The Black TulipAlexandre Dumas's novels are notable for their suspense and excitement, their foul deeds, hairsbreadth escapes, and glorious victories. In The Black Tulip (1850), the shortest of Dumas's most famous tales, the real hero is no Musketeer, but a flower. The novel - a deceptively simple story - is set in Holland in 1672, and weaves the historical events surrounding the brutal murder of John de Witte and his brother Cornelius into a tale of romantic love. The novel is also a timeless political allegory in which Dumas, drawing on the violence and crimes of history, makes his case against tyranny and puts all his energies into creating a symbol of justice and tolerance: the fateful tulipa negra. This new edition reprints the first, classic English translation. David Coward sets the novel in the context of its author's life, the turbulent history of the Dutch Republic, and the amazing `tulipmania' of the seventeenth century which brought wealth to some and ruin to many. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more. |
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Common terms and phrases
ઃઃ Alexandre Dumas answered Baerle's brothers De Witte Buitenhof bulbs burghers carriage cell CHAPTER child Cornelius De Witte Cornelius Van Baerle Cornelius's Craeke cried Cornelius cried Rosa daughter dear Rosa death door dry-room Dumas Dumas's Dutch executioner eyes father flower French garden girl godson grand black tulip Grand Pensionary grated window Grotius guard Haarlem Hague hand heard heart Heaven Highness Holland honour Horticultural Society hundred thousand guilders Isaac Boxtel jailer John De Witte Loevestein look Louis XIV Master Gryphus Monseigneur morning muskets Mynheer Cornelius Mynheer Van Herysen never night officer Orangist pale paper pigeons poor Prince Prince of Orange prisoner replied Rosa's scaffold servant smile Southwold Stadtholder staircase sucker tell thought to-morrow took town trembling tulip-fancier tulip-grower turned round uttered voice watched whilst William of Orange young