Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Personal Reflection!
Reading Les Miserables has affected me immensly. It has helped me evolve intellectually as well as academically. I have noticed that since reading this book I am less precautious when using large words in my every day vocabulary. The book has also helped me become a better writer and I now realize that every one has their own style of writing, and they should all be appreciated. Having read one of the greatest classic novels of all time, I now feel more experienced and full of wisdom. This book has completly altered my outlook on life and after reading the tragic tales within the novel, I now realize that I am lucky for the life I have. It is usually very difficult for a teenager to come to the realization that things could be much worse, and that they should be thankful for what they have. Victor Hugo has helped me with this realization, and for that I owe him much gratitude. His style of writing has slightly improved mine, and for that I am also thankful. Writing an assignment specifically for a teacher differs greatly from posting on a blog for the whole world to see. I kept the same general style in my writing, but I definetly adressed it differently due to the expanded audience. I look forward to reading many great books in literature, and I hope you enjoyed my blog!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Works Cited
"Classic/ Define Classic at Dictionary.com" Dictionary.com /find the meanings and definitions of words at Dictionary.com. Web.01 Nov. 2010
"Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - Written 1862." Victor Marie Hugo, 1802-1885.
Web . 01 Nov. 2010.
"Les Miserables (musical)." Wikipedia the free Encyclopedia. Web. 01 Nov. 2010.
"Victor Hugo."Wikipedia the free Encyclopedia. Web. 01 Nov. 2010.
"Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - Written 1862." Victor Marie Hugo, 1802-1885.
Web . 01 Nov. 2010.
"Les Miserables (musical)." Wikipedia the free Encyclopedia. Web. 01 Nov. 2010.
"Victor Hugo."Wikipedia the free Encyclopedia. Web. 01 Nov. 2010.
Apologia
Victor - Marie Hugo was a French poet, playright, novelist, essayist, statesman, human rights activist, visual artist, as well as an exponent of the Romantic movement that took place in France. Hugo is often identified as the greatest French poet, and outside of France he is best known for his works entitled Les Miserables and Notre - Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre Dame.) Even though Victor Hugo died in 1885, his collection of work will live on forever.
So why is Les Miserables considered a classic novel? Probably because it dates back to as early as the 1830's when Hugo was planning to write a novel about social injustice. Victor worked on his novel for many years. It's original title was " Les Miseres" and between November 1845 -1848 his main character went by the name of Jean Trejean as opposed to Jean Valjean. After a twelve year break from writing due to other projects and political turmoil, Hugo was able to have Les Miserables completed by the spring of 1862, with much help from everyone in his household. If the novel was developed that long ago, and is still in wide circulation and popular demand today, there is no question as to why it is considered a classic novel.
According to Dictionary.com, the word classic is an adjective used to describe something that is "of the first or highest quality, class or rank:a classic piece of work ". Les Miserables could be considered one of the first novels of it's time in the romantic era. The book definetly falls under the category of highest quality, due to it's intense plotline and the way it teaches readers about how life was in that time. This novel takes the reader through the journey of it's characters, and emphazises many social injustices that took place during and before that time period. It has the ability to make one realize how lucky they are to live in a time such as now. Les Miserables is without a doubt a classic piece of work written by a very brilliant authour and will probably still be enjoyed for centuries to come.
Here in the twenty first century, it appears that books are directed in to movies almost everyday. However, back in the time of Les Miserables this was not a regular occurence. In 1980 French composer Claude- Michel Schongberg composed the musical version and called it Les Mis. The English adaptation was open to the public at London's Barbican Center on October 8, 1985. Les Mis has since become the world's longest running musicals and is now well into it's 26th year. Being the third longest running show in Broadway history, Les Mis played it's 10 000th performance in London's West End in January 2010.
Obviously when a novel becomes a broadway musical, changes must be made to the story in order for it to flow nicely and not bore the audience to pieces. However, Hugo's priciple story line and themes remained in tact. This shows that it is a very interesting novel as well as play that has been read and watched for many years. Les Miserables will probably continue to circulate for decades to come, and this bring me a slight amount of joy. Alot of garbage gets produced as books and movies, and it's easier to rest knowing that the books written by some of the greatest novelists of all time are still within our grasp.
So why is Les Miserables considered a classic novel? Probably because it dates back to as early as the 1830's when Hugo was planning to write a novel about social injustice. Victor worked on his novel for many years. It's original title was " Les Miseres" and between November 1845 -1848 his main character went by the name of Jean Trejean as opposed to Jean Valjean. After a twelve year break from writing due to other projects and political turmoil, Hugo was able to have Les Miserables completed by the spring of 1862, with much help from everyone in his household. If the novel was developed that long ago, and is still in wide circulation and popular demand today, there is no question as to why it is considered a classic novel.
According to Dictionary.com, the word classic is an adjective used to describe something that is "of the first or highest quality, class or rank:a classic piece of work ". Les Miserables could be considered one of the first novels of it's time in the romantic era. The book definetly falls under the category of highest quality, due to it's intense plotline and the way it teaches readers about how life was in that time. This novel takes the reader through the journey of it's characters, and emphazises many social injustices that took place during and before that time period. It has the ability to make one realize how lucky they are to live in a time such as now. Les Miserables is without a doubt a classic piece of work written by a very brilliant authour and will probably still be enjoyed for centuries to come.
Here in the twenty first century, it appears that books are directed in to movies almost everyday. However, back in the time of Les Miserables this was not a regular occurence. In 1980 French composer Claude- Michel Schongberg composed the musical version and called it Les Mis. The English adaptation was open to the public at London's Barbican Center on October 8, 1985. Les Mis has since become the world's longest running musicals and is now well into it's 26th year. Being the third longest running show in Broadway history, Les Mis played it's 10 000th performance in London's West End in January 2010.
Obviously when a novel becomes a broadway musical, changes must be made to the story in order for it to flow nicely and not bore the audience to pieces. However, Hugo's priciple story line and themes remained in tact. This shows that it is a very interesting novel as well as play that has been read and watched for many years. Les Miserables will probably continue to circulate for decades to come, and this bring me a slight amount of joy. Alot of garbage gets produced as books and movies, and it's easier to rest knowing that the books written by some of the greatest novelists of all time are still within our grasp.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Key Points
This novel happens to be ridiculously long, so in order to not have too many posts I'm just going to give some brief accounts of what has been happening.
- Javert (a police officer from back home)discovers that Jean Valjean is in fact alive and hiding out with a young girl he alledgly kidnapped
- With Javert hot on their trail, Jean and Cosette run through the French land never staying anywhere too long.
- Cosette is getting an education.
- Javert eventually gives up and much time passes.
- Cosette marries a man named Marius and moves in to the Gillenormand household. This leaves Valjean at a loss. He does not know what to do about the fact that he is no longer with the only person he ever loved.
- Valjean confesses his sins to Marius, who then tries to push him out of Cosette's life.
- Valjean eventually dies.
- Javert (a police officer from back home)discovers that Jean Valjean is in fact alive and hiding out with a young girl he alledgly kidnapped
- With Javert hot on their trail, Jean and Cosette run through the French land never staying anywhere too long.
- Cosette is getting an education.
- Javert eventually gives up and much time passes.
- Cosette marries a man named Marius and moves in to the Gillenormand household. This leaves Valjean at a loss. He does not know what to do about the fact that he is no longer with the only person he ever loved.
- Valjean confesses his sins to Marius, who then tries to push him out of Cosette's life.
- Valjean eventually dies.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
One night the Inn had more guests than usual, and the Thenadiers ran out of water. Late at night they sent Cosette on the fifteen minute walk to the well. Cosette set off in the cold night on the trail she had become to know so well. After filling her bucket up with water, she prepared for the journey home, but had severe difficulty carrying the weight. Struggling with freezing hands, Cosette made no protest when a mysterious man appeared beside her and took the bucket. He proceeded to walk beside her. Eventually they got to talking, and Cosette told the man that she lived at the Inn, and he told her he just happened to be looking for a place to sleep. Cosette brought him back to the Thenardier Inn, and presented him to Mme Thenardier. Upon severly exaggerating the cost of a room, the man was allowed to spend the night. He didn't talk much, and spent most of the night watching Cosette. The Thenardiers dismissed this behaviour with the knowledge that traveller's in those parts never exactly acted normal.
The next morning, the strange man presented the Thenardiers with a note like this :
Monsieur Thenardier,
You will hand Cosette over to the bearer. Everything owing will be paid.
I send you my regards,
Fantine.
Who else would have a note from Fantine to Thenardier, asking to hand over Cosette? Only the man who saved her mother from going to jail, and offered her a large sum of money while taking care of her prior to her death. Only Jean Valjean.
After a few more words between the two men, Cosette was told to gather her things and leave with the man who helped her carry the bucket. Having nothing to gather , Cosette stood at his side waiting to leave with no protest.
It appeared as though things were starting to look up for this perpetually sad little girl.
The next morning, the strange man presented the Thenardiers with a note like this :
Monsieur Thenardier,
You will hand Cosette over to the bearer. Everything owing will be paid.
I send you my regards,
Fantine.
Who else would have a note from Fantine to Thenardier, asking to hand over Cosette? Only the man who saved her mother from going to jail, and offered her a large sum of money while taking care of her prior to her death. Only Jean Valjean.
After a few more words between the two men, Cosette was told to gather her things and leave with the man who helped her carry the bucket. Having nothing to gather , Cosette stood at his side waiting to leave with no protest.
It appeared as though things were starting to look up for this perpetually sad little girl.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Who Are The Thenardiers?
Before I can tell you who they are, I have to tell you who Fantine is. Fantine was once a very beautiful young lady with a bright future ahead of her. That is, until she met Tholomyes. He was the type to get what he wanted from beautiful young women like Fantine, and leave as soon as things got difficult. As you may already have predicted, Fantine and Tholomyes became socially as well as romantically involved. Fantine wasn't purely interested- she had her sights on other men. But she decided to sleep with him to up her social status. To make a long story short, Fantine ended up pregnant...and Tholomyes was never seen again.
Fantine struggled to make ends meet. Having no luck finding a job in the city, due to the baby constantly on her hip, Fantine had become desperate. One day, while taking her daughter, Cosette, to the park, she came upon a couple and their children. The female of these two strangers immediately started complimenting Fantine and Cosette on their lustrious beauty. It didn't take long for Fantine to explain her desperate situation, and upon finding out this couple owned an inn, she was quick to ask if they could take care of her daughter. Just until she could find a job that is.
So the deal was done. The Thenardiers would look after Cosette for a standard monthly fee, and Fantine would flee the town to find a job,and return when she had enough money to support her child. Fantine couldn't believe the kindness of strangers. Little did she knows the Thenardiers were the farthest thing from kind.
Thenardier, being just over fifty, was a small, skinny,sallow- faced man. He was bony, puny and had the sharp stare of a weasel despite the fact that he was always smiling. He liked to make Cosette eat under the table with the animals, and have her fetch water in the dead of night and winter from a well fifteen miuntes out of town. He basically got all his pleasure at the extent of her pain. Mme Thenardier was nearly forty, but appeared the same age as her husband. She was said to be tall, fair - haired, red faced, fleshy, broad shouldered, huge and active. She did all the work of the house, and loved to treat Cosette with sharp blows to the head. Madame Thenardier made it very clear to the young child that she was not like the others...for she never had a mother.
Cosette grew up not knowing how to play, to laugh, to smile. She grew to eight without knowing what love was, or even remembering her mother. I wish I could tell you that this is where it gets happy. That this is where Fantine accepts the money offered to her by Jean Valjean, who was mayor at the time and ran back to save Cosette. But none of this happened. Instead of raising enough money to see her daughter, Fantine had trouble keeping up with the constantly rising cost for living set by the Thenardiers for Cosette. After selling her hair, her teeth, and her body, Fantine died in waiting of her daughter.
Cosette is now eight and remains a servant in the Thenardier Inn.
Fantine struggled to make ends meet. Having no luck finding a job in the city, due to the baby constantly on her hip, Fantine had become desperate. One day, while taking her daughter, Cosette, to the park, she came upon a couple and their children. The female of these two strangers immediately started complimenting Fantine and Cosette on their lustrious beauty. It didn't take long for Fantine to explain her desperate situation, and upon finding out this couple owned an inn, she was quick to ask if they could take care of her daughter. Just until she could find a job that is.
So the deal was done. The Thenardiers would look after Cosette for a standard monthly fee, and Fantine would flee the town to find a job,and return when she had enough money to support her child. Fantine couldn't believe the kindness of strangers. Little did she knows the Thenardiers were the farthest thing from kind.
Thenardier, being just over fifty, was a small, skinny,sallow- faced man. He was bony, puny and had the sharp stare of a weasel despite the fact that he was always smiling. He liked to make Cosette eat under the table with the animals, and have her fetch water in the dead of night and winter from a well fifteen miuntes out of town. He basically got all his pleasure at the extent of her pain. Mme Thenardier was nearly forty, but appeared the same age as her husband. She was said to be tall, fair - haired, red faced, fleshy, broad shouldered, huge and active. She did all the work of the house, and loved to treat Cosette with sharp blows to the head. Madame Thenardier made it very clear to the young child that she was not like the others...for she never had a mother.
Cosette grew up not knowing how to play, to laugh, to smile. She grew to eight without knowing what love was, or even remembering her mother. I wish I could tell you that this is where it gets happy. That this is where Fantine accepts the money offered to her by Jean Valjean, who was mayor at the time and ran back to save Cosette. But none of this happened. Instead of raising enough money to see her daughter, Fantine had trouble keeping up with the constantly rising cost for living set by the Thenardiers for Cosette. After selling her hair, her teeth, and her body, Fantine died in waiting of her daughter.
Cosette is now eight and remains a servant in the Thenardier Inn.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Jean Valjean Dies!?!
After a slightly tedious chapter on war, Les Miserables skips back to the life of the well known convict and one time Mayor, Jean Valjean.
The part of the story I've chosen to share with you seems to be set in a dockyard in Toulon. Many ships are being made and repaired in this massive dockyard,six stories high. In a town with not much else to do, all the 'quays and jetties ' of Toulon gather to contemplate the ship Orion. The Orion had been damaged due to a long spell at sea causing her lower hull to become so damaged with barnacles that it robbed her of half her speed. While attempting to take off the sails in order to repair the ship, an accident happened. The man loosening the topsail lost his balance. The crowd of onlookers watched in awe as the man dangled wildly from the rope like"a stone in a sling." As the crowd waited for the man to relax his hold and fall to his death, a man suddenly appeared and began climbing the rigging of the ship. His red smock indicated that he was a convict, and his green hat made it apparent that he was serving a life sentence at the nearby prison. The convict grabbed the desperate man's hand, and secured the rope around his waist. All while performing an astonishing balancing act. Having done this succesfully, he climbed back up to the yard,pulling the seaman after him. The crowd burst into applause, and demanded that the convict be set free. Meanwhile, the convict was making a point of returning promptly to his labours. In order to get there more quickly, he slid down the rigging and ran along one of the lower yards. Just then, he was seen to hesitate and stagger, perhaps overtaken by exhaustion. "A great cry went up from the crowd as he was seen to fall into the sea"(336.) A boat when in after him, but was unable to save him. The search for his body continued until nightfall,but his body was never found.
The next day the local news sheet read the following:
"17 November 1823. Yesterday a convict working aboard the Orion fell into the sea and was drowned after rescuing a member of the crew. The body has not been recovered. It is assumed it was caught in the piles under the Arsenal jetty. The man's prison registration number was 9430 and his name was Jean Valjean."
What happens next? Stay tuned to find out!
The part of the story I've chosen to share with you seems to be set in a dockyard in Toulon. Many ships are being made and repaired in this massive dockyard,six stories high. In a town with not much else to do, all the 'quays and jetties ' of Toulon gather to contemplate the ship Orion. The Orion had been damaged due to a long spell at sea causing her lower hull to become so damaged with barnacles that it robbed her of half her speed. While attempting to take off the sails in order to repair the ship, an accident happened. The man loosening the topsail lost his balance. The crowd of onlookers watched in awe as the man dangled wildly from the rope like"a stone in a sling." As the crowd waited for the man to relax his hold and fall to his death, a man suddenly appeared and began climbing the rigging of the ship. His red smock indicated that he was a convict, and his green hat made it apparent that he was serving a life sentence at the nearby prison. The convict grabbed the desperate man's hand, and secured the rope around his waist. All while performing an astonishing balancing act. Having done this succesfully, he climbed back up to the yard,pulling the seaman after him. The crowd burst into applause, and demanded that the convict be set free. Meanwhile, the convict was making a point of returning promptly to his labours. In order to get there more quickly, he slid down the rigging and ran along one of the lower yards. Just then, he was seen to hesitate and stagger, perhaps overtaken by exhaustion. "A great cry went up from the crowd as he was seen to fall into the sea"(336.) A boat when in after him, but was unable to save him. The search for his body continued until nightfall,but his body was never found.
The next day the local news sheet read the following:
"17 November 1823. Yesterday a convict working aboard the Orion fell into the sea and was drowned after rescuing a member of the crew. The body has not been recovered. It is assumed it was caught in the piles under the Arsenal jetty. The man's prison registration number was 9430 and his name was Jean Valjean."
What happens next? Stay tuned to find out!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Happenings and Characters of Les Miserables.
Although many state that the convict "Jean Valjean"is the main character is the novel Les Miserables, I slightly disagree. Despite the fact that by page two hundred and eighty two (Penguin Classics Print Version) Jean has already managed to spend nineteen years in prison, steal silver from Monseigneur Charles-Francois-Bienvenu Myriel,as well as a little boy named Petite Gervais, change his whole identity and become Monsieur Madeleine - a well respected mayor all across the region , the story would be nothing without the other characters. These include Monseigneur Myriel (Bishop of Digne), Petite Gervais (a short lived character who gets stolen from), Fantine & Tholomyes who have a daughter named Cosette, The Thenardiers- who end up taking very poor care of Cosette when Fantine must flee the area to find work. Another character is Sister Simplice who works at the hospital and never tells a lie unless it is absolutely nessecary. No story would be complete with just one character,which is why I think they should all be mentioned and spoke about rather than just Jean Valjean/ Monsieur Madeleine. Not unlike real people, these characters have morals and values that they stand by. That is until unimaginable events take place which cause them to change the very fiber of their being. Les Miserables is a beautiful and interesting story that is impossible to put down. It makes you question society today, as well as compare it to society in the time of this novel. How far people are willing to go for money , freedom and love is astounding. Even though I have yet to complete Les Miserables, I strongly reccomend you to pick it up...but only if you want to change your entire outlook on life and the people in it.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Introduction Post
The purpose of this blog is to record a critical reading and investigation of a classic novel. Thus the title "Classic Novel Study". I shall recall certain events that occured within the novel and provide my personal commentary as well. I'll also be providing a brief biography of the authour, and a list of useful sites to further your research on the topic. The novel I have chosen to read and discuss is Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. After 148 years of circulation, this novel is clearly an astounding classic. Enjoy!
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