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{{short description|1846–1847 novel by Paul Meurice and Alexandre Dumas}}
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'''''The Two Dianas''''' ({{langx|fr|Les Deux Diane}}) is a [[historical novel]] published in 1846–1847 under the name of [[Alexandre Dumas]] but mostly or entirely written by his friend and collaborator [[Paul Meurice]]. The "two Dianas" of the title refer to [[Diane de Poitiers]] (the mistress of [[Henry II of France|Henry II]]) and her supposed daughter, [[Diana de Castro]]. The novel's setting precedes Dumas's better-known "Valois trilogy." The principal character is [[Gabriel, comte de Montgomery]]; other characters include [[Martin Guerre]], [[Catherine de Médicis]], and [[Ambroise Paré]]. When Meurice later published a dramatisation of the novel, a letter supposedly written by Dumas was attached as a preface, stating that he had never even read the book and that Meurice was the real author. Nevertheless, it has been argued that Dumas was at least somewhat involved in the composition of the work. According to [[F. W. J. Hemmings]], ''The Two Dianas'' is "entirely lacking in Dumas's usual deftness of touch".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hemmings|first1=F. W. J.|title=Alexandre Dumas: The King of Romance|date=2011|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=9781448204830|pages=130-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O0j2MOu_ERwC&pg=PT130|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Meurice|first1=Paul|title=Les deux Diane: drame en cinq actes et huit tableaux|date=1865|publisher=Librairie Internationale|pages=ii|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GUY6AAAAcAAJ&pg=PR2|language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Munro|first1=Douglas|title=Alexandre Dumas Père: a bibliography of works translated into English to 1910|date=1978|publisher=Garland Pub.|isbn=9780824098360|pages=[https://archive.org/details/alexandredumaspe0000munr_q0h3/page/121 121]|url=https://archive.org/details/alexandredumaspe0000munr_q0h3|url-access=registration|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Dumas|first1=Alexandre|last2=Sigaux|first2=Gilbert|title=Œuvres d'Alexandre Dumas: Les deux Diane|date=1978|publisher=Club de l'honnête homme|page=xii|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vLPwAAAAMAAJ|language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Dumasian|date=1956|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jaRcAAAAMAAJ|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Bell|first1=A. Craig|title=Alexandre Dumas: A Biography and Study|date=1950|publisher=Cassell|page=398|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PO9DAAAAYAAJ|language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Two Dianas, The}}
{{Alexandre Dumas, père}}
[[Category:1846 French novels]]
[[Category:Novels by Alexandre Dumas]]
[[Category:Novels set in the 16th century]]
[[Category:French historical novels]]

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