1) Obviously, this chapter feels like quite a departure from the main story. Is it possible that Dumas’ decision to set part of TCoMC in Italy had less to do with the demands of the plot and more to do with a commercial appeal to the romantic, adventurous imagination of his readers?

2) There seem to be echoes of Dantès littered throughout Pastrini’s story: Carlini loses both his beloved and a father figure; Luigi Vampa becomes an outlaw extraordinaire; Sinbad saunters by. Does Pastrini’s tale ring true? Or could it all be Dantès’ concoction?

3) The female characters generally seem to exist only as backdrops against which male urges (e.g., lust, revenge) play out. Do you think 19th-century female readers of TCoMC would’ve taken umbrage at this narrow portrayal of women?

Final sentence of chapter:

”So saying, the two young men went down the staircase, and got into the carriage.”

previous chapter discussion

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