French novelist, lawyer, husband and father; these are all things that Alexandre Dumas has been called. Alexandre Dumas was born July 24, 1802 in Villers-Cotterets, France (The Editors). He is most famously known for his works of literature. Dumas has written many books, his most famous being The Three Musketeers or The Count of Monte Cristo (The Editors). Through events in Dumas’ life, he was inspired to write; and through his writing, he inspired or influenced society. Other well-known writers, his own father, and his life influenced his writing, while he influenced the culture of his time and effects society today.
One of the influences that effected Dumas writing was other writers. Dumas’ favorite authors were Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott. Both of these authors were well know play writers (Affron). This was a huge influence on Dumas’ life because he didn’t at first start writing novels, he first wrote plays. In Dumas’ plays, his writing skills were very apparent. An article on Discover France, Charles Affron said, “Dumas’s literary strengths were expressed flamboyantly in dramatic conflicts, sudden reversals, and coincidences so thrilling that the audience had no time to examine the plot’s logic.
Thrills and conflict are apparent throughout most of his books. In his books, he always keeps the audience hooked and guessing on what will happen next. In The Man in the Iron Mask, there was a plot twist at every turn. This is a skill few possess. Without authors such as Shakespeare, Dumas would have never experimented with his writing, and he may have never become the great author he is deemed to be today. These authors were not the only things to influence him; his father Thomas-Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie also influenced his writings.
The Count of Monte Cristo is a symbol of how ThomasAlexandre Davy de la Pailleterie affected his son. Dumas was inspired by his father and Dumas infused his father’s characteristics into many of his most famous characters. Thomas-Alexandre was an African American general of the French army. The Harvard Magazine called him, “Every bit as gallant and extraordinary as D’Artagnan and his comrades rolled into one. ” Dumas’ father had a significant impact on his writing. If Thomas-Alexander hadn’t been as brave and valiant as he was, how would the characters change?
They wouldn’t have been as fearless or admirable. They would have just been wimpy under-developed characters. If not for ThomasAlexander’s life experiences, most likely Dumas’ most famous writings would never have come to life. These would include The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. ThomasAlexander was a key influence in all of Dumas’ books. Without him Dumas might not have been the author he is known to be today. Dumas’ father was not the only thing that influenced his writing though, Dumas’ daily life and work highly influenced his work.
Dumas wrote adventures based on things that actually happened. He wrote about people he actually meet and historical events that can be proven that they happened. Some of his writing is fiction, but parts of it were based on events that happened in Dumas’ life. A great example of this is The Man in the Iron Mask. In his book, Dumas wrote about a prisoner who was forced to wear an iron mask to hide his true identity. This prisoner was King Louis XIV’s twin brother in the book. That was just a conspiracy theory though.
However, historians have been able to prove that there was a man in Bastille that was forced to wear a mask to hide his identity (Andrews). Dumas used this real event to write his story. This book is a great example of how Dumas used real events that happened during his life to write stories. If Dumas’ life, culture, and society weren’t built the way they were, none of the fantastic stories Dumas wrote would exist. While all of these things affected his writing, his writing also affected society. Dumas’ writing has affected society in many ways.
Today, Dumas is known as one of the most well know French novelist, but that wasn’t how Dumas was always seen though (Biography. com). When he first started writing, his literature was dismissed and overlooked. This was true until he passed away in 1870 (The Editors). Many people believed that it was because of his race that his work was not accepted, but many people believe that it was just a difference in the style of literature he wrote compared to the other books that were written in that time.
His writings were very influential in changing the way people thought and acted. Even today, his work is affecting people’s lives. Although Dumas was alive over one hundred years ago, his work is still affecting our society today. His work has been so influential,l that his work has been translated into many languages. Books such as The Man in the Iron Mask, The Three Musketeers have been made into blockbusters. These stories have also affected many other authors of our generation. Many concepts that Dumas wrote about have been reused in other people’s work.
His work has been turned into movies, Broadway shows, comic books, and board games (The Three Musketeers). With all of these modern day adaptations of Dumas’ work it’s impossible for it not have affected our society. It is still prevalent in today’s society, so it is still shaping and molding the way people think, and it is shaping our culture. Even after his death, Dumas is shaping our world. Without the authors, parental figures, and key life events that shaped Dumas writing, society would be completely different. His work has shaped our world today.
If Shakespeare hadn’t inspired Dumas to write, we wouldn’t have these great tales of adventure. If his father wasn’t a brave, inspiring man, we wouldn’t have the characters we’ve come to know and love. If Dumas had lived a different type of lifestyle or in a different period of time, we would have never known about the fantastic historical tales. Even though Dumas’ work is not plastered on every wall, it is still in the hearts and minds of many people in our society. This French novelist wrote about what he experienced, and in the process, he has changed our world culturally.