Beginning in 1815 and culminating in the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris, the novel follows the lives and interactions of several characters, particularly the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his experience of redemption.

Is Les Misérables set during the French Revolution?

The films and musicals often play up the revolution portion of Les Misérables, so it's only natural that people associate it with one of France's most widely known historical events. However, Les Misérables is actually set 43 years after the French Revolution took place, during an uprising known as the June Rebellion.

How historically accurate is Les Misérables?

The historic events are real (like Waterloo, the revolution,…) The characters, however probably not real. There may be some real people that inspired Hugo to come up with a character in his novel. But in order to express his view, most novelists adapt the characters, idealize them, or evilize them.

What is the era of Les Misérables?

Set in early 19th-century France, Les Misérables is the story of Jean Valjean, a French peasant, and his desire for redemption, released in 1815 after serving nineteen years in jail for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister's starving child.

What is the historical timeline of Les Misérables?

But the 1789 revolution is not the backdrop for Les Misérables. Instead, Hugo's novel and the musical take place during the Bourbon Restoration (1815-1830) and the very beginning of the July Monarchy (1830-1848).

Les Mis In 60 Seconds

What time period is Les Misérables set in?

Beginning in 1815 and culminating in the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris, the novel follows the lives and interactions of several characters, particularly the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his experience of redemption.

Is Les Misérables based on real events?

Answer and Explanation: While some the events in Les Miserables actually happened, the characters in the novel are fictional. The final conflict at the barricades in Les Miserables is based on the Paris Uprising of 1832, a short-lived rebellion that ended after only two days.

When was Les Misérables banned?

Les Misérables was added to the Index in 1864, where it remained until 1959 because it was considered to be critical of the clergy and the papacy.

What does "les miserables" mean in English?

In English, the novel's title literally translates to "the miserable ones." However, the meaning in French is more specifically about the disenfranchised, which describes most of the main characters.

What is the main message of Les Misérables?

The main theme of Les Miserables is social injustice. Many of the characters in the novel are victims of injustice who are unable to seek recompense through traditional channels. Jean Valjean, as a former convict, is scorned because of his mistakes.

What is the main problem in Les Misérables?

Major conflict Valjean struggles to transform himself from a thief into an honest man; over the years he struggles to stay a step ahead of the zealous police officer Javert and tries to raise his adopted daughter, Cosette.

Who suffers the most in Les Misérables?

Emma Oliveros The most miserable or tragic character in Les Miserables for me is Eponine. As soon as I read about her, my heart really felt sad about her. Like she was an innocent, poor one. I honestly forgot she was once evil to Cosette.

What war is being fought in Les Misérables?

What are they fighting for in Les Miserables? The strict answer is that the fighting is part of the June Rebellion of 1832 in support of a return to a republic and the end of the monarchy of Louis Philippe.

What main lesson do you take away from Les Misérables?

It is it themes of hope, love, compassion, forgiveness, sacrifice, humanity and redemption that gives Les Mis this beautiful underlying spirituality. But in terms of the show itself: You learn how one person can make a huge impact of your life.

Who was the last king of France?

Louis XVI (Louis Auguste; French: [lwi sɛːz]; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution.

Why was Victor Hugo exiled?

When Louis Napoleon (Napoleon III) seized complete power in 1851, establishing an anti-parliamentary constitution, Hugo openly declared him a traitor to France. He moved to Brussels, then Jersey, from which he was expelled for supporting a Jersey newspaper that had criticised Queen Victoria.

Why is Les Misérables so famous?

Les Misérables presents a vast panorama of Parisian society and its underworld, and it contains many famous episodes and passages, among them a chapter on the Battle of Waterloo and the description of Valjean's rescue of Marius by means of a flight through the sewers of Paris.

What is the main purpose of Les Misérables?

Hugo began writing Les Misérables twenty years before its eventual publication in 1862. His goals in writing the novel were as lofty as the reputation it has subsequently acquired; Les Misérables is primarily a great humanitarian work that encourages compassion and hope in the face of adversity and injustice.

What is inappropriate in Les Misérables?

Nudity and sexual activity

As a prostitute, Fantine has sex with a soldier. The scene doesn't show nudity and isn't too graphic. A bawdy scene in a tavern shows a woman having sex with Santa.

What is the most banned book in history?

What Is the Most Banned Book in America? For all time, the most frequently banned book is 1984 by George Orwell. (How very Orwellian!) The most banned and challenged book for 2020 was George by Alex Gino.

Why did the Catholic Church ban the Count of Monte Cristo?

For a short time, The Count of Monte Cristo was banned along with the other books of Alexandre Dumas by the Catholic Church. Although no reason is given for the prohibition, it is possible that the hint at homosexuality in the original French version may have been the cause.

Is Fantine based on a real person?

This is a lot easier to get away with on stage. Melodramatic though it may be, Fantine's story is apparently based on a real event. In 1841, Hugo himself saved a woman falsely accused. The story is described in his Things Seen (1887).

Who is the real life equivalent of Jean Valjean?

Valjean's character is loosely based on the life of Eugène François Vidocq, an ex-convict who became a successful businessman widely noted for his social engagement and philanthropy. Vidocq helped Hugo with his research for Claude Gueux and Le Dernier jour d'un condamné (The Last Day of a Condemned Man).

What is a fun fact about Les Misérables?