Carnation Girl

Author: (French) Alexandre Dumas fils, translated by Li Yumin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: La Dame aux Camélias depicts the tragic love story of a courtesan, drawing from the real-life story of a prostitute in Paris at the time. According to research, this prostitute was named Hortense Plessis. Due to poverty, she ran away from home to Paris at the age of fifteen. With her natural intelligence and charm, she began frequenting the grand dance halls of Paris, becoming a target for wealthy men and nobles to pursue. Later, she exchanged her beauty and body for a luxurious lifestyle. Eventually, she fell ill with tuberculosis from excessive drinking, revelry, and unrestrained sexual indulgence, coughing up blood and dying at the young age of twenty-three.
The protagonist of the novel, Marguerite, was originally a poor country girl who came to Paris to earn a living. Unfortunatly, she fell into the world of prostitution and developed a habit of extravagance. She indulged in reckless pleasure to numb herself, but deep down, she despised this hollow life. This fallen woman, who still retained a pure heart, longed for true love. Later, she was moved by the sincere heart of Armand and fell deeply in love with him. They lived a happy pastoral life in the countryside, far from the city of Paris. Marguerite's wounded heart began to heal, and she resolved to completely break free from her past habits and live a normal life with Armand.
Unfortunately, the arrival of Armand's father shattered her dream. His hypocrisy and selfishness once again pushed Marguerite into disaster. Forced to leave Armand, she later suffered various insults and harms from him, who misunderstood the situation. Eventually, she succumbed to exhaustion and took her own life.