The Count of Monte Cristo
Analysis: Writing Style
Dumas doesn't mess around; like the Count himself, he's not one to mince words. There's simply too much story to tell, too much to waste on flowery language. Dumas was getting paid by the line, so there are some dialogue-heavy stretches (nothing fills a page like dialogue), but for the most part he'd rather flesh out the story, filling us in on Haydée's background or the downfall of Caderousse, than write flowery speeches.