfy his curiosity about her past. However, as the novel develops, this information loses credibility when Maurice discovers a secret about Morand’s personal life; a secret that reveals a series of inconsistencies about the circumstances that have united him with Genoveva and Dixmer. As the story concludes, the true lineage of Genoveva, Dixmer, and Morand remains a mystery.
D) “Nothing”; the emblem of the letter that Maurice receives
As we have already said, on the night of March 10, 1793, Maurice Lindley accompanies an unknown woman to the suburb of Saint Victor. The next day, in the morning, he receives a letter from her in which she thanks him for the services rendered the night before.
From the beginning, Maurice suspects that he has protected an aristocrat when he intervened in an altercation between the mysterious woman and a group of volunteer guards who were strolling down the Rue de Grenelle. The English word “Nothing”, as the motto on the stamp of the letter that the lady sends to Maurice’s house, is probably an allusion to Great Britain, one of the main countries that opposed the impeachment of Louis XVI, and, therefore, the French Revolution. The idea to which this detail seems to allude is not developed by Dumas; consequently, perhaps the most important enigma of the novel is discarded by the writer as a subject devoid of connection with the events narrated.
Conclusion
The story respects the logical scheme of the narrative tradition of the XIX century by which every novel must have an introduction, a development, and a denouement. Dumas always stood out for his great ability to write plots that captured the interest of readers; his style is that of a dynamic narrative with some touches of humor. Therefore, the storyline is captivating, and easy to read. Dumas’s mastery, in this regard, outweighs his faults as the writer of this book; hence, the flaws pointed out are hardly perceived as such.
[i] Louis Joseph, the first male son of Louis XVI and María Antonieta, died when he was eight years old in 1789. His brother, Louis Charles, became the only heir to the Crown.
[ii] Hugh Capet was the first monarch of the House of Capet from which Luis VI and his children descended. The surname “Capet” was frequently used to refer to the Queen and his second son, Louis Charles.
