The Marquise de Brinvilliers
The Marquise de Brinvilliers is a historical novel by Alexandre Dumas, first published in 1847. It tells the story of the infamous Marquise de Brinvilliers, a French noblewoman who was convicted of poisoning her father and two of her brothers in the 17th century. The novel follows the Marquise’s life from her childhood to her eventual execution. It details her rise to power and wealth, her secret affair with a soldier, her involvement in a plot to poison her father and brothers, and her eventual downfall. Along the way, the novel explores the themes of justice, morality, and the power of love. The novel is written in a vivid and engaging style, and is full of suspense and intrigue. It is a classic of French literature, and is still widely read today.
By Alexandre Dumas · First published 1839 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Mystery · 27,367 words
First lines
Towards the end of the year 1665, on a fine autumn evening, there was a considerable crowd assembled on the Pont-Neuf where it makes a turn down to the rue Dauphine. The object of this crowd and the centre of attraction was a closely shut, carriage. A police official was trying to force open the door, and two out of the four sergeants who were with him were holding the horses back and the other two stopping the driver, who paid no attention to their commands, but only endeavoured to urge his horses to a gallop. The struggle had been going on same time, when suddenly one of the doors violently pushed open, and a young officer in the uniform of a cavalry captain jumped down, shutting the door as he did so though not too quickly for the nearest spectators to perceive a woman sitting at the back of the carriage. She was wrapped in cloak and veil, and judging by the precautions she, had taken to hide her face from every eye, she must have had her reasons for avoiding recognition.
What this Textopian page supports
The Marquise de Brinvilliers is listed on Textopian as a novel by Alexandre Dumas, dated 1839 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Alexandre Dumas
- Date: 1839 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Mystery, Adventure
- Length: 27,367 words
- Structure: 1 section, 802 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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Similar titles
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Genres
- Historical Fiction — The Marquise de Brinvilliers is a novel based on the life of the real-life Marquise de Brinvilliers, a French aristocrat who was convicted of poisoning her father and two of her brothers in the 17th century. The novel follows her life and the events leading up to her conviction. As such, it is a work of historical fiction.
- Romance — The novel follows the Marquise's life, including her romantic relationships with various men. As such, it contains elements of romance.
- Mystery — The novel follows the Marquise's life, including her attempts to cover up her crimes and the investigation into her activities. As such, it contains elements of mystery.
- Adventure — The novel follows the Marquise's life, including her travels and adventures. As such, it contains elements of adventure.
Tags
Biography · Crime · Crime Nonfiction · Criminals · Social Studies · body · box · brinvilliers · confession · d'aubray · day · death