Woman with the Velvet Necklace, The

The weird and fanciful episode of which Dumas has made Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann the hero is in Hoffmann's own peculiar vein, and might well have been a conceit of the gifted German himself, "who is chiefly celebrated," says Dr. Hedge,"for his successful use of the magic and demoniac element in fiction." Alexandre Dumas (also known as Dumas père) (1802-1870) was one of the most famous French writers of the 19th century. Dumas is best known for the historical novels The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, both written within the space of two years, 1844-45, and which belong to the foundation works of popular culture. Dumas' works are fast-paced adventure tales that blend history and fiction.