2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
"Devil's Gorge" is a little-known novel written by Dumas père between 1850 and 1851. The work at first glance seems simple and superficial, it is completely different from the traditional style of the brilliant French author. But page after page, an intricate plot and complex, multifaceted, contradictory characters are revealed to the reader.
"Devil's Gorge" Summary
The novel takes place in Germany in the early 1810s. Samuil Gelb is a self-confident and impudent young man who imagines himself to be the arbiter of destinies and intends to challenge God. He planned an attempt on the life of Napoleon himself, meanwhile ruthlessly ruining the happiness of his best friend. The young man plays with human destinies, and at first it seems that all these actions are performed only for fun. However, in every act of Samuel there is a meaning and purpose. Alexandre Dumas' novel The GorgeDevil" is the first book in the duology, followed by a sequel called "God Disposes".
The main characters of the novel
Julius and Samuel are best friends and stepbrothers. Julius is the legitimate son of a brilliant scientist, the German Baron Germelinfeld. Samuel is his bastard who grew up in a poor Jewish quarter. This is a very controversial character, but he is sympathetic to both the author of "Devil's Gorge" and his readers, despite all the disgusting actions. Samuel is a perfect example of a charming villain. At the beginning of the story, he appears as a harmless bully with outstanding leadership qualities. The victorious military campaigns of the French army do not allow the young man to sleep peacefully, and the triumph of Napoleon causes burning envy. This hero is attractive because, once in a difficult situation, he always finds an excellent way out of it. The young man is not handsome in the usual sense of the word, but he is bright, stunning, spectacular. Because of these characteristics, Samuel was elected king of the student body.
Julius is the exact opposite of his stepbrother. A kind, honest, brave and noble character, just the way the main character should be in traditional Dumas novels. In "The Devil's Gorge", however, he completely faded against the background of his antagonistic brother. Julius is soft and obedient, but he is not an ideal "good boy": he knows how to fight well, he served time in a university punishment cell for hooligan tricks, he thinks himselfnonconformist, like most young people of his age. At the same time, he is a dreamer, a romantic, a little naive and impeccably honest.
Most writers present characters in their novels as unambiguously positive or negative. But was Samuel a completely negative character? Extraordinarily intelligent, courageous, inventive, with a strong character, he often commands the reader more respect than the cowardly, constantly doubting and changing mind Julius. Because of his weakness, the family had to endure many hardships.
Storyline
Two friends, Julius and Samuel - the main characters of the book "Devil's Gorge", they are complete opposites of each other both in character and in appearance. Young people are stepbrothers, but this fact is known only to Samuel and his father, the famous scientist, Baron Germelinfeld. The self-confident Samuel imagined himself the arbiter of human destinies, joined the ranks of the secret society Tugendbund and began to prepare a cunning crime: the assassination of Napoleon.
One day Julius and Samuel go for a walk, but on the way they are overtaken by a thunderstorm. The young men are rescued by a charming shepherdess named Gretchen and brought to the pastor's house, where they meet Christina, the priest's youngest daughter. Gretchen liked Samuel, and Christina - Julius. The story could have ended there, but instead, a grandiose drama unfolds on the pages of the novel: Samuel decides to seduce both girls.
Events develop exactly according to Samuel's plan, the outstanding talents of the young man are revealed: he shows himself to be a brilliant chemist,architect, medic, duelist. He succeeds in literally everything. Julius marries Christina, but as a result, Samuel gets his way. The girl dies, as does her newborn baby.
Motives for Samuel's actions
In the novel by Alexandre Dumas "Devil's Gorge" the motives of the actions of the main characters are very ambiguous. Despite his cunning, Samuel involuntarily arouses the sympathy of readers, appearing before them in the form of an unfortunate boy born not from love. He dreams of being loved, that his own father would recognize him. Wanting to impress him, Samuel took up science and succeeded greatly in it. He makes great plans, strives for fame, succeeds in everything he undertakes, hoping only for one thing - that one day he will be loved.
Continuation of the story
"God disposes" - the continuation of the novel "Devil's Gorge", the second and final book of the dilogy. The plot takes place in France 17 years after the first events. Julius and Samuel grew up, but their characters remained the same. Some characters that were lost in the first book are back again, so this novel is definitely worth a read.
Short review
The novel is easy to read and captures attention from the first pages. Complex and interesting characters, unusual and strange, make you think about the reasons for their actions, reflect on the twists of fate, follow the development of relationships. Although the plot of the work is not new, Dumas père beat him onnew way, presenting an original and entertaining story. There was a place in it for love, and tenderness, fears, envy, jealousy, indifference. The end of the novel is quite predictable, but the continuation of the duology can surprise.
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