{"id":1341,"date":"2015-09-26T09:18:26","date_gmt":"2015-09-26T07:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/?p=1341"},"modified":"2020-05-31T00:10:28","modified_gmt":"2020-05-30T22:10:28","slug":"die-elenden-victor-hugo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/2015\/09\/les-miserables-victor-hugo\/","title":{"rendered":"Les Mis\u00e9rables \u2022 Victor Hugo"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

I love the 19th-century French authors who produced such magnificent literature\u2014books so exciting, gripping, and multifaceted that it\u2019s hard to find this density anywhere else. After Flaubert, Zola, and Dumas, Victor Hugo naturally climbed to the top of my wish list and then onto the stack of unread books. Sometimes I save such books for a while because I know pure enjoyment awaits me. With Les Mis\u00e9rables<\/em>, however, I didn\u2019t wait long\u2014I grabbed it right away.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

At first, the plot sounds interesting enough, but from a brief blurb you can\u2019t begin to guess what a masterpiece this is. At the center stands Jean Valjean, a former galley convict trying to find his way back into society, facing all kinds of adversity. Both society\u2014as it presents itself during the Restoration, refusing to take a branded man back into its ranks\u2014and his own inner life confront him with questions and conflicts that strike at the very origins and foundations of morality and conscience. Victor Hugo swings the heaviest of hammers here, handling themes with a sensitivity, foresight, and directness that repeatedly cut to the bone as you read.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Rectitude, honesty, candor, conviction, sense of duty\u2014these are things which, when misdirected, can turn into something abominable and yet, even in their abomination, remain great; their loftiness, an outflow of the human conscience, endures even into the horrific. They are virtues marred by a single flaw: the possibility of error. From the pitiless yet sincere joy of a fanatic there still emanates something eerily admirable, even when he commits the most dreadful cruelty. (pp. 352\u2013353)<\/p><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

He constructs characters cleverly and deliberately, pushing them to strong extremes and setting them against society. The spectrum runs from remorseless felons to Good Samaritans, with countless gradations and social strata in between. These contrasts feel like a glaring dissonance and hit the reader like a hammer blow. This book is a window into the deep, dark abyss every society carries within itself. It presents the human being as he appears within any social system: the rotten, stinking, egocentric scum of the earth\u2014then and now. But not without nuance, which makes it all the more convincing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In many places, this book reminded me of Dumas and Flaubert. It quickly becomes clear that Hugo is a pro, not someone just dashing off words. With deft narrative devices, he manages to make his story as thrilling as The Count of Monte Cristo<\/em>, and indeed Jean Valjean\u2019s adventures are just as captivating as those of Edmond Dant\u00e8s. In The Count of Monte Cristo<\/em>, the reader is very close to the protagonist in the opening chapters, learning his thoughts, his feelings, and the struggle he must endure. Later, the reader becomes merely an observer and no longer knows what goes on inside Dant\u00e8s. One knows the protagonist, but only in fragments; one can only guess at the motives behind his actions, never be certain. Victor Hugo does something similar with Jean Valjean, though he blends these two styles. At times he steps forward as the narrator, giving the impression we\u2019re hearing second-hand reports from his research into Jean Valjean; then, at specific moments, he describes Jean\u2019s thoughts and emotions in minute detail. The reader knows the protagonist\u2019s crises of conscience, thoughts, and character very well\u2014until suddenly we\u2019re observers again, wondering what Jean\u2014whom Hugo likewise elevates (just as Dumas turns Edmond Dant\u00e8s into an invincible avenging angel)\u2014will do in a moment of conflict.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

At several points Hugo becomes very expansive. Especially at the beginning, this can feel a bit disruptive, as he describes, for example, landscape details or character traits at great length and takes long detours. Yet what he offers reads pleasantly and creates such a comprehensive picture that you really immerse yourself in the book and sometimes feel like you\u2019re watching a film. His prose feels like a voice sounding in your mind as you read; you often have the sense that Victor Hugo is chatting with you at ease. This is particularly because he occasionally shifts to a meta level and reveals himself as the narrator.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

We could not pass by this extraordinary, unknown, and hidden house without going in, and bringing in as well the readers who accompany us and who, perhaps to the benefit of some, are listening to the sad story of Jean Valjean. (p. 538)<\/p><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The look he casts at representatives of various social classes is also fascinating. Here, too, he takes his time, but the reader gains a solid impression of the thoughts and labors of people of that era\u2014quite similar to what Flaubert does in Madame Bovary<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

There were numerous scenes that gripped me deeply. Of course, this is partly because of the exaggerations mentioned above, which may feel contrived at times yet remain plausible; but also because Hugo knows how to create suspense, propel the story at decisive moments, and focus precisely on those details that determine the outcome of a scene. Here he plays in the same league as Dumas and delivers a truly thrilling adventure\u2014though, starting in the third part, the middle of the book, he does overdo it a little. Even there, he reminded me strongly of Dumas\u2019s The Count of Monte Cristo<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

More precisely, three narrative devices he employs here sustainably heighten the tension. First, there\u2019s the element of disguise, in the form of failed recognition. Old acquaintances cross paths without realizing it, giving the reader a head start in knowledge and generating a kind of anticipation. Second, there\u2019s the aforementioned elevation of the protagonist, who becomes almost a superhero. As readers, we can be fairly sure that Jean\u2014with his resourcefulness, his blend of former convict\u2019s cunning and genuine kindness\u2014will have plenty to throw at the antagonist. Third, chance rules the book\u2014so extremely that, in a vast city like Paris, familiar opponents repeatedly run into each other by accident. At certain points, as with Dumas, I no longer quite bought it. These coincidences certainly serve the suspense, but they do strain the story\u2019s credibility.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A central element is the thinking and acting of the characters. Hugo takes ample time to analyze thoughts, lay them out, and describe the characters\u2014above all Jean Valjean\u2014in detail. I\u2019ve rarely encountered such direct precision; it\u2019s fascinating to read, to follow, and to accept, because he portrays them as thoroughly human. He does so with words and sentences that are simply perfect.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

What surrounded him here\u2014this peaceful garden, the fragrant flowers, the merrily shrieking children, the serious and simple women, the silent convent\u2014all of it worked upon him, so that his soul gradually took on a silence like that of the convent, a fragrance like that of the flowers, a peace like that of the garden, a simplicity like that of the women, and a cheerfulness like that of the children. (p. 595)<\/p><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

At the same time, the way the characters are drawn is also the book\u2019s weakness, since they often embody only a single facet and only partially do justice to the complexity of human nature. Lovers block out everything else and surrender themselves entirely without a glance to the left or right, even as those close to them perish\u2014wildly overdone, in my view. Antagonists are excessively evil, always devious, utterly emotionless even toward their own family; the compassionate are so selfless without reservation that they completely neglect themselves; politically convinced Republicans throw themselves into death without fear or even a hint of it; and the police inspector is practically a machine programmed by the law. He thus creates strong stereotypes, and together with the exaggerated, utterly implausible yet constantly occurring coincidences, these are the two things that bothered me. Still, I can forgive both, because the story and the characters\u2019 actions are meant to carry a message. By exaggerating, he essentially shouts it in the reader\u2019s face. And the coincidences are simple vehicles to deliver a gripping story. As the afterword reveals, some contemporaries\u2014Flaubert, for instance\u2014criticized him for exactly this.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The afterword concludes that Hugo presents a plea for goodness here\u2014and I\u2019d sign off on that. What also becomes clear is the strong religious dimension. The compassionate are blessed by God, and the ethics at play are consistently related to the divine. To me, he is decidedly antiquated on this point, because I believe morality should be viewed apart from religiosity, even if the two are often lumped together today and their connections are undeniable.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I picked up the edition from the Manesse Verlag<\/a>. Up to now, the publisher hadn\u2019t particularly stood out to me. But they offer some truly excellent classics, and the production quality is refined and elegant. The small hardcover is ideal for commuter-train reading and looks quite handsome, too. Going forward, I plan to get one or two more classics in hardcover, because it makes a big difference in feel and reading experience. Manesse has a few other little gems in its catalog, some already out of print. Once I\u2019ve finished my first foray through their list, I\u2019ll definitely report back.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Conclusion:<\/strong> Hugo tells this story with an intelligence, foresight, and empathy I\u2019ve only found in the classics. He weaves political and social transformations, the differing perspectives of the Bourbons and the Bonapartists, and a politics-suffused zeitgeist together with the characters he portrays. The reader looks through the eyes of a contemporary observer at historical developments that led to the democratic republics we live in today\u2014republics that, at the moment in Europe, are being trampled from all sides while a passive, phlegmatic populace looks on. Reading about this struggle makes that precious legacy all the more palpable to me, while also making it clear that today\u2019s Europeans are nowhere near worthy of it. His heavily stylized and sometimes stereotypical characters nonetheless convey a clear and powerfully persuasive message. This book holds a mirror up to society, mercilessly showing its hideous sides without forgetting that there is also much light within. Brimming with emotion, a gripping story, and deep insights into human abysses as well as pure goodness, Les Mis\u00e9rables<\/em> is a masterpiece.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Book information: <\/strong>Les Mis\u00e9rables \u2022 Victor Hugo \u2022 Manesse Verlag \u2022 1352 pages \u2022 ISBN 9783717580065<\/p>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I love the 19th-century French authors who produced such magnificent literature\u2014books so exciting, gripping, and multifaceted that it\u2019s hard to find this density anywhere else. After Flaubert, Zola, and Dumas, Victor Hugo naturally climbed to the top of my wish list and then onto the stack of unread books. Sometimes I save such books for … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Les Mis\u00e9rables \u2022 Victor Hugo”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Die Elenden \u2022 Victor Hugo - lesestunden","description":"Ich liebe die franz\u00f6sischen Autoren des 19. Jahrhunderts, die so gro\u00dfartige Literatur hervorgebracht haben, das so spannende, packende und vielschichtige B\u00fccher"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10,20],"tags":[61],"class_list":["post-1341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-classics","category-reviews","tag-victor-hugo"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/hugo_die_elenden.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}