Les Misérables Overview

List as many adjectives as you can think of, in English and French, to describe the characters in the pictures

Valjean et Cosette (enfant et adulte)

Victor Hugo (1802-1885)Hugo was a famous French novelist, and the author of Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He was concerned with social and political issues like education, human rights, and injustice. He was married, but had a mistress for 50 years, an actress named Juliette Drouet. Many of the letters he wrote to her have now been published.

The Novel

The novel itself was started in 1845 and finished in 1861, and many people consider it Hugo’s masterpiece. (Any French person who has graduated high school is familiar with it.) The book tells the story of several intertwined characters, and highlights social problems, as well as aspects of human nature (both good and bad). The title basically means “the miserable,” Hugo was very concerned with the idea of misery, meaning poverty, ignorance, lack of food or shelter, and being outcast from “good” society for whatever reason.

Les Misérables (literally "The Miserable Ones“) translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims), is an 1862 French novel by author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century. It follows the lives and interactions of several French characters over a seventeen-year period in the early nineteenth century, starting in 1815 and culminating in the 1832 June Rebellion.[1]

Overview

The Characters-Jean Valjean- former convict, adopts orphan Cosette, very moral, tries to help people-Inspecter Javert- rigid, doesn’t believe people can change, likes rules and order-Monsieur and Madame Thenardier- innkeepers, dishonest, greedy, abuse Cosette when she lives with them, move to Paris when they lose the innFantine- young unmarried mother, loves her daughter and tries to support her, ends up on the street corner, dies

French 2001 Movie Version

Characters, continuedCosette- Fantine’s daughter, mistreated as child when Thenardier’s servant, when grown up falls in love with Marius, a young student who supports revolution and change

Musical versions

French 2001 film

Eponine- Thenardier’s daughter (in red), in Paris she falls in love with Marius (dies)

Characters Continued

Gavroche and the student revolutionaries- Gavroche is a homeless boy in Paris who is friends with Eponine, Marius, and his fellow students. All of them except Marius are killed at the barricade during their uprising.

Bishop of Digne- turns Valjean’s life around when he lies to save him from prison

Historical Links

• The June Rebellion, or the Paris Uprising of 1832, was an unsuccessful, anti-monarchist insurrection of Parisian Republicans—largely students—from June 5 to June 6, 1832. The rebellion originated in an attempt of the Republicans to reverse the July Monarchy, shortly after the death of the powerful Orleanist President of the Council, Casimir-Perier, on May 16, 1832. The rebellion was the last outbreak of violence linked with the July Revolution. Author Victor Hugo described the rebellion in his novel Les Misérables.

FocusThe novel focuses on the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his experience of redemption. It examines the nature of law and grace, and expatiates upon the history of France, architecture of Paris, politics, moral philosophy, antimonarchism, justice, religion, and the types and nature of romantic and familial love. The story is historical fiction because it contains factual and historic events. Contrary to what some believe, it does not use the French Revolution as a backdrop. The French Revolution took place in the eighteenth century; Les Miserables takes place in the nineteenth. The only "revolution" depicted is the June Rebellion, a student uprising.• Les Misérables is known to many through its numerous stage

and screen adaptations, most notably the stage musical of the same name, sometimes abbreviated "Les Mis"

Synopsis (novel)• The major plot involves Jean Valjean, who is released from

prison, and through the kindness of Father Myriel, (the bishop of Digne) becomes a new man. He gets a new name via association with Myriel and his obvious kindness and generosity to others and gradually builds a successful and prosperous life for himself with a renovation of the jet-work industry in Montreuil-sur-mer.

• One of his employees is-although unknown to him-fired by the head mistress because of an illegitimate baby. Fantine goes from one occupation to another, finally becoming a prostitute.

Synopsis cont.• A minor incident takes place in the streets, and Fantine is

arrested by Javert. Valjean, who has become known as Mayor Madeleine, forces Javert to release her and takes her into his own house when he hears her story.

• Fantine is in extremely poor health, however, and dies without ever seeing her child again, even though Valjean had promised to get the child.

• Meanwhile, another man has been arrested and mistakenly identified as Valjean. Valjean appears in court, revealing the truth and losing both his business and his position in Montreuil-sur-mer. Although he is arrested, he breaks out long enough to hide his fortune. He spends additional time in prison, working aboard a ship.

Synopsis cont.• Eventually he escapes again and retrieves Cosette from the evil

Thenardiers whom Fantine had trusted to take care of the child. • Then begins 10 years of hiding, moving from place to place, always

staying just ahead of Javert. Seven or eight happy years are spend in a convent where Valjean works with the gardener and Cosette attends a girls’ school.

- Feeling that Cosette must have an opportunity to experience all of life, they leave the convent when she is about 15. Valjean is nearly betrayed and recaptured due to the insidious if somewhat unwitting deeds of the Thenardiers.

Synopsis cont.• While Valjean is continuously on the lookout for people who

might have guessed his identity and makes their home always in out of the way places, Cosette becomes aware of her own femininity and beauty. She and Marius spot each other and fall in love.

• Marius is a college student who has been raised by his grandfather after the old man had disowned his son-in-law for supporting Napoleon. Marius discovers the truth about his father shortly after his death and enmity develops between himself and his grandfather. With little income, Marius in unable to marry Cosette and prevent Valjean from taking her away again, and his grandfather refuses to give consent for a marriage to someone he assumes is beneath him.

Synopsis Cont.• In Paris, politics, work issues, and various unsatisfactory

conditions are gradually bringing a faction of workers and college students to the point of revolt. An insurrection takes place; Marius joins in hoping to die since he will not be able to have Cosette.

• Valjean joins the insurrection because he believes he is losing Cosette’s love and because, although he hates him bitterly, he intends to try to protect Marius for Cosette.

Synopsis• When the barricades are finally overtaken, Valjean rescues Marius and

escapes through the city sewers. Marius is unconscious and does not know who rescued him. When his health returns, he insists once again on marrying Cosette, and this time the grandfather relents. Old wounds are at least partially healed. As Javert is also dead, it would seem that Cosette, Valjean, Marius and his grandfather could all form one happy family. Cosette and Marius marry, but Valjean reveals the truth of himself to Marius who gradually banishes him from even seeing Cosette.

• The Thenardiers are a continuous nuisance and occasionally a real threat throughout the book, but in spite of Thenardier’s intention to bring harm to Valjean, he actually reveals the truth of Valjean’s history to Marius.

• Valjean dies in the end, but it is with contentment after a joyful reunion with Cosette. He is content to know that Cosette and Marius have “forgiven” him, although it seems as though Valjean himself is the one who has the right to be on the forgiving end of things.

Les Misérables- The Musical• 1980- French musical version of novel premieres in

Paris- it’s a big success• 1980s- Translated into English, re-worked a bit-

international success (West End, Broadway, translated into many languages, still playing!)

• Logo based on original illustration

The Musical- trailer/sample

Finale

End of the Day

Film Versions• There have been many film versions: French, British,

American, Italian, etc., starting 1913• Two versions we will look at: American 1998, (watching

all) French/ International mini-series 2001 (film clip sections)

• (There’s a new American musical version coming out Christmas 2012)

Quotes 

La vie, le malheur, l'isolement, l'abandon, la pauvreté, sont des champs de bataille qui ont leurs héros ; héros obscurs plus grands parfois que les héros illustres.

[Victor Hugo]Extrait de Les Misérables

Ce n'est rien de mourir ; c'est affreux de ne pas vivre.

Unit VocabUn forçat- convict pleurer- to cry un maire- mayorUn évêque- a bishop perdre- to lose la vie- lifeLe bagne- prison maintenant- now une usine- a

factoryL’ auberge- (f) inn, public house le froid- the cold la faim- hungerbouleversé- very upset heureux- happy habiller- to dressdécouragé- discouraged malade- sick triste- saddur- hard une poupée- a doll un juge- a judge fatigué- tired malhonnête- dishonest une dette- a debthumilié- humiliated sans- cœur- heartless, insensitiveun orphelin, une orpheline- an orphan un veuf, une veuve- widower, widow robuste- robust, sturdy un ouvrier, une ouvrière- workerrude- coarse, rough l ’ argent- (m) money, silverterrorisé- terrified, terrorised un inspecteur- an inspector, detectivetrapu- stocky, heavyset un paysan, une paysanne- a peasant,

farmercraintif- fearful, nervous un étudiant, une étudiante- a student

un étranger, une étrangère- a stranger un gendarme- police, man-at-arms

Which vocab words are suggested by the pictures below?

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e.f. g.

Which vocab words are suggested by the pictures below?