Sometimes called “the brick” because of its size and shape, this translation unfortunately contains no informational notes. Norman Denny, translator. London & New York: Penguin Classics, 1982.

What is the deeper meaning of Les Misérables?

The primary message of Les Misérables is one of hope. The book describes a lot of misery for a lot of characters, but it also focuses on the possibility that the world will improve.

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.

What is the significance of the title Les Misérables?

Les Misérables has several shades of meaning in French. Translators say that Victor Hugo's novel, published in 1862, could just as well be titled The Miserable Ones, The Outcasts, The Wretched Poor, The Victims or The Dispossessed.

What is the best translation of Les Misérables?

Darren Donougher's is the best translation I've read. It avoids the jarring modernism of Rose's translation and, as far as I can tell, remains true to the original. The only problem I had with the Donougher was the decision to go with an english title.

Les Mis In 60 Seconds

Why is Les Mis called the brick?

Because the book is literally the size, of not bigger, of a brick. It is a very good read though, with a lot more information than is shown in the musical/film including some chapters on the bishop Myriel, Waterloo, slang and the Parisian Sewer System! Because it's a 'brick' of a book.

What is the famous line of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables?

Quotes. Jean Valjean : To love another person is to see the face of God. Cosette : You will live, Papa you're going to live. It's too soon too soon to say goodbye.

What is the moral lesson of Les Misérables?

2) Moral values in “Les Miserables” show four moral values: love and sincerity, forgiveness, sacrifice, and justice/injustice. Love and sincerity are more dominant than the other elements. The value of love and sincerity reach 42% because it shows more about love and sincerity.

What is the overall 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 does Fantine symbolize in Les Misérables?

Answer and Explanation: Fantine represents the downtrodden of France. Her story shows how through no fault of her own, she experiences a series of misfortunes that eventually kill her.

What kills Fantine in Les Mis?

After he abandons her, she is forced to look after their child, Cosette, on her own. Originally a beautiful and naive girl, Fantine is eventually forced by circumstances to become a prostitute to support her daughter, losing her beauty and health until she finally dies of tuberculosis.

What is the moral dilemma in Les Misérables?

Once Valjean is alone, he reveals the intense moral dilemma in which he is placed by this information. He is faced with the stark choice of revealing himself as the real Valjean, or letting Champmathieu be prosecuted under his name with the likelihood of terrible punishment for him as a result.

Does Jean Valjean fall in love with Cosette?

Poor old Jean Valjean, of course, loved Cosette only as a father; but, as we noted earlier, into this fatherly love his lonely single status in life had introduced every other kind of love; he loved Cosette as his daughter, and he loved her as his mother, and he loved her as his sister; and, as he had never had either ...

Is Les Misérables a true story?

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.

Who is the most important character in Les Misérables?

Jean Valjean

He finds fulfillment in loving his adopted daughter and helping people who are in difficult situations, even when it means risking his own life and welfare. Valjean adopts pseudonyms to evade the police and combines a convict's street smarts with his newfound idealism and compassion.

What does the number 24601 mean?

In Les Misérables, 24601 is Jean Valjean's (primary antagonist) prison number while serving a nineteen-year sentence for stealing bread for his sister and her children. Victor Hugo selects this as his number because he deemed him to be conceived on June 24th.

What is the most important part of Les Misérables?

The Importance of Love and Compassion

Valjean's transformation from a hate-filled and hardened criminal into a well-respected philanthropist epitomizes Hugo's emphasis on love, for it is only by learning to love others that Valjean is able to improve himself.

Why is Les Misérables so important?

The themes of Les Misérables are concerned with social issues in 19th-century urban France. Victor Hugo uses Les Misérables to deliver critiques of wealth distribution, the justice system, industrialism, and republicanism.

Are Les Misérables about 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.

What is the main point of Les Misérables?

Love and Redemption

In Les Misérables, Jean Valjean is transformed from a hardened criminal into a paragon of virtue. He ultimately sacrifices himself so that his adopted daughter Cosette might attain happiness with Marius, even as it devastates Valjean to “lose” her to the man she loves.

What is the conclusion of the Les Misérables?

Les Misérables ends with Jean Valjean's reconciliation with Cosette and her new husband Marius and Valjean's subsequent death. He manages to tell Cosette about his past as a convict, and receives her forgiveness. He also tells her the story of her mother, Fantine, and of how he adopted her from the Thénardiers.

What is the goal 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.

Why does Javert hate Valjean so much?

Javert sees Valjean as a criminal who chose theft, an action that is not only illegal but also morally reprehensible, as a solution to his problems; and he disdains him for it. Valjean, as Javert understands him, has no appreciation for the order of law and lacks moral integrity.

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 does Valjean promise Fantine as she is dying?

At the hospital, as Fantine is dying, Valjean promises to take care of her daughter, Cosette. For five years, Cosette has lived with a horrible couple, the Thénardiers, who run an inn in Montfermeil and treat her miserably.