Outline

Here's a link to a draft of my outline.

Thesis Statement

Through his novel, Les Misérables, Victor Hugo showed his readers that the social condition of life in his times was intolerable and required action.

Refined Research Question

What was the author, Victor Hugo, trying to tell his readers about the social and political climate at his time?

QQC #2 (numero dos)

Quote: "Alas! What are all these destinies driven helter-skelter? Where do they go? Why are they what they are?

He who knows that sees all darkness.

He is alone. His name is God." - Les Misérables

Question: Why does Hugo keep referring to God in this text? What connections or allusions is he trying to make, if any at all?

Comment: I'm mainly curious as to what reason Hugo references God frequently in this text. Was it simply because religion had a strong standing and would makae his text appeal to more people or for a deeper reason? Did he want to show people that even if their efforts to become a better person go by largely unnoticed that there is always someone who appreciates it? How about the poor and suffering as they struggle each and every day; who else is noticing what they go through? During my research I came across a brief passage that also mentioned Hugo's recurring references. It never went into much detail (unless I need to find it and reread it again), but was this common back in his day and age?

Annotated Bibliography Set #1

We were assigned to find library-approved sources to assist us with our research. We were asked to find a minimum of two sources and annotate them. Below is what I was able to come up with on my first day.

"The July Monarchy, 1830-1848." Study Unit. History Study Center. ProQuest LLC. 12 Feb. 2009 <http://www.historystudycenter.com/>. 

As Les Misérables has the Uprising of 1832 or the June Rebellion as the revolutionary event it focuses on, I thought something named the July Monarchy ocurring around 1832 would at least have a somewhat decent connection. This article describes the July Monarchy originating from an event called the July Rebellion where the French populace could no longer tolerate King Charles X. He was restricting suffrage and attempted to maintain full control over the country by taking the press and ending an elected chamber. Eventually an uprising from the people stirred King Charles X to resign and leave his power to a man named Louis Philippe. His rule was promoted as being more liberal, but those who believed it were quickly disappointed. His reign is called the July Monarchy and he gave power back to Napoleon's officials and favored wealthy bourgeoisie. He ignored the populace's requests for economic and political reform and eventually was dethroned in 1848.

For such a short article, I found it to be more helpful than I thought it would be. This really sets the background for the rough political and economic troubles that occur in the book. I can only imagine that this is where the idea for the Friends of the ABC comes from. This also leads me into considering how many real events, names and places are in the text.

Research Question Draft #1

I'm reading Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

What happened so far was that Fantine has just given Cosette away to the Thenardiers and Monsieur Madeleine has moved in to the city of Montreuil-sur-mer. The Thenardiers spoil their daughters and treat Cosette as an abandoned girl. They ask for money each month from her mother Fantine, each time raising the fee. Meanwhile, M. Madeleine brings an industrial revolution to the factories in Montreuil-sur-mer and makes thousands each month that he donates to charity. Life could not be better; what could possibly go wrong?

The major historical event that the book describes later on is the "Paris Uprising of 1832" also known as the "June Rebellion" that started in June 5th, 1832. It was an uprising of Parisian students who fought against the French monarchy. It is noted as being unsuccessful as the barricade fell on the second day and the French National Guard claimed victory.

In the text Victor Hugo makes many allusions to social and political conflicts. What was Hugo trying to tell us about the social and political climate in France at that time?