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?
Blog#7 (Ishmael)
17 years ago
2 comments:
Ervin,
This is a good question to start with. In connection to considering who Hugo envisioned as an audience for his book you might also think about: 1) when was the book published? 2) what was the readership of novels during this timeperiod 3) was this a good way of disseminating information
These are, of course, optional. I think this is a pretty solid research question.
Angie
Angie
Ervin,
That would be a good question to research. Of course, your question is not broad and is something that could be looked more in depth. Maybe you can find out if some of the things in the book are symbolic to events during the war. Good luck.
Andrea
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