Authorship, Transmission and Adaptation through The Three Musketeers

This book offers a groundbreaking exploration of Alexandre Dumas's enduring legacy, focusing on his most celebrated work, The Three Musketeers. Despite its global popularity and cultural impact, critical studies on Dumas and his iconic novel are surprisingly scarce. This monograph breaks new ground as the first modern critical study dedicated to The Three Musketeers, examining its myriad adaptations across diverse cultures and media. Delving into the rich tapestry of Adaptation Studies, this book transcends traditional analyses by exploring a wide array of adaptations beyond the familiar Anglo-centric lens. From Latin America to India and the Slavic world, it provides a comprehensive examination of how The Three Musketeers has been reimagined in various cultural contexts. Readers will discover how this serialized novel evolved into a cornerstone of Western culture, tracing its journey through 19th-century printings, stage versions, and children's books. The book also investigates the global screen presence—or absence—of the Musketeers, highlighting contemporary interpretations in Indian, African, and East Asian cinemas. Scholars and enthusiasts alike will find this book invaluable for understanding Dumas's complex identity as a mixed-race author in 19th-century France. It sheds light on the criticism he faced during his lifetime and how he became the object of systemic erasure from his works. By examining how Dumas's identity has influenced the adaptation and circulation of his stories, this monograph reveals the intricate relationship between author and characters. This essential read is perfect for researchers in literature, film studies, cultural studies, and anyone intrigued by the fascinating interplay between text and adaptation. Dr. Ana Laura Magis Weinberg is an early career scholar. She holds a BA in English Literature from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and a PhD in Adaptation Studies from De Montfort University. She has written extensively on issues of adaptation, identity, and global cinema, specializing on Shakespeare in Bollywood as well as versions of The Three Musketeers on screen. She is the only Latin American woman to have been published in The Arden Shakespeare (in the volumes Recontextualizing Indian Shakespeare Cinema in the West (2023) and The Reality of 21st-Century Shakespeares in Geographies of Postcolonial Inheritance (forthcoming)). She is currently working on a project on Shakespeare in the Latin American imagination.