Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (Book Analysis) E-Book

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• Herausgeber: BrightSummaries.com
• Kategorie: Bildung
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• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 40

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

Unlock the more straightforward side of Les Misérables with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, which is one of the author’s most famous works and a world-renowned novel. It focuses on Jean Valjean, a former prisoner who tries to rebuild his life, and goes on to tell the stories of Cosette, Fantine, Javert, Marius, and many other characters who are now household names throughout the world. Hugo wanted to depict the stark reality of French society during the 19th century and tackles themes such as politics, philosophy and justice. It has since been adapted for the stage, with the musical version being the longest-running musical in the West End, running continuously since October 1985. Hugo was a national treasure in France, both as a writer and as a political figure and his death triggered intense national mourning. 

Find out everything you need to know about Les Misérables in a fraction of the time!

This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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Leseprobe

Victor Hugo

French novelist, poet, playwright and politician

Born in Besançon in 1802Died in Paris in 1885Notable works:Hernani (1830), playThe Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1832), novelLe Misérables (1862), novel

A poet, novelist, playwright and politician, Victor Hugo was the most symbolic writer of the French Romantic movement. Elected as a figurehead of the Romantics, he also led a politically engaged life, defending significant causes, such as the abolition of the death sentence. During the second empire, he was forced to go into exile (1851-1870) in Jersey, then in Guernsey, where he wrote Les Misérables.

On his death, in 1885, the Republic organized a national funeral for him, and he was celebrated by the people as the most important French writer of all time.

Les Misérables

A multi-dimensional realistic fiction

Genre: novelReference edition: Hugo, V. (1956) Les Misérables. Paris: Gallimard.First edition: 1862Themes: poverty, love, death, religion, redemption, revolt

Les Misérables is a novel in five volumes published in 1862. Of considerable length, the plot of this story focuses on the character of Jean Valjean, a former prisoner sentenced to the galleys, and his quest for redemption. The hero meets many people, who all serve for the author to describe the misery weighing on the people, against the background of historical reconstitutions.

A phenomenal success at its publication, Les Misérables is now one of the most widely read works of French literature and a text that has generated the greatest number of by-works.

Summary

Volume I – Fantine

After many years spent in prison for stealing a loaf of bread and having tried to escape several times, the prisoner Jean Valjean is finally freed. When he arrives in Digne looking for a place to spend the night, his status of former prisoner leads everyone to close their door to him, except Bishop Myriel, who offers him food and a place to rest. However, Jean Valjean flees during the night, stealing the silverware and two candelabras. He is taken by the police and brought back to the clergyman. The latter forgives him, declares him free and encourages him to become an honest man. After a last misdeed, Valjean decides to follow the priest’s advice.

A young woman called Fantine lives in Paris. Abandoned by her companion while she was pregnant, she soon cannot provide for her daughter Cosette anymore. She finally decides to leave the French capital to go to Montreuil-Sur-Mer, where she hopes to find work. Aware that the child would be an impediment in doing so, she decides to entrust her to the Thénardiers, a couple of shady innkeepers who agree to take on Cosette in exchange for a monthly allowance.

Fantine goes to her native town and sees that everything has changed: indeed, an industrialist, Mr. Madeleine, gave a new boost to the region’s economy. The young woman manages to find work that will enable her to provide for herself and her daughter, despite the regular rises in the allowance demanded by the Thénardiers under false pretexts. Unfortunately, the other workers, who are jealous of Fantine, discover that she is an unmarried mother and manage to get her fired, allegedly on the orders of Mr. Madeleine. Despaired, Cosette’s mother ends up prostituting herself to meet the ever-increasing financial demands of the innkeepers.

One day, an altercation with a bourgeois man triggers her arrest by Javert. Despite her supplications, the inspector condemns her to six months of imprisonment. However, the sentence is contested by Mr. Madeleine, who has since become the mayor. As Fantine insults him because she deems him responsible for her misfortune, the mayor understands what happened in his factory and decides to repair the misunderstanding: he promises to pay off the debts she owes the Thénardiers and to bring Cosette to Montreuil. He also has Fantine taken care of, as she is in poor health.

When they see that the debts are going to be paid off, the Thénardiers try to extort even more money from him, while still refusing to give him Cosette, who has become a source of income for them. As he decides to go and fetch the child himself, the mayor is told of a strange occurrence by the mayor: a man called Champmathieu was arrested, because he is supposed to be the terrible Jean Valjean. The criminal is to be judged the next day in Arras. Mr. Madeleine knows that it is not true, because he himself is Jean Valjean. After hesitating for a long time, he decides to go to the trial and to denounce himself in order to avoid having another man condemned in his stead.