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Originally Posted by Pajamaman
I partially disagree. It has endured IMO because it is so well written and just so much fun! It is the most read in French. I know of nothing else like it in French. It is a total exception. And comparing it to English books of the time, I must say I think nothing compares to it for just downright entertainment. And think of the other classics he wrote--The Count of Monte Cristo, The Man in the Iron Mask...Dumas was a remarkable author. When I feel down, I turn to Dumas for guaranteed giggles.
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Dumas seems to me to be in the Sir Walter Scott mode, whereas his contemporary Balzac would have been more Dickensian in his social commentary.
I do agree with you, though, that there is wit about Dumas and his tongue-in-cheek descriptions which makes the ride much more enjoyable than reading it for plot and characterization.