Les Misérables
by Victor Hugo
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Story of Jean Valjean, the ex-convict who rises against all odds from galley slave to mayor, and the fanatical police inspector Javert who dedicates his life to recapturing him.Tags
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CGlanovsky As much a story about the trials of individuals as a sweeping portrait and critique of an era.
111
ncgraham Both great classics, with orphaned girls and themes of redemption.
80
ncgraham Both stories of men who commit public crimes ... and yet the outcomes are very different.
71
raton-liseur Des thèmes similaires, dans une prose étourdissante et avec une ironie mordante.
20
aprille Both are about guilt and atonement
CGlanovsky Cast of interconnected characters are subjected to historical pressures through years-worth of events surrounding a revolution. Issues of paternity and social justice.
morryb Both have a main character who adopts a daughter and the struggle of letting her go.
morryb Both speak to the struggle of adopting a child and then letting them up later.
Member Reviews
Let's say that I could choose a single book with the guarantee that every man, woman, and child would read it. I would not choose my top three favorites, nor would I choose the one whose remnants are permanently inked upon me. I would choose this one. You argue, the length! The time period! The cultural barriers! It's just another long expounding by some old dead white guy whose type has suffocated literature for centuries! Women will be frustrated with poor representation, people who aren't white will be angered by no representation, and everyone will bored to tears! Alright, I see that. Now, let me explain.
Human rights have not been perfected. They are as much a work in progress now as they were 150 years ago when this book was first show more published. If you wish to find the book that gives every variation on the theme of humanity its due, it does not exist, and in all likelihood never will. With that in mind, it is this book that I choose, as while Victor Hugo may have been limited by the era he grew up in, he did a damn good job in dreaming beyond it. He wrote what he knew, but he also wrote what he hoped, and together they form a piece of writing that can mean something to everyone, whatever their life consists of.
The book is called 'The Miserables'. I have a feeling that it is the blatant despair that this title provokes that has dissuaded publishers from rendering it into English, instead keeping it in that slightly prettier to the ear French form. It can even be shortened to that chic and oh so clever 'Les Mis', as is the norm whenever the play is discussed. In that light, when you say that truncated phrase it brings to mind not the triumphant book in its majestic entirety, but the abridged version, or perhaps the even more abridged play. You think of the story, but you do not think of the author's ideas, ones that he devotes full chapters to and are just as important to this tome as the characters he has sent running through it. And this is a tragedy.
Is tragedy too harsh a word? I don't think so. The book itself is one where tragedy heavily outweighs every other emotional aspect, and reducing it to a pittance of itself is flat out disgraceful. You have countless flavors of human sorrow worked out here: imprisonment, ostracization, slavery, decay of health, decay of morals, decay of life through the brutality of war as well as the slow grind of society’s wheels. There are also the more subtle restrictions on the human spirit, propagated by a firmness of belief that slowly stagnates into constricting bigotry, where humans substitute bias for their reality and confine themselves to a small and mean existence. These confines are more difficult to escape from than the strongest chains, which may bend and break under pressure, whereas prejudices will turn in on themselves and feed on the opposition. It is these barriers that build the barricades, it is these walls that let slip the dogs of war, it is these restrictions that make someone relish petty glories gained in the downfall of their fellow human beings. Where a difference of opinion exists, there will be conflict, and Victor Hugo was intimately familiar with the facets of this violent mechanism.
He did not want this for the world. More specifically, he did not want this for his France, his Paris, his creative beacon that teems with contagious culture and ridiculous fashions to this very day, one that can be silly but is often so very, very brave. Like Gavroche the gamin, it thumbs its nose at the world and thinks it slow and stupid, but all the same it loves its fellow human beings, and lives for the times when it can lead them, striding forward towards that thing called Progress. Victor Hugo loved the concept of Progress, and he wished that everyone would love it as well. In his words:
He sent his characters off with this dream of Progress, of finding a life for themselves, of living in a world that bettered itself by the passing day, where the future was not dreary but vibrant and brimming with unlimited potential. Many of them do not succeed. Many fall by the wayside, desiccated by sickness, shot down in wars, slain by grief and the resignation that life is not so much better than death. Some survive in miserable conditions, as restricted by their morality as by a chain around their neck. Some survive only by having stripped their morality as easily as a snake sheds its skin, and in the conditions, who can blame them? The weight of society squeezes the supports, and one is so much lighter and flexible without cumbersome thoughts of being good and kind.
In all this sadness and life cut short by miserable conditions long before its time, there is still hope. Victor Hugo illustrated this in his diverging sections as thoroughly as he did in his main story, as hard as that may be to believe. It is true, though. For example, his section on the Battle of Waterloo seems no more than an endless list of casualties, pages of warfare and tactics, and death, so much death. But at the very end, he points out it is not this battle that we remember in so much detail, nor any that came before it. We remember literature. In Hugo’s words:
And what of the other sections? There are many, but two that are particularly powerful in their own subtle ways are the sections on argot and the sewers. Argot is the language of criminals disguising their speech from the ignorant and the all too interested. It is an ever-changing labyrinth of slang, idioms, innuendos, wordplay that whips itself into more contorted evolutions in its effort to escape the law. If this kind of creativity runs rampant on the street, how would it fare if given a warm place to sleep, three meals a day, and a chance to improve its station in life? And the sewers. When first described, they are dirty, desperate, despicable things that do nothing but spread filth and disease and provide a home for the equally depraved. This however was Hugo’s vision of how it had been in the past. In his time, they were clean and meticulous in their function, as well designed as the streets above and ten times as useful. If humans can so improve the lot of that out of sight contraption that carries their shit, imagine what they could do with the parts of life that are meant for open viewing and enjoyment.
One last mention. Victor Hugo’s prose has been accused of excessive flouncing about, rambling sentences that quickly devolve into meaningless lists without form or function beyond the enjoyment of their own existence. I say, isn’t that last part enough? Reading his sentences brings to mind a dance, an endless waltz, to a symphony that builds and builds to a final crescendo, for Hugo is very good at taking his countless paragraphs and using them to reach a final glorious message. He could have said it plainly, but it would not have been nearly as powerful without all the exposition; just as his point about the memory of Byron outliving the memory of Waterloo would not have been nearly as striking had he not gone through the motions of describing every minute detail of that terrible battle. To bring the reader to his level of understanding and to make them feel as much as he does about these things, the prose is essential. And frankly, I have yet to come across another author that is as joyous to read as he is, for even while he is going on and on about useless trivia from a time long past, his enthusiasm is contagious. He loved what he wrote about, and he wanted you to love it too, progressing sentences growing more and more triumphant much like the Progress he wished for mankind. An ideal where all, I repeat, all are allowed to flourish and grow, developing their own ideas while more importantly learning to accept those of others, where a stretch of one's limb doesn't require the injury or confinement of another's.
So, read the full version, if you can. You’re welcome to the other, shorter versions, but read the full one at least once in your lifetime. Read the introduction even, for in this particular edition there is a wonderful amount of detail about Victor Hugo’s life that brings the book into beautiful focus. The introduction also calls the abridged version insufficient, and says:
I cannot agree more.
And lastly, for the tl;dr'ers, a summary for what I have said above, which rests within the very first pages of the book:
Human rights have not been perfected. They are as much a work in progress now as they were 150 years ago when this book was first show more published. If you wish to find the book that gives every variation on the theme of humanity its due, it does not exist, and in all likelihood never will. With that in mind, it is this book that I choose, as while Victor Hugo may have been limited by the era he grew up in, he did a damn good job in dreaming beyond it. He wrote what he knew, but he also wrote what he hoped, and together they form a piece of writing that can mean something to everyone, whatever their life consists of.
The book is called 'The Miserables'. I have a feeling that it is the blatant despair that this title provokes that has dissuaded publishers from rendering it into English, instead keeping it in that slightly prettier to the ear French form. It can even be shortened to that chic and oh so clever 'Les Mis', as is the norm whenever the play is discussed. In that light, when you say that truncated phrase it brings to mind not the triumphant book in its majestic entirety, but the abridged version, or perhaps the even more abridged play. You think of the story, but you do not think of the author's ideas, ones that he devotes full chapters to and are just as important to this tome as the characters he has sent running through it. And this is a tragedy.
Is tragedy too harsh a word? I don't think so. The book itself is one where tragedy heavily outweighs every other emotional aspect, and reducing it to a pittance of itself is flat out disgraceful. You have countless flavors of human sorrow worked out here: imprisonment, ostracization, slavery, decay of health, decay of morals, decay of life through the brutality of war as well as the slow grind of society’s wheels. There are also the more subtle restrictions on the human spirit, propagated by a firmness of belief that slowly stagnates into constricting bigotry, where humans substitute bias for their reality and confine themselves to a small and mean existence. These confines are more difficult to escape from than the strongest chains, which may bend and break under pressure, whereas prejudices will turn in on themselves and feed on the opposition. It is these barriers that build the barricades, it is these walls that let slip the dogs of war, it is these restrictions that make someone relish petty glories gained in the downfall of their fellow human beings. Where a difference of opinion exists, there will be conflict, and Victor Hugo was intimately familiar with the facets of this violent mechanism.
He did not want this for the world. More specifically, he did not want this for his France, his Paris, his creative beacon that teems with contagious culture and ridiculous fashions to this very day, one that can be silly but is often so very, very brave. Like Gavroche the gamin, it thumbs its nose at the world and thinks it slow and stupid, but all the same it loves its fellow human beings, and lives for the times when it can lead them, striding forward towards that thing called Progress. Victor Hugo loved the concept of Progress, and he wished that everyone would love it as well. In his words:
Go on, philosophers—teach, enlighten, kindle, think aloud, speak up, run joyfully toward broad daylight, fraternize in the public squares, announce the glad tidings, lavish your alphabets, proclaim human rights, sing your Marseillaises, sow enthusiasms, tear off green branches from the oak trees. Make thought a whirlwind.
He sent his characters off with this dream of Progress, of finding a life for themselves, of living in a world that bettered itself by the passing day, where the future was not dreary but vibrant and brimming with unlimited potential. Many of them do not succeed. Many fall by the wayside, desiccated by sickness, shot down in wars, slain by grief and the resignation that life is not so much better than death. Some survive in miserable conditions, as restricted by their morality as by a chain around their neck. Some survive only by having stripped their morality as easily as a snake sheds its skin, and in the conditions, who can blame them? The weight of society squeezes the supports, and one is so much lighter and flexible without cumbersome thoughts of being good and kind.
In all this sadness and life cut short by miserable conditions long before its time, there is still hope. Victor Hugo illustrated this in his diverging sections as thoroughly as he did in his main story, as hard as that may be to believe. It is true, though. For example, his section on the Battle of Waterloo seems no more than an endless list of casualties, pages of warfare and tactics, and death, so much death. But at the very end, he points out it is not this battle that we remember in so much detail, nor any that came before it. We remember literature. In Hugo’s words:
Nowadays when Waterloo is merely a click of sabers, above Blücher Germany has Goethe, and above Wellington England has Byron.
And what of the other sections? There are many, but two that are particularly powerful in their own subtle ways are the sections on argot and the sewers. Argot is the language of criminals disguising their speech from the ignorant and the all too interested. It is an ever-changing labyrinth of slang, idioms, innuendos, wordplay that whips itself into more contorted evolutions in its effort to escape the law. If this kind of creativity runs rampant on the street, how would it fare if given a warm place to sleep, three meals a day, and a chance to improve its station in life? And the sewers. When first described, they are dirty, desperate, despicable things that do nothing but spread filth and disease and provide a home for the equally depraved. This however was Hugo’s vision of how it had been in the past. In his time, they were clean and meticulous in their function, as well designed as the streets above and ten times as useful. If humans can so improve the lot of that out of sight contraption that carries their shit, imagine what they could do with the parts of life that are meant for open viewing and enjoyment.
One last mention. Victor Hugo’s prose has been accused of excessive flouncing about, rambling sentences that quickly devolve into meaningless lists without form or function beyond the enjoyment of their own existence. I say, isn’t that last part enough? Reading his sentences brings to mind a dance, an endless waltz, to a symphony that builds and builds to a final crescendo, for Hugo is very good at taking his countless paragraphs and using them to reach a final glorious message. He could have said it plainly, but it would not have been nearly as powerful without all the exposition; just as his point about the memory of Byron outliving the memory of Waterloo would not have been nearly as striking had he not gone through the motions of describing every minute detail of that terrible battle. To bring the reader to his level of understanding and to make them feel as much as he does about these things, the prose is essential. And frankly, I have yet to come across another author that is as joyous to read as he is, for even while he is going on and on about useless trivia from a time long past, his enthusiasm is contagious. He loved what he wrote about, and he wanted you to love it too, progressing sentences growing more and more triumphant much like the Progress he wished for mankind. An ideal where all, I repeat, all are allowed to flourish and grow, developing their own ideas while more importantly learning to accept those of others, where a stretch of one's limb doesn't require the injury or confinement of another's.
So, read the full version, if you can. You’re welcome to the other, shorter versions, but read the full one at least once in your lifetime. Read the introduction even, for in this particular edition there is a wonderful amount of detail about Victor Hugo’s life that brings the book into beautiful focus. The introduction also calls the abridged version insufficient, and says:
It is almost impossible to predict the individual detail, the flashing image or human quirk precisely observed, that will burn its way into a reader’s mind for good.
I cannot agree more.
And lastly, for the tl;dr'ers, a summary for what I have said above, which rests within the very first pages of the book:
So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom, a social condemnation which, in the midst of civilization, artificially creates a hell on earth, and complicates with human fatality a destiny that is divine; so long as the three problems of the century—the degradation of man by the exploitation of his labor, the ruin of woman by starvation, and the atrophy of childhood by physical and spiritual night—are not solved; so long as, in certain regions, social asphyxia shall be possible; in other words, and from a still broader point of view, so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, there should be a need for books such as this.show less
–Hauteville House, 1862
Does Les Mis really deserve 5 stars after all the overly-long, inexcusably nationalistic info-dumping historical sections? NOPE! Am I still going to give it 5 stars anyway because reading this book was one of the most beautiful and cathartic experiences of my life? HECK YES
(9) Oh my. I thought I would never finish. Surely the longest book I ever read. I saw the musical with my Dad as a teenager and was mesmerized, but really had rather forgotten most of it. I have been meaning to read the book for some time not realizing just. how. long. it is. until it arrived in the mail. Imprisoned for literally stealing a crust of bread, Jean Val Jean escapes and goes on the run attempting to make a life for himself. Triumph after tragedy after triumph - he steals away with the little girl, Cosette - the daughter of a prostitute working for a dastardly couple as slave labor at their inn. He is constantly pursued by chief inspector Javert, who will never give up on the law -- or will he? All in the backdrop of show more post-Revolution Paris. The monarchy has been re-established, but the people are restless. The fervor of the Republic is ready to rise up with the slightest provocation. I most certainly remember some climactic scenes at the barricade from the musical.
When the action and character and world building took place - the book was vert engaging. But when Hugo went on tangents, it was dreadful. Less readable than Moby Dick and the minutia of whaling at these times. So many Paris streets, allusions to antiquity, examples upon examples upon examples of the point he may be trying to make about good, evil, conscience, duty, government, the patois of the underclass, etc., etc, etc. All one could do was skim certain (many) chapters of adjacent memoranda. Painful at times which prevents a higher rating.
I do feel a sense of accomplishment having finished and I enjoyed Chris Bohjalian's Afterword that helped me appreciate what I just read and put it in context. I would love to see the musical again or at the very least, find one of the movie adaptations which I have never seen. I am both glad to be finished, but glad I read. Pauvre Jean Val Jean - he deserved better. show less
When the action and character and world building took place - the book was vert engaging. But when Hugo went on tangents, it was dreadful. Less readable than Moby Dick and the minutia of whaling at these times. So many Paris streets, allusions to antiquity, examples upon examples upon examples of the point he may be trying to make about good, evil, conscience, duty, government, the patois of the underclass, etc., etc, etc. All one could do was skim certain (many) chapters of adjacent memoranda. Painful at times which prevents a higher rating.
I do feel a sense of accomplishment having finished and I enjoyed Chris Bohjalian's Afterword that helped me appreciate what I just read and put it in context. I would love to see the musical again or at the very least, find one of the movie adaptations which I have never seen. I am both glad to be finished, but glad I read. Pauvre Jean Val Jean - he deserved better. show less
Copy I read was: Translation by Isabel F. Hapgood | Audiobook narrated by Bill Homewood
I came to Les Misérables as someone familiar with and fond of the musical, but not deeply immersed in it. The novel itself felt like a serious undertaking - just shy of 68 hours in audio - but Bill Homewood’s narration is genuinely epic and carries you through what could otherwise feel overwhelming.
The story follows the life of Jean Valjean and the many people whose lives intersect with his, from the benevolent Bishop and Cosette, to the more destructive forces represented by Javert and the Thénardiers. One of the things I enjoyed most was the semi-comic tone Hugo often adopts despite the grim subject matter. There’s a warmth and irony in how show more characters are presented, sometimes gently mocking themselves, sometimes embodying contradiction in a way that feels very human. The Bishop, for instance - giving away everything he owns, including money reimbursed for travel, accompanied by a wry aside on assumptions about greed - is a delight. The Thénardiers, meanwhile, are grotesque and darkly comic in equal measure.
The length of the novel allows you to live with the characters for a long time, and the strength of the characterisation - helped enormously by the narration - makes it surprisingly easy to recognise familiar figures even when they reappear in disguise. Behaviour, voice, and mannerisms are so clearly drawn that there’s a real pleasure in spotting who is who in scenes of partial revelation and misunderstanding.
That said, reflecting both the age of the text and its social context, the portrayal of women is a weak point. Female characters are frequently described as pretty and naïve, and Cosette in particular often seemed implausibly sheltered, disengaged, or incurious about the world around her. The heightened melodrama throughout may also be more a function of the novel’s era than Hugo’s intent, but it does occasionally distance a modern reader.
The broader social commentary - the gulf between rich and poor, the fragility of justice, the moral weight of compassion - remains powerful. Hugo’s famous digressions, from sewers to slang, are often fascinating but can also send the narrative wandering, and I did occasionally lose momentum during those sections.
Overall, this wasn’t quite the life-changing experience some readers describe, but it was far more enjoyable than I’d expected. It’s a vast, humane, often funny novel with moments that still resonate strongly today, despite the many decades that separate it from the modern reader. show less
I came to Les Misérables as someone familiar with and fond of the musical, but not deeply immersed in it. The novel itself felt like a serious undertaking - just shy of 68 hours in audio - but Bill Homewood’s narration is genuinely epic and carries you through what could otherwise feel overwhelming.
The story follows the life of Jean Valjean and the many people whose lives intersect with his, from the benevolent Bishop and Cosette, to the more destructive forces represented by Javert and the Thénardiers. One of the things I enjoyed most was the semi-comic tone Hugo often adopts despite the grim subject matter. There’s a warmth and irony in how show more characters are presented, sometimes gently mocking themselves, sometimes embodying contradiction in a way that feels very human. The Bishop, for instance - giving away everything he owns, including money reimbursed for travel, accompanied by a wry aside on assumptions about greed - is a delight. The Thénardiers, meanwhile, are grotesque and darkly comic in equal measure.
The length of the novel allows you to live with the characters for a long time, and the strength of the characterisation - helped enormously by the narration - makes it surprisingly easy to recognise familiar figures even when they reappear in disguise. Behaviour, voice, and mannerisms are so clearly drawn that there’s a real pleasure in spotting who is who in scenes of partial revelation and misunderstanding.
That said, reflecting both the age of the text and its social context, the portrayal of women is a weak point. Female characters are frequently described as pretty and naïve, and Cosette in particular often seemed implausibly sheltered, disengaged, or incurious about the world around her. The heightened melodrama throughout may also be more a function of the novel’s era than Hugo’s intent, but it does occasionally distance a modern reader.
The broader social commentary - the gulf between rich and poor, the fragility of justice, the moral weight of compassion - remains powerful. Hugo’s famous digressions, from sewers to slang, are often fascinating but can also send the narrative wandering, and I did occasionally lose momentum during those sections.
Overall, this wasn’t quite the life-changing experience some readers describe, but it was far more enjoyable than I’d expected. It’s a vast, humane, often funny novel with moments that still resonate strongly today, despite the many decades that separate it from the modern reader. show less
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2537012.html
I first read this I think in 1988 or 1989, in my last year as an undergraduate, in an ancient and not terribly fluent ten-volume translation which I checked out one by one from the Union Society's library; and around the same time I fell in love with the stage musical, which I managed to see in the summer of 1989. A quarter of a century later, the political and romantic plot lines resonate if anything more deeply now that I have lived and loved a bit longer. And Christine Donougher's Penguin translation seems a real step forward - especially with the footnotes and endnotes conveniently arranged in the Kindle edition.
It's a long book but a great one. In reality the 1832 Paris rebellion was show more probably the least distinguished of many such efforts in the nineteenth century; but Hugo turns it into a real occasion of heroism and challenge, yet in itself insufficiently linked to the real human dramas going on beneath the surface. Yes, there are mad digressions (the section on slang could be easily dispensed with); yes, the romance between Marius and Cosette is basically between the two least interesting of the major characters; but there is a tremendous passion for shaking the middle-class readership out of their complacency and complicity combined with a humanity that Dickens often blunts with mockery. The stage show dispenses with the two younger Thénardier boys, and with Marius' grandfather, but I think they are crucial to the big picture that Hugo is painting.
Go get it, especially in the Christine Donougher translation. show less
I first read this I think in 1988 or 1989, in my last year as an undergraduate, in an ancient and not terribly fluent ten-volume translation which I checked out one by one from the Union Society's library; and around the same time I fell in love with the stage musical, which I managed to see in the summer of 1989. A quarter of a century later, the political and romantic plot lines resonate if anything more deeply now that I have lived and loved a bit longer. And Christine Donougher's Penguin translation seems a real step forward - especially with the footnotes and endnotes conveniently arranged in the Kindle edition.
It's a long book but a great one. In reality the 1832 Paris rebellion was show more probably the least distinguished of many such efforts in the nineteenth century; but Hugo turns it into a real occasion of heroism and challenge, yet in itself insufficiently linked to the real human dramas going on beneath the surface. Yes, there are mad digressions (the section on slang could be easily dispensed with); yes, the romance between Marius and Cosette is basically between the two least interesting of the major characters; but there is a tremendous passion for shaking the middle-class readership out of their complacency and complicity combined with a humanity that Dickens often blunts with mockery. The stage show dispenses with the two younger Thénardier boys, and with Marius' grandfather, but I think they are crucial to the big picture that Hugo is painting.
Go get it, especially in the Christine Donougher translation. show less
Eu nem sei quando eu vi essa edição lindíssima e decidi que precisava reparar esse buraco nas minhas leituras. Só sei que há muito tempo eu admiro esse monstrengo e fico me desafiando a começar. A quarentena tornou esse enfrentamento inevitável, e minha ida pra Israel tornou-o inadiável. Não tem condição de levar esse trambolho pra canto algum, e, portanto, sentei pra enfrentar o monstro.
Fui surpreendido por um livro de leitura extremamente leve, mesmo com as inúmeras referências culturais (históricas, arquitetônicas, etc) que eu frequentemente tinha que parar e procurar. É impressionante como os franceses até hoje tem essa vibe de acordar e ir quebrar tudo um dia, costume vindo das inúmeras revoluções de rua.
Feliz show more ou infelizmente, eu não vi nenhum filme pra fazer qualquer comparação, e eu lembro de melodias soltas de algum musical que eu vi aos 12 anos, OU SEJA, eu fui relativamente spoiler-free. O que eu de fato não esperava em algo tão adaptado era o número surpreendente de capítulos onde o Victor Hugo só faz reflexões soltas: ele fala das inúmeras explorações dentro do esgoto de Paris, fala da evolução do vocabulário e o que ele representa da própria sociedade, dentre outras coisas. Claro que o grosso do livro é focado em explorar os temas caros ao autor: a miséria humana, a necessidade do progresso social, e a moral. Como ele mesmo afirma, o livro acaba sendo uma jornada do inferno ao céu, representada pelo conhecidíssimo Jean Valjean. Ele começa como um criminoso, recém saído da prisão após ser punido por furtar comida e tentar fugir algumas vezes. Depois de 14 anos de sofrimento, a sociedade o rejeita e ele não consegue hospedagem alguma. Um bispo muito amável e caridoso, que fez um voto de pobreza, o acolhe como pode e Jean acaba no impulso roubando-o. Quando a polícia o pega e apresenta ao bispo, o bispo mente, finge que tudo era um presente pra Jean e lhe oferece seus castiçais de prata. Jean se vê transfigurado por aquele episódio e decide se tornar uma boa pessoa para expiar seus pecados, mas acaba recaindo e rouba uma criança. Ainda mais culpado, ele foge, vai morar no interior, acaba virando um industrial brabo produzindo um tipo de vidro e vive de forma super abnegada, doando tudo que tem pros pobres, sendo um grande homem. Eventualmente, ele vira prefeito, mas Jean Valjean continua sendo culpado de ter roubado da criança. Javert, o inspetor de polícia, conhece Valjean da época de prisão e fica super desconfiado do prefeito porque o prefeito é forte igual um touro, igualzinho Jean seria. Alguém acaba sendo preso por 'ser Jean Valjean' e aí ferrou, o prefeito fica muito culpado. Nesse momento, ele já tinha conhecido Fantine, uma pobre jovem que é iludida por um moço, fica grávida, empobrece, entrega sua filha pruma família dona de uma pousada (os Thernadiers) e acaba decaindo pra prostituição antes de começar a trabalhar numa das fábricas do prefeito. Fantine quer muito rever sua filha antes de morrer. Assim, Valjean fica dividido entre salvar o otário que foi pego em seu lugar e proteger Cosette, a filha de Fantine. E aí começa a evolução de Jean: ele vai pro tribunal, admite ser quem é, salva o cara, pede pra ser preso e volta pra vila porque na hora todo mundo fica chocado e desiste. Ele consegue salvar o cara, pede um tempo pra conseguir entregar a filha pra Fantine, mas Javert decide prendê-lo ali. A coitada da Fantine achando que a filha já tava vindo, percebe que a filha nem tá a caminho, vê o seu benfeitor sendo preso e morre de choque. Jean é preso mas foge temporariamente. O resto do livro, pra ser breve, é ele adotando Cosette, criando-a como sua filha e se debatendo sobre o que fazer, optando invariavelmente pelo bem não obstante o quanto isso o prejudica. Valjean, ao fim do livro, é um santo abnegado, e acaba morrendo antes de viver feliz com sua filha casada. Apesar da história do livro ser de fato envolvente, eu tenho que concordar com um crítico que os diálogos acabam parecendo meio artificiais demais, e você cria simpatia pelos problemas dos personagens, mas não desenvolve uma simpatia pelo jeito deles, sabe. Eu devia ter chorado por tudo que o Jean passou, mas tinha ainda ali uma distância que eu não acho que se devia apenas pela linguagem do livro acabar ficando meio antiquada.
O que é ainda mais interessante é como Hugo acaba falando até do meme atual do iceberg ao descrever a sociedade da mesma maneira, e vários outros insights relevantes que ele tem. Não é segredo que VH era pró-revolução de forma geral, e entendia que o Estado deveria remover as pessoas da miséria, que a miséria geraria o crime e um ciclo vicioso e tortuoso. Apenas através da educação gratuita e do sufrágio, a sociedade evoluiria, e era a crença dele que num futuro relativamente próximo, a gente viveria um mundo idílico, sem todas aquelas mazelas. E sim, esse futuro já seria agora, então infelizmente Hugo foi excessivamente otimista. Ao mesmo tempo que o mundo mudou de forma que temos prosperidade muito acima do que ele sonhava prum número ainda maior de pessoas, a gente tem vivido uma pandemia gigantesca, a desigualdade explodindo, a crise climática, etc. E a miséria que ele retrata, que destrói o âmago das pessoas, remove suas esperanças e as torna más não sumiu. No presente momento, vemos ela crescer, se alastrar; vidas tem sido perdidas ou destruídas, e dá pra ver quão certo Hugo estava. No infeliz Brasil dos últimos anos, naturalizamos a barbárie e a morte, nos desumanizamos. Contamos cadáveres como alguém conta gotas de chuva, e sem perspectiva pra oferecer pra ninguém, não podemos esperar algo além daquilo que sentimos: sem esperança, compaixão ou amor, não sobra moral, não sobra construção de uma sociedade. Sobra apenas rancor, amargura, tristeza e ruína. Não se pode esperar um santo como Valjean numa sociedade que apenas sobrevive. O mais surpreendente é quão frequente nossa moral impede que vejamos tantos criminosos como os Thernadiers. E é exatamente como o prefácio (tradução livre): 'Enquanto existirem [...] decretos de danação pronunciados pela sociedade, artificialmente criando infernos em meio à civilização da terra [....]; enquanto os três grandes problemas do século - a degradação do homem pela pobreza, a corrupção da mulher pela fome, a devastação de crianças pela falta de luz - não forem resolvidos [...], enquanto existirem ignorância e pobreza na terra, livros da natureza de Os Miseráveis não deixarão de ser úteis.' Triste o mundo em que há 200 anos suas mazelas permanecem as mesmas. show less
Fui surpreendido por um livro de leitura extremamente leve, mesmo com as inúmeras referências culturais (históricas, arquitetônicas, etc) que eu frequentemente tinha que parar e procurar. É impressionante como os franceses até hoje tem essa vibe de acordar e ir quebrar tudo um dia, costume vindo das inúmeras revoluções de rua.
Feliz show more ou infelizmente, eu não vi nenhum filme pra fazer qualquer comparação, e eu lembro de melodias soltas de algum musical que eu vi aos 12 anos, OU SEJA, eu fui relativamente spoiler-free. O que eu de fato não esperava em algo tão adaptado era o número surpreendente de capítulos onde o Victor Hugo só faz reflexões soltas: ele fala das inúmeras explorações dentro do esgoto de Paris, fala da evolução do vocabulário e o que ele representa da própria sociedade, dentre outras coisas. Claro que o grosso do livro é focado em explorar os temas caros ao autor: a miséria humana, a necessidade do progresso social, e a moral. Como ele mesmo afirma, o livro acaba sendo uma jornada do inferno ao céu, representada pelo conhecidíssimo Jean Valjean. Ele começa como um criminoso, recém saído da prisão após ser punido por furtar comida e tentar fugir algumas vezes. Depois de 14 anos de sofrimento, a sociedade o rejeita e ele não consegue hospedagem alguma. Um bispo muito amável e caridoso, que fez um voto de pobreza, o acolhe como pode e Jean acaba no impulso roubando-o. Quando a polícia o pega e apresenta ao bispo, o bispo mente, finge que tudo era um presente pra Jean e lhe oferece seus castiçais de prata. Jean se vê transfigurado por aquele episódio e decide se tornar uma boa pessoa para expiar seus pecados, mas acaba recaindo e rouba uma criança. Ainda mais culpado, ele foge, vai morar no interior, acaba virando um industrial brabo produzindo um tipo de vidro e vive de forma super abnegada, doando tudo que tem pros pobres, sendo um grande homem. Eventualmente, ele vira prefeito, mas Jean Valjean continua sendo culpado de ter roubado da criança. Javert, o inspetor de polícia, conhece Valjean da época de prisão e fica super desconfiado do prefeito porque o prefeito é forte igual um touro, igualzinho Jean seria. Alguém acaba sendo preso por 'ser Jean Valjean' e aí ferrou, o prefeito fica muito culpado. Nesse momento, ele já tinha conhecido Fantine, uma pobre jovem que é iludida por um moço, fica grávida, empobrece, entrega sua filha pruma família dona de uma pousada (os Thernadiers) e acaba decaindo pra prostituição antes de começar a trabalhar numa das fábricas do prefeito. Fantine quer muito rever sua filha antes de morrer. Assim, Valjean fica dividido entre salvar o otário que foi pego em seu lugar e proteger Cosette, a filha de Fantine. E aí começa a evolução de Jean: ele vai pro tribunal, admite ser quem é, salva o cara, pede pra ser preso e volta pra vila porque na hora todo mundo fica chocado e desiste. Ele consegue salvar o cara, pede um tempo pra conseguir entregar a filha pra Fantine, mas Javert decide prendê-lo ali. A coitada da Fantine achando que a filha já tava vindo, percebe que a filha nem tá a caminho, vê o seu benfeitor sendo preso e morre de choque. Jean é preso mas foge temporariamente. O resto do livro, pra ser breve, é ele adotando Cosette, criando-a como sua filha e se debatendo sobre o que fazer, optando invariavelmente pelo bem não obstante o quanto isso o prejudica. Valjean, ao fim do livro, é um santo abnegado, e acaba morrendo antes de viver feliz com sua filha casada. Apesar da história do livro ser de fato envolvente, eu tenho que concordar com um crítico que os diálogos acabam parecendo meio artificiais demais, e você cria simpatia pelos problemas dos personagens, mas não desenvolve uma simpatia pelo jeito deles, sabe. Eu devia ter chorado por tudo que o Jean passou, mas tinha ainda ali uma distância que eu não acho que se devia apenas pela linguagem do livro acabar ficando meio antiquada.
O que é ainda mais interessante é como Hugo acaba falando até do meme atual do iceberg ao descrever a sociedade da mesma maneira, e vários outros insights relevantes que ele tem. Não é segredo que VH era pró-revolução de forma geral, e entendia que o Estado deveria remover as pessoas da miséria, que a miséria geraria o crime e um ciclo vicioso e tortuoso. Apenas através da educação gratuita e do sufrágio, a sociedade evoluiria, e era a crença dele que num futuro relativamente próximo, a gente viveria um mundo idílico, sem todas aquelas mazelas. E sim, esse futuro já seria agora, então infelizmente Hugo foi excessivamente otimista. Ao mesmo tempo que o mundo mudou de forma que temos prosperidade muito acima do que ele sonhava prum número ainda maior de pessoas, a gente tem vivido uma pandemia gigantesca, a desigualdade explodindo, a crise climática, etc. E a miséria que ele retrata, que destrói o âmago das pessoas, remove suas esperanças e as torna más não sumiu. No presente momento, vemos ela crescer, se alastrar; vidas tem sido perdidas ou destruídas, e dá pra ver quão certo Hugo estava. No infeliz Brasil dos últimos anos, naturalizamos a barbárie e a morte, nos desumanizamos. Contamos cadáveres como alguém conta gotas de chuva, e sem perspectiva pra oferecer pra ninguém, não podemos esperar algo além daquilo que sentimos: sem esperança, compaixão ou amor, não sobra moral, não sobra construção de uma sociedade. Sobra apenas rancor, amargura, tristeza e ruína. Não se pode esperar um santo como Valjean numa sociedade que apenas sobrevive. O mais surpreendente é quão frequente nossa moral impede que vejamos tantos criminosos como os Thernadiers. E é exatamente como o prefácio (tradução livre): 'Enquanto existirem [...] decretos de danação pronunciados pela sociedade, artificialmente criando infernos em meio à civilização da terra [....]; enquanto os três grandes problemas do século - a degradação do homem pela pobreza, a corrupção da mulher pela fome, a devastação de crianças pela falta de luz - não forem resolvidos [...], enquanto existirem ignorância e pobreza na terra, livros da natureza de Os Miseráveis não deixarão de ser úteis.' Triste o mundo em que há 200 anos suas mazelas permanecem as mesmas. show less
Not since The Poisonwood Bible has a book moved me and had such a complete impact on my soul. For years I had watched the musical and that was enough for me. Thanks to my group Who Doesn't Love a Classic? which has this for their year read this year, I would have never picked up this gem.
Now I see that I have only witnessed half the story and found myself reading for eight, nine hours at a time. It was the first thing I picked up in the morning and the last thing I put down at night. I longed to know more about M. Bienvenu and with each page I had a greater respect for him. I mourned with Jean Valjean when he passed.
Throughout the book is the constant reminder of redemption throughout the book. That is, except for the Thenardiers. Never show more have I loathed two people more in literature (perhaps I will change my mind when I read Dickens). They had zero redeeming qualities. While the musical may make them the comic relief, there is nothing comical about them in the book.
This took me almost three weeks to read and while I had been intimidated to read such a lengthy book, I found the language glorious and if it were not for sleep, I may have read this quicker.
I'm sure at the time this was written, the scenes of Waterloo and the sewer system was interesting. I must admit though, fifty pages describing the sewer system made me want to take a hot shower and stay there. I'm not interested all that much in the Napoleonic Wars and therefore didn't have a lot of interest in the pages and pages of Waterloo.
One of the best books I have ever read. show less
Now I see that I have only witnessed half the story and found myself reading for eight, nine hours at a time. It was the first thing I picked up in the morning and the last thing I put down at night. I longed to know more about M. Bienvenu and with each page I had a greater respect for him. I mourned with Jean Valjean when he passed.
Throughout the book is the constant reminder of redemption throughout the book. That is, except for the Thenardiers. Never show more have I loathed two people more in literature (perhaps I will change my mind when I read Dickens). They had zero redeeming qualities. While the musical may make them the comic relief, there is nothing comical about them in the book.
This took me almost three weeks to read and while I had been intimidated to read such a lengthy book, I found the language glorious and if it were not for sleep, I may have read this quicker.
I'm sure at the time this was written, the scenes of Waterloo and the sewer system was interesting. I must admit though, fifty pages describing the sewer system made me want to take a hot shower and stay there. I'm not interested all that much in the Napoleonic Wars and therefore didn't have a lot of interest in the pages and pages of Waterloo.
One of the best books I have ever read. show less
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Author Information
2,147+ Works 67,981 Members
Victor Hugo was born in Besançon, France on February 26, 1802. Although he originally studied law, Hugo dreamed of writing. In 1819, he founded the journal Conservateur Litteraire as an outlet for his dream and soon produced volumes of poetry, plays, and novels. His novels included The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables. Both of these show more works have been adapted for the stage and screen many times. These adaptations include the Walt Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the award-winning musical sensation Les Miserables. In addition to his literary career, Hugo also held political office. In 1841, he was elected to the Academie Francaise. After political upheaval in 1851, he was exiled and remained so until 1870. He returned to Paris in 1871 and was elected to the National Assembly, though he soon resigned. He died on May 22, 1885. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Les Misérables; Les Misérables
- Original title
- Les Misérables
- Alternate titles
- The Wretched
- Original publication date
- 1862 (original French) (original French); 1862 (English: Wilbour) (English: Wilbour)
- People/Characters
- Jean Valjean; Fantine; Javert; Cosette; Marius Pontmercy; Gavroche Thénardier (show all 27); M. Thénardier; Mme Thénardier; Eponine Thénardier; Félix Tholomyès; Grantaire; Favourite; Montparnasse; Enjolras; Jean Prouvaire; Bossuet; Bahorel; Azelma; Petit Gervais; Claquesous; Sister Simplice; Joly; Musichetta; Irma Boissy; Feuilly; Combeferre; Courfeyrac
- Important places
- Paris, France; Arras, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France, France; Digne-les-Bains, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France; Montreuil-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France, France; Montfermeil, Yvelines, Île-de-France, France; Toulon, Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France (show all 7); France
- Important events
- Battle of Waterloo (1815); June Rebellion (1832); July Revolution (1830); Napoleonic Wars; 19th century
- Related movies
- Les misérables (2012 | IMDb); Les misérables (1998 | IMDb); Les misérables (2000 | IMDb); Les misérables (1995 | IMDb); Les misérables (1982 | IMDb); Les miserables (1978 | IMDb) (show all 11); Les misérables (1958 | IMDb); Les miserables (1952 | IMDb); Les misérables (1935 | IMDb); Les misérables (1934 | IMDb); ABA Journal 25 Greatest Law Novels Ever (5)
- Epigraph*
- Solange kraft der Gesetze und Sitten eine soziale Verdammnis existiert, die auf künstlichem Weg, inmitten einer hoch entwickelten Zivilisation, Höllen schafft und noch ein von Menschen gewolltes Fatum zu dem Schicksal, das ... (show all)von Gott kommt, hinzufügt ; solange die drei Probleme des Jahrhunderts, die Entartung des Mannes durch das Proletariat, die Entsittlichung des Weibes infolge materieller Not und die Verwahrlosung des Kindes, nicht gelöst sind ;
- First words
- In the Year 1815 Monseigneur Charles-François-Bienvenu Myriel was Bishop of Digne.
So long as there shall exist, by virtue of law and custom, decrees of damnation pronounced by society, artificially creating hells amid the civilization of the earth, and adding the element of human fate to divine destiny; so... (show all) long as the three great problems of the century - the degradation of man through pauperism, the corruption of woman through hunger, the crippling of children through lack of light - are unsolved; so long as social asphyxia is possible in any part of the world - in other words, and with a still wider significance, so long as ignorance and poverty exist on earth, books of the nature of Les Miserables cannot fail to be of use. (Preface) - Quotations
- Listen! I'm going to give you a piece of advice: Adore each other. I'm not beating about the bush, I'm coming straight to the point, be happy. The only creatures of wisdom are turtledoves. Philosophers say: ‘Moderate your j... (show all)oys.' I say: ‘Give free rein to your joys.' Be fiendishly smitten. Be frantically in love. The philosophers talk nonsense. I'd like to ram their philosophy down their throats. Can there be too many perfumes, too many rosebuds coming into bloom, too many nightingales singing, too many green leaves? Can there be in life too much dawn light? Can lovers love each other too much? Can they be too attractive to each other? Beware, Estelle, you're too pretty! Beware, Nemorin, you're too handsome! What an absurdity! Is it possible to be too enchanting, too beguiling, too charming towards each other? Is it possible to be too much alive, to be too happy? Moderate your joys? Nothing of the kind! Down with the philosophers! Wisdom is rejoicing. Rejoice, and let us rejoice! Are we happy because we are good, or are we good because we are happy?
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Should we continue to look upwards? Is the light we can see in the sky one of those which will presently be extinguished? The ideal is terrifying to behold, lost as it is in the depths, small, isolated, a pin-point, brilliant but threatened on all sides by the dark forces that surround it: nevertheless, no more in danger than a star in jaws of the clouds. (Denny)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)He sleeps. Although his circumstance was very strange, he lived. He died when he lost his little angel. The passing happened simply, by itself, as the night comes when the day has gone. - Original language
- French
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 843.7
- Canonical LCC
- PQ2286
- Disambiguation notice
- This work represents complete editions. Please do not combine with the first volume of multi-volume editions.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, General Fiction, Historical Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 843.7 — Literature & rhetoric French Literature French fiction Constitutional monarchy 1815–48
- LCC
- PQ2286 — Language and Literature French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese literatures French literature Modern literature 19th century
- BISAC
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