Riassunto
Riassunto di La figlia del Reggente
A chi è rivolto
For readers who love historical adventure, court intrigue and a love story set against real politics, and those who enjoy Dumas for his pace.
Che cos’è questo libro
The Regent's Daughter is a historical novel by Alexandre Dumas and his working partner Auguste Maquet, published in French in the 1840s as Une fille du Régent. It belongs to the long run of romances in which Dumas turns French history into adventure. It is set in the years of the Regency, after the death of Louis XIV, when the kingdom was ruled in the name of a child king by Philippe, Duke of Orleans.
The book is a companion to an earlier Dumas and Maquet novel from the same period of French history, but it stands on its own as a story. It gives you a court of private suppers, secret plans, clever ministers and young people caught between loyalty and love. It also gives you a ruler who is easygoing and brilliant, and who is hard to hate even when his enemies plot against him. Dumas wrote for readers who wanted pace, and this book keeps moving. Let us start with the world the story is set in.
In questo riassunto
- 1A kingdom ruled in a child's nameFree
- 2A ruler who is hard to dislike
- 3Dubois, the clever servant of power
- 4Young people drawn into dangerous plans
- 5Secret birth, honour and the claims of love
- 6How Dumas and Maquet tell it
Punto chiave 1 di 6
A kingdom ruled in a child's name
The story opens in the period known as the Regency. Louis XIV had reigned for decades, and when he died in 1715 his heir was a small child, the future Louis XV. Power passed to his nephew Philippe, Duke of Orleans, who governed as Regent. The mood of the country changed at once. The stiff, devout court of the old king gave way to a looser, wittier, more worldly Paris centred on the Palais-Royal, the Regent's home.
Dumas loved this setting because it was full of contrast. On one side stood the grand families who had served the old king and who resented the new ruler. On the other stood the Regent himself, who was clever, brave, fond of science and art, and famously fond of pleasure. His private suppers were the talk of the city. Enemies called them scandalous, and friends called them a sign of a relaxed and humane government.
The novel uses this world as a stage. It does not begin with battles or armies. It begins with rumours, quarrels and the sense that many people are working behind closed doors. A reader who knows nothing about the Regency can follow, because Dumas explains the people as they arrive and ties each to a motive.
The book also belongs to a line of Dumas novels that look at how history is made in small rooms. Great events come from private wishes, jealousies and favours. That is the habit of mind you meet from the first chapters, and it shapes everything that follows.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
- Nothing to pay today · Renews every year
- We email you before you pay
- Cancel online in two clicks
Questions about La figlia del Reggente
What is The Regent's Daughter about?
It is a historical novel set in Regency France, when Philippe of Orleans ruled for the child Louis XV. It follows court intrigue, plots against the Regent, and young people caught between love, honour and a family secret.
Who wrote The Regent's Daughter?
Alexandre Dumas wrote it with his collaborator Auguste Maquet. Maquet researched and shaped plots for many Dumas novels, while Dumas gave them their pace and dialogue. It appeared in French as Une fille du Regent.
Is The Regent's Daughter a true story?
No. It is fiction set among real events and people of the Regency, such as the Regent and Dubois. Dumas freely mixes invented characters with history, so it should be read as an adventure story, not a record.
Who was the Regent in the book?
He is Philippe, Duke of Orleans, who governed France from 1715 for the young Louis XV. The novel shows him as clever, brave and forgiving, with a taste for pleasure, and surrounded by rivals.
Is The Regent's Daughter hard to read?
Not usually. Dumas writes short chapters with quick dialogue and clear motives. Some knowledge of the Regency helps but is not needed, since the story introduces its people and their goals as it goes.