''The Queen's Necklace'' is a

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...

that was published in 1849 and 1850 (immediately following the

French Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (french: Révolution française de 1848), also known as the February Revolution (), was a brief period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundatio ...

). It is loosely based on the

Affair of the Diamond Necklace The Affair of the Diamond Necklace (, "Affair of the Queen's Necklace") was an incident from 1784 to 1785 at the court of King Louis XVI of France that involved his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette. The Queen's reputation, already tarnished by gossi ...

, an episode involving fraud and royal scandal that made headlines at the court of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

in the 1780s.

The Novel

The novel first appeared in serialised form in ''La Presse''. The story takes place between 1784 and 1785. It is the second in a series of four novels focused on the character of

Cagliostro Count Alessandro di Cagliostro (, ; 2 June 1743 – 26 August 1795) was the alias of the Italian occultist Giuseppe Balsamo (; in French usually referred to as Joseph Balsamo). Cagliostro was an Italian adventurer and self-styled magician. ...

, presented by Dumas as the man pulling all the strings of the affair.

Sources

The first chapters of the novel, which feature a dinner hosted by the old Marshal of Richelieu, were inspired by a text by Jean-François de La Harpe called ''The Prophecy of Cazotte''.''La Prophétie de Cazotte''
In this passage, the Count of Cagliostro predicts for the various guests ( Lapérouse, the Countess of Barry,

Condorcet Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis of Condorcet (; 17 September 1743 – 29 March 1794), known as Nicolas de Condorcet, was a French philosopher and mathematician. His ideas, including support for a liberal economy, free and equal p ...

and

Gustav III of Sweden Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...

, the count of Haga) the tragic end that awaits them and the execution of Louis XVI. This

foreshadowing Foreshadowing is a narrative device in which a storyteller gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. Foreshadowing often appears at the beginning of a story, and it helps develop or subvert the audience's expectations about upco ...

throws light on the tragic plot, as the reader already knows that the efforts of the protagonists, including the queen, to prove their innocence are doomed to failure. * Mme Campan, ''Memoirs of the Private Life of Marie Antoinette'', Baldwin, 1823.

Adaptations

The plot of the novel was fully or partially included in adaptations for

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, which also drew on the historical facts: *''Le Collier de la reine'', a short, silent film, directed by Etienne Arnaud and

Louis Feuillade Louis Feuillade (; 19 February 1873 – 25 February 1925) was a French filmmaker of the silent era. Between 1906 and 1924, he directed over 630 films. He is primarily known for the crime serials '' Fantômas'', '' Les Vampires'' and '' Judex ...

, released in 1909; *'' The Queen's Necklace'', directed by

Tony Lekain Tony Lekain, real name Tony Théodore Weill, (5 November 1888 – 26 December 1966) was a French film director, who was active during the 1920s and 1930s. Selected filmography * 1926 in film, 1926: ''Le Fauteuil 47'' with Gaston Ravel * 1927 ...

and Gaston Ravel, released in 1929; *'' The Queen's Necklace'', directed by Marcel L'Herbier, released in 1946; *''

The Affair of the Necklace ''The Affair of the Necklace'' is a 2001 American historical drama film directed by Charles Shyer. The screenplay by John Sweet is based on what became known as the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, an incident that helped fuel the French populace ...

'', directed by

Charles Shyer Charles Richard Shyer (born October 11, 1941) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. Shyer's films are predominantly comedies, often with a romantic-comedy overtone. His films include '' Private Benjamin'' (1980), ''Irreconcila ...

, released in 2001, whose plot follows that of the

, but whose elements have been drawn from the novel by Alexandre Dumas.

References

External links

The book on Ebooks for free
* Novels by Alexandre Dumas 1850 French novels Novels set in France Novels first published in serial form Fiction set in 1784 Fiction set in 1785 French novels adapted into films Works about the Affair of the Diamond Necklace Cultural depictions of Alessandro Cagliostro {{1850s-hist-novel-stub