The Hero of the People

What It's About

This historical romance is set in the early days of the French Revolution, after the fall of the Bastille. King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette are forced to leave Versailles for Paris amid rioting and rising unrest. Alongside the royal couple, the story follows ordinary Parisians, including a locksmith and a gunsmith, who discuss events over wine with a mix of camaraderie and tension. Dumas makes the royal pair more human than the usual picture of them, and the book centres on the disagreement between the king and queen over how France should be ruled, set against a people hungry for change.

Key Concepts

The novel contrasts monarchy and popular power, and loyalty to the crown with the pull of liberty. It also explores class tension, the conflict between husband and wife over the royal response to the Revolution, and the personal cost of political upheaval.

About the Author

Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870) was a French novelist and playwright, one of the most widely read authors in the world. The grandson of a Haitian-born general and an enslaved woman, he rose to fame writing fast-paced historical fiction, often serialised in newspapers, and became a celebrity of his age.

About This Edition

This is an 1891 translation by Henry Llewellyn Williams.