Only four more days until we finish this section on the Battle of Waterloo. One of my favorite things about reading these chapters has been trying to find artwork to go along with the quotes I’ve posted on Twitter. For those who don’t use Twitter, or who might have missed them, here are some of the images I’ve posted:
The rest of the month of March may be the most challenging portion of the entire Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along. After the dramatic end to Volume I, not only does the narrative shift to a completely different scene, but that shift goes on for nineteen chapters. The characters that the reader has become so invested in are seemingly abandoned for a sixty page account of the Battle of Waterloo. And of course, reading only a chapter a day makes this section last even longer. All I can say...
If you have been reading one chapter a day in Les Misérables, then congratulations on reaching Volume II today. It’s been over two months since we started, and we have finally finished the first of the book’s five volumes. I hope you have been pleased by what you have read so far of Hugo’s magnum opus. Fantine is behind us, Cosette is before us. But before we get back to our little Lark, Hugo will take us on an extended tour of the battlefield of Waterloo. Prepare yourself to...
In light of the Academy Awards show last night, this week we take a different look at Les Misérables, comparing several different film versions. Les Misérables has been filmed dozens of times, and rather than give a full review or summary of the difference versions, I am going to simply give you the same scene from six different films and ask you what you think. I’ve chosen arguably the most famous scene in the book, the Bishop’s Candlesticks, and I’ve tried to find as many versions as are available online....
An agonizing decision, an enigmatic dream, a frantic carriage ride to a strange town–such was week nine of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along. And here is what it looked like on Twitter: Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: Happy 216th Birthday, Victor Hugo! #lesmisreadalong https://t.co/AOhYJuVxLA pic.twitter.com/kjC7RczHAY — Nick Senger (@nsenger) February 26, 2018 https://twitter.com/buttontapper/status/968153813491372032 https://twitter.com/kimpineapple/status/968219418722521088 #lesmisreadalong https://t.co/TObqroIaNi — AStrongBeliefWicker She/her 5 x VAXX ??♀️ (@AStrongBelief) February 27, 2018 …he looked, and he saw that these two stars were the lamps of a carriage. By the light which they emitted, he could...
Today is February 26, the birthday of Victor Hugo. On this day 216 years ago, Victor Hugo was born to Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo and Sophie Trébuchet. More importantly to me, this also happens to be the birthday of both my mother, Mrs. Senger, and my wife, Dr. Senger, two people who mean much more to me than Victor Hugo ever could. Happily, both are participating in the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along. So if you are feeling deprived of the ability to wish Victor Hugo a happy birthday, please feel free...
We’re two months into the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, eight full weeks. We’re still in Volume One: Fantine, and this week we finished Book Five: The Descent, we read Book Six: Javert, and we began Book Seven: The Champmathieu Affair. Here are a few examples what people had to say about these chapters on Twitter: https://twitter.com/burns_nancy/status/965496932872458240 https://twitter.com/joyacousin/status/965572164337520641 https://twitter.com/buttontapper/status/965603099120250880 https://twitter.com/bronasbooks/status/965871081637650432 https://twitter.com/buttontapper/status/966062507671474176 https://twitter.com/bronasbooks/status/966095318570827783 https://twitter.com/MissCarrieLA/status/966162970232307713 Great grief is a divine and terrible radiance which transfigures the wretched. At that moment Fantine had again become beautiful.V1 B5 C13 #LesMisReadalong pic.twitter.com/z5OVIHsdod — Rick...
As we enter the eighth week of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, we arrive at the 50th chapter of the book. From The Bishop of Digne to Jean Valjean, from Fantine to the Thénardiers, we have seen light and darkness, gardens and stars, shipwrecks and collapsed carts. And there is still so much more to come. The last few chapters have focused on the figure of Fantine and her sad fate, and in this 50th chapter Hugo summarizes her life: At the point we have now reached in this...
It’s been seven weeks since we started the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, and the discussion on Twitter is more interesting than ever. Several people are exploring the background of the book and its author Victor Hugo, and they’re sharing their discoveries with the rest of us. Others are tweeting about the reading experience and how it’s affecting them. You can check out the conversation at #LesMisReadalong. You don’t even need a Twitter account to follow along. For those of you who may have missed it on Twitter, Briana Lewis has...
When Les Misérables was first published in 1862, it was illustrated by Émile Bayard, whose rendering of little Cosette perfectly captures the essence of what Hugo means by les misérables. To me it’s mostly in the eyes and the tiny mouth, but the massive broom in her hands as she sweeps adds to the sadness. Bayard’s image of Cosette’s face is known the world over, thanks to the Cameron Mackintosh musical, as it was adapted and used in countless promotional posters, advertisements, album covers–almost anything connected with the musical. But...
Here we at the end of Week 6 of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, and the story is really beginning to move. We’ve read forty-two chapters so far–about 170 pages–and this past week we were introduced to some of the most important characters in the book. It’s still not too late to join in the fun, simply download the reading schedule and do what you can to catch up. Speaking of joining in, we welcome Laura Roberts who jumped in this past week, as you can see below in...
I’ve been out of town at an event called CSMG18 for several days, and I’m pretty exhausted after the full days we’ve had. But in all the busyness I’ve stayed on track with the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, and in fact I’ve noticed a few areas of synchronicity between the book and the conference. Victor Hugo might even call them moments of Providence. First of all, let me explain where I am and why I’m here. Then I’ll try to make the connection to Les Misérables. What is CSMG18? The Catholic...
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