MISA MAGAZINE

LES MISERBLES

VICTOR HUGO, MARIE Poet, novelist, and dramatist Victor Hugo is considered the most important of the French Romantic writers. Though regarded in France as one of that country's greatest poets, he is better known abroad for such novels as Notre-Dame de Paris.

24 MAY 2022 MISA MAGAZINE

ABOUT AUTHOR ABOUT THE AUTHOR

WHO IS

VICTOR HUGO?

Victor Hugo, full name Victor-Marie Hugo, was a French Romantic poet, novelist, and dramatist who lived from February 26, 1802, in Besançon, France, to May 22, 1885, in Paris. Though he is recognized as

one

of

France's

greatest

poets,

he

is

best

known outside of France for novels such as NotreDame

de

Victor

Paris

was

(1831)

the

and

third

Les

son

Misérables

of

(1862).

Joseph-Léopold-

Sigisbert Hugo, a major in Napoleon's army who subsequently shaped

by

became

his

a

father's

general. regular

His

youth

travels

with

was the

imperial army and the growing distance between his

parents

as

a

result

of

their

arguments.

His

father's devotion to successive administrations and

VICTOR

his mother's royalism.

MARIE HUGO

Their

deeper

was

represented

Convention, the

incompatibility

the

Restoration.

in

the

Empire,

and

Victor

was

constantly uprooted from Paris to travel to Elba, Naples, and Madrid but he always returned to Paris with his mother, whose royalist

views

he

initially

absorbed. From 1815 to 1818, he studied at the Pension Cordier and

the

without fall

of

which

Lycée

Louis-le-Grand

interruption the

he

empire,

graduated

law college of Paris.

until

the

following from

the

WHAT DOES

LES MISERABLES M E A N

In French, Les Misérables has numerous meanings. According to translators, Victor Hugo's 1862 novel may have been titled The Miserable Ones, The Outcasts, The Wretched Poor, The

Victims, or The Dispossessed. Les Misérables is so strongly connected with "rousing score and libretto," and "epic search for justice in France" because to its emotionally satisfying musical versions that the title – commonly reduced to its nickname, "Les Mis" – has lost some

of its punch. On Masterpiece, stars Dominic West and David Oyelowo star in Les Misérables.

Without any melodic notes of alleviation, the characters' plights in society and the cat-andmouse conflict between fugitive convict Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert unfold. Whether

we're flinching at the storyline's cruelty, poverty, blood, or self-sacrifices, the production is at times more difficult to see than a psychological thriller. To the government and society,

Jean Valjean (Dominic West; The Wire) will always be a criminal, dreaded more for what he

may have become after 19 years of hard labor than for his original crime: stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister's destitute children.

THE PURPOSE OF WRITING THE

LES MISERABLES Les Misérables was written by Hugo twenty years before it was published in 1862. Les Misérables is principally a great humanitarian work that inspires compassion and optimism in the face of tragedy and injustice; his aims in composing the novel were as high as the notoriety it has since acquired.

In the face of suffering and injustice, Les Misérables

is

principally

a

great

humanitarian work that fosters compassion and optimism. It is, nevertheless, a largescale

historical

analysis,

novel

with

extensive

a

thorough

providing picture

of

nineteenth-

century

French

politics

and society. Hugo thought that by combining his story of

redemption

with

a

careful history of France's recent

injustices,

Les

Misérables would inspire a more

progressive

democratic composed with

future.

Les

nothing

and

revolution

in

by

his

than

a

political

mind,

passion

Hugo

Misérables

less

literary

and

to

and development.

driven

change

CHARACTERS

MICHAEL JACKMAN

Hugh

Michael

Australian

Jackman

actor

who

AC

was

is

born

an on

October 12, 1968. He began his career in theatre and television before landing his breakthrough role as James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine in the X-Men film series (2000–2017), a role that earned him

the

Guinness

World

Record

for

"longest career as a live-action Marvel character"

until

it

was

surpassed

in

2021. He's also been nominated for an Academy

Award.

Birthday Honours.

In

the

2019

ANNE JACQUELINE HATHAWAY

Anne

Jacqueline

November actress.

12,

1982)

The

accolades,

Hathaway is

an

recipient

including

(born

American

of

an

various Academy

Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, she was among the

world's

highest-paid

actresses

in

2015. Her films have grossed over $6.8 billion worldwide, and she appeared on the

Forbes

Celebrity

Hathaway School she was Real

in

was cast

100

attended Millburn,

a

part

in

the

of

New

list

in

2009.

Millburn

High

Jersey,

where

several

plays.

She

television

series

Get

teenager

and

(1999–2000)

as

a

made her cinematic debut in the Disney comedy

The

Princess

protagonist (2001).

Diaries

as

the

Queen's

RUSSELL

CHARACTERS

CROWE

Russell

Ira

Crowe

is

an

actor,

director, and musician who was born on April 7, 1964. He was born in New Zealand,

spent

ten

years

of

his

childhood in Australia, and moved to Australia permanently at the age of 21.

He

rose

prominence General in

the

Academy

his

Maximus

epic

(2000),

for

to

for

international role

Decimus

historical which

Award,

a

film he

BARKS

Samantha

Jane

Barks

(born

2

October

1990) is an actress and singer from the Isle of

Man

screen,

who

has

and

appeared

television.

In

on

stage,

2008,

she

became famous after placing third in the BBC

talent

show-themed

television

series

I'd Do Anything. She made her cinematic debut as Éponine in the film adaptation of the

musical

Jonathan series

Les

Bailey

Groove

Misérables in

the

High.

in

2012,

Disney

Her

work

with

Channel in

Les

Misérables earned her nominations for the Screen

Actors

Outstanding

Guild

Cast

in

Award

a

Motion

for

Picture.

Award for Best Acting Ensemble, as well as the

Empire

Newcomer

Award

and

a

for

share

of

Best

Female

the

National

Board of Review Award for Best Cast.

Roman Meridius

Gladiator won

Broadcast

Critics Association Award.

SAMANTHA

as

an Film

CHARACTERS

AMANDA EDDIE SEYFRIED REDMAYNE Edward an

John

English

January

actor

6,

Redmayne

who

1982.

numerous

He

Award,

OBE

Tony

a

Film

Award,

and

Olivier

appearances

Awards,

in

blockbusters.

began

a

British two

for

biopics

He

an

Award,

Award,

Laurence

his and

his

acting

Montgomery on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns (1999–2001) and Joni Stafford on

the

ABC

Mean Lilly

Girls

Kane

appearances

on

(2006),

Good

The

with

guest

Like

Minds

television.

Shepherd

(2006),

and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2006) were

his

first

features

(2007).

From

2009 to 2010, Redmayne starred in the theater productions of Red and Richard II,

respectively.

He

earned

the

Tony

Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play

Love

(2004) on

Henrickson

1996

soap

opera

All

My

Children

(2003). Following her feature film debut in

his

in

3,

age of fifteen, with recurring parts as Lucy

Veronica

debut

(December

the age of eleven and began acting at the

career in the West End before making screen

Seyfried

the United States. She started modeling at

Globe

Academy

Michelle

garnered

including

a

Amanda

1985) is an actress, singer, and model from

born

has

is on

was

awards,

Academy Golden

David

the

Mars on

and

recurring

UPN

television

(2004–2006) the

HBO

(2006–2011),

roles

series

and

drama

Seyfried

as

Sarah

series rose

Big to

popularity. Seyfried has starred in a number of

blockbusters,

chevalerie.

Mamma

Letters

Mamma

Mia!

Jennifer's

Here

Body

to

including

Mia!

(2008)

and

Mia!

We

(2009),

Juliet

Mamma

Go

Again

(2018),

John

(2010),

Dear

(2010),

Red

Riding

Hood

(2011), In Time (2011), Les Misérables (2012), A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014),

for the former, as well as the Laurence

Ted 2 (2015), and First Reformed (2015) are

Olivier

just

Award

for

Best

Actor

Supporting Role for the latter.

in

a

a

few

of

the

films

released recently (2017).

that

have

been

MORE ABOUT LES MISERABLES

MORE INFORMATIONS https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/lesmis/context/

https://www.thirteen.org/blog-post/les-miserables-seriescharacters-misery/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Victor-Hugo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Mis%C3%A9rables_(music al)

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Victor-Hugo