Les Miserables IV

[gehayi]

Thenardier screwed up a blackmail attempt, which was satisfying

Comments

[rubygirl29]

So, is the great read accomplished? Or does Hugo go on for 150 pages about his philosophy of life, like Tolstoy did. His editor -- if they had editors back then, should have said, "Leo, Leo, Leo, nobody cares about your philosophy of life once Pierre and Natasha kiss and ride off into the sunset together."

Congratulations on making it through Les Miserables. You're clearly made of sterner stuff than I am!

[gehayi]

There's actually a letter to his Italian editor afterwards. We don't have the editor's letter in the book--which is a pity--but Victor's response was that his story was universal and EVERYONE could relate to it, and the people in Italy could relate to it just as much as the ones in France because they were struggling, too, and that the entire history of the world showed this struggle and progress, and God would not let this struggle be in vain...

I can just hear the editor. "Vittorio. I said nothing about the struggles of the poor or the history of the world. I only said that I do not think every reader will care about all these endless essays you stuck in this manuscript."

[zelda_queen]

Sounds much like how I hear Meyer's editor: "Yes, Stephenie, I know true love conquering all is a universal theme. I'm just saying, don't use the phrase 'liquid butterscotch topaz' three times in a row, that's all."

[carmarthen]

Bishop -- The "immense angel" or something else?

I wonder a little if I'm the only person who thinks the angel is actually an angel....

[gehayi]

I don't remember anything about an immense angel. I just remember Valjean being asked if he wanted a priest. He stared at the air as if someone was there and said that he'd already had one.

[carmarthen]

Ah, I forgot that; that's lovely.

You may have the translation that cuts the angel line. People keep speculating on which dead character it is, and I just think it's, well, an angel.