When Victor Hugo published ’Les Misérables’ in 1862 it became a huge hit with the public, so it is considered to be his greatest work and one of the jewels of French literature. It is a tale of woe and angst, love, loss and redemption set in France in the early 1800s against a backdrop of revolutionary fervour. The name ’Les Misérables’ means The
Unfortunate Ones or
The Wretched.
The novel is in five volumes and is one of the longest novels ever written, 1900 pages in the French version, and contains the longest sentence ever written – 800 words.
Set in the post-Napoleonic era just after the French Revolution, ’Les Misérables’ is the story of Jean Valjean, a convict, who has just been released from prison after serving 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. Influenced by the bishop to begin a new life, Jean assumes a new name and moves to a new location where he becomes a respected citizen and makes a fortune in manufacturing. The police inspector, Javert, is suspicious of him, but it is not until Jean’s conscience prods him to reveal his true identity that he is forced to flee.
The rest of the novel is set in Paris, where Jean changes residences frequently and assumes a number of identities in order to avoid arrest. Fulfilling a promise to her dying mother Fantine, he rescues a young girl named Cosette from the evil Thénardier family and becomes her guardian. They spend many years in a convent where Cosette grows into a beautiful young lady. Eventually, Jean leaves this safe haven so that Cosette may have a more normal life.
Cosette falls in love with Marius, a young lawyer, who joins a band of revolutionists at a barricade. Unbeknown to Marius, Jean is also at the barricade…
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