Re-Reading Les Misérables

Thoughts and commentary on Victor Hugo’s masterpiece.

Commentary on the Novel

Les Misérables: The BookI first read Les Misérables in high school, back in 1992 or 1993, after discovering the musical. The 2012 movie rekindled my interest, and I re-read it (the Norman Denny translation) with an entirely new perspective, writing commentary as I went.

In 2018, I came back to it again, reading the Christine Donougher translation. It was interesting to compare the translations, and to see how my perspective changed again after just five years.

Part One: Fantine

  1. The Bishop!
  2. Part 2…4601
  3. Sunday in the Park with Fantine
  4. Righteousness vs “Righteousness”
  5. Who IS This Guy, Anyway?
  6. Get Me To The Courthouse On Time

Part Two: Cosette

  1. Waterloo
  2. Off the Deep End
  3. Escape from Montfermeil
  4. Valjean sure knows how to pick a hiding place
  5. Getting Un-Convent-ional
  6. Buried Alive!

Part Three: Marius

  1. Paris Has the Best Street Urchins
  2. Meeting Marius
  3. Get to Know Your ABCs
  4. Poor, Poor Marius
  5. Stealth Courtship
  6. The Scumbag Report
  7. Ambush in the Slums

Part Four: The Idyll in the Rue Plumet and the Epic of the Rue Saint-Denis

  1. You Say You Want A Revolution
  2. Just a Lark
  3. Meanwhile, Back at the Rue Plumet…
  4. Epic Fail at Mugging
  5. Creeping Around the Garden
  6. Gavroche and the Adventure of the Incognito Family
  7. Argot, F-- Yourself
  8. Over the Edge
  9. A Revolting Development
  10. (From) Drinking to Revolution
  11. Hey, Barricade, Who’s in Charge Here?

Part Five: Jean Valjean

  1. Barricades of Future Past (Plus Cannon Geekery)
  2. Passing Peak Ammunition
  3. Last Stand
  4. What a Wonderful Smell You’ve Discovered
  5. Jumper
  6. Don’t Worry, Be Happy
  7. This is the End

Followup Commentary

Over the next few years I watched and reviewed various movie adaptations (and parodies).

Five Years Later: Re-Reading Again

I came back to the book again, this time reading the Christine Donougher translation (2013).

Part One: Fantine

Part Two: Cosette

Part Three: Marius

Part Four: The Rue Plumet Idyll and the Rue St-Denis Epic

Part Five: Jean Valjean