7 h 28 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What is love worth in a world that puts a price on a woman?
In Paris, an auction draws a narrator into the life of Marguerite Gautier, a courtesan whose belongings must pay her debts. A book brings him to Armand Duval, the young man who loves her. As Armand tells his story, the woman behind the reputation begins to emerge.
Marguerite wants to be loved for herself. Armand has deep feelings but modest means, and he cannot bear to share her. In Alexandre Dumas fils's Camille (The Lady of the Camellias), their hope for a life together meets the pressure of money, illness and a family's good name.
What you’ll discover
- The woman behind the scandal Meet Marguerite beyond her rich admirers, through her longing to be loved for herself.
- Love with a cost Follow Armand as his devotion meets the limits of his income and his jealousy.
- A quieter life Leave Paris for a small house in Bougival, where Marguerite tries to live differently.
- A father's good name See how Monsieur Duval's concern for his son puts family reputation against private feeling.
- A question of worth Consider who gets to judge a woman: her admirers, respectable families, or her friends.
Is it for you?
This book suits you if you like short, emotional novels set in nineteenth century Paris, or if you know La Traviata and want its source. It may feel too sentimental if you prefer cool, ironic or fast plotted fiction.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An auction opens a locked life
- A young man watches a woman he cannot have
- Love grows, and money stands in its way
- A quiet life in the countryside
- The pressure of family and reputation
- What the story means and how it is told
Who’s who
- Marguerite GautierA beautiful, consumptive Paris courtesan who always carries camellias and who wants, against her habits, to be loved for herself.
- Armand DuvalA young man of modest means and fine feeling who falls deeply in love with Marguerite and cannot bear to share her.
- The narratorA Paris observer who buys a book at the auction and becomes the confidant who hears and passes on Armand's story.
- Prudence DuvernoyMarguerite's neighbour and friend, a dressmaker who arranges meetings and lives off the world of kept women.
- Monsieur DuvalArmand's father, a respectable provincial official who wants to protect his son and the good name of his family.
- The old DukeA rich old man who supports Marguerite because she reminds him of his dead daughter and who asks only for her company.
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- Large print hardcover
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Die Kameliendame
by Alexandre Dumas· 1848
A courtesan and a young man face love’s social costs.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
An auction opens a locked life
The narrator sees a notice of a sale at an apartment in Paris. The owner, Marguerite Gautier, has died, and her debts mean everything she owned must go under the hammer. He joins the crowd of curious visitors, many of them women of the same world she lived in. The rooms are full of fine furniture, silver, porcelain and jewels, all the marks of a life paid for by other people.
The narrator had seen Marguerite only a few times, in the street and at the theatre. He remembers her beauty and her elegant carriage. Above all he remembers the camellias she carried everywhere. Dumas uses this detail to give her a name and a sign. Her flowers are white for most of the month, and red for a few days of it, and the book lets you guess what that means.
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The author
Alexandre Dumas fils
1824–1895 · French novelist and playwright
Alexandre Dumas fils was a French novelist and playwright, born in Paris in 1824. He was the son of the writer Alexandre Dumas. He published the novel The Lady of the Camellias in 1848 and adapted it as a play in 1852. He died in Marly-le-Roi, France, in 1895.
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What is Camille by Alexandre Dumas fils about?
It tells of a young Parisian, Armand Duval, and his love for Marguerite Gautier, a courtesan with tuberculosis. Their romance runs into debt, family pressure and the harsh judgment of society.
Why is it called The Lady of the Camellias?
Marguerite is always seen with camellias, white most of the month and red for a few days. The flowers mark her public image and hint at her private life.
Is Camille a true story?
It is fiction based on fact. Dumas wrote it in 1848 after his affair with the courtesan Marie Duplessis, who died in 1847, but he changed names and many details.
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