The Red House were the fiercely dedicated and heroically
resolute personal guard of King Louis XVI and his family,
so named for their brilliant red cloaks. Dumas resurrects
their commander (The Red Knight) as his secret agent in
disguise, executing an inspired conspiracy to rescue
Marie-Antoinette from, first the Temple Prison, and then
the prison at the Conciergerie.
[Quoted from the Biblioctopus
catalog.]
Oeuvres/Related Works The Chevalier de Maison Rouge - New York, A. L. Burt, n.d., The Home Library, bef. 1911 The Chevalier de Maison-Rouge - New York, P. F. Collier & Son, n.d., The Works of Alexandre Dumas in Thirty Volumes (vol. 11), blue cloth, gilt spine
From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: One of Dumas' best known romances. The character of Lorin is considered to be the "beau ideal" of the finest class of Republican.
The narrative deals with the conspiracy of the Chevalier de Rougeville for the rescue of Marie Antoinette from the Temple. Period 1793.
It was concerning this story that Dumas, to prove his statement that he never put pen to paper until the entire plot of the piece was complete to its last detail in his mind, made a wager that he would write the first volume (in the original edition) in seventy-two hours, inclusive of time for meals and for sleep. He won with six hours to spare, and the MS. showed neither erasure nor correction.
This work was originally announced, before publication, as "Geneviève, ou un Épisode de '93:" later this was changed to "Le Chevalier de Rougeville, ou un Épisode de '93;" and then finally to its present title.
At the end of Chapter LV. of his historical work, "Le Drame de '93," Dumas tells in a brief but startling anecdote the cause of the change of the title. Doubting the likelihood of this none too easily believable tragedy, M. G. Lenotre, the celebrated historian of the Revolutionary period, took the pains to investigate in the journals and records of the time, only to find ample proof that Dumas' statement was absolutely accurate. Maquet collaborated in this work, which, intended later to be the concluding portion of the long series beginning with "Joseph Balsamo" ("Mémoires d'un Médecin"), failed to fit into its niche, so that the Philippe de Taverney Maison-Rouge of the last named work is assuredly not he of the "Chevalier de Maison-Rouge." Actually the work now being considered stands alone in the long array of romances.
It first ran as a serial in the "Démocratie Pacifique," a not very largely read paper, so that when, in the following year, a dramatised version appeared at the Théâtre Historique it had for many of the spectators all the freshness of an unknown plot.
Original edition: Bruxelles, Hauman, 3 vols., 32mo., 1845.
Original French edition: Paris, Alexandre Cadot, 6 vols., 8vo., 1845-1846. Pagination : 307, 316, 296, 312, 303, 333. Only the first 58 pp. of Vol. VI. are occupied with the romance, the remainder consisting of "La Chasse au Chastre." (Refer to page 134.)
Dumas had published a fragment of this work in the previous year, under the title of "Un Episode de 1793, extrait du roman 'Le Chevalier de Maison-Rouge.' " Paris, Desloges, 1845, 18mo., pp. 34.
First illustrated edition : Paris, Marescq et Cie., 1853, 4to., with illustrations by Lampsonius.
Edition de Luxe : Paris. Émilie Testard, 2 vols., vellum wrappers, reproducing exactly the title-page, with vignette, in the case of each volume. Vol. I. contains 74 illustrations in the text and a vignette on the title-page ; Vol. II. has 82 text illustrations and a vignette on the title. There is also an edition containing, in addition, a. preface by G. Larroumet and a set of ten engravings by J. Le Blant, executed by Géry-Bichard. These plates and preface were also issued separately in a portfolio. The woodcuts in the text are also after Le Blant, engraved by Léveillé.
Paris, Louis Conard. 1923—, illustrated by wood engravings by Victor Dutertre, from designs by Fred-Money, 2 vols.. 18mo.
It occupies two volumes in the standard Calmann-Lévy edition ; one in their "Musée Littéraire," and one also in their illustrated series.
In the Le Vasseur "Alexandre Dumas Illustré" it forms part of Vol. IV
References :— Quérard: "Supercheries Littéraires Dévoilées," Vol. I., Column 1111. Parran: "Bibliographie d'Alex. Dumas," pp. 54-55.
Lenotre (Georges): "Le Vrai Chevalier de Maison-Rouge."
Lenotre (Georges): Introduction to Louis Conard's edition of the choice works of Dumas. It first appeared as an article in the "Revue des Deux-Mondes," Nos. for February 1st and 15th, 1919.
Dumas: "Le Drame de '93," Chapter LV.
Parigot: "Alexandre Dumas," a number of references. Blaze de Bury: "Alexandre Dumas," pp. 228-231.
Simon (Gustave) : "Histoire d'une Collaboration : Dumas et Maquet."
Principal English Translations :—
"Marie Antoinette; or, the Chevalier of the Red House, a Tale of the French Revolution;" London, George Peirce, pp. 413, illustrated, 1846. It was also published in weekly and monthly parts.
"Marie Antoinette; or, the Chevalier de Maison-Rouge, an Historical Romance of the French Revolution;" Glasgow, R. Griffin and Co., 1850 or earlier.
"Château Rouge;" London, Routledge, .12mo.. 1859. This edition has frequently been re-published by the same firm as "The Chevalier de Maison-Rouge," and now forms a volume of their "Aramis Edition." For some strange and rather unfortunate reason not known, since Lorin is one of Dumas' famous characters, in these editions of Routledge he is misnamed Louis.
"The Chevalier de Maison-Rouge;" London, Dent. 1 vol.. cr. 8vo., illustrated, 1895. Reprinted, same firm, 1907 and 1926.
"The Chevalier de Maison-Rouge;" London, Collins, 12mo., illustrated, pp. 378,1893.
From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: (CXXXVIII.) 94 lines of snatches of song by Lorin; these are scattered throughout the romance. 22 of them appear also in the drama.
