The Three Musketeers Chapter Summary & Analysis | Author's Preface

Author's Preface Summary

In the preface to the book, Dumas explains that he came across the Memoirs of Monsieur d'Artagnan while in the Bibliothèque Nationale doing research for a history of Louis the Fourteenth. He found these memoirs so fascinating that it led him to pursue further research to confirm the adventures of d'Artagnan and to discover the true identities of the men using the false names of Athos, Porthos and Aramis. He then presents his story as a previously undiscovered manuscript that brings to light the details missing from d'Artagnan's memoirs, and goes on to the first chapter of his tale.

Author's Preface Analysis

Dumas did get his inspiration for the story from the Memoirs de M. d'Artagnan, a work written by Gatien Courtilz de Sandras around 1700. Courtilz de Sandras was well known for greatly embellishing the historical works he presented as memoirs, so the further embellishments of Dumas hardly make the story less...
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