Les Miserables
By
Victor Hugo
So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and
custom, a social condemnation which, in the midst
of civilization, artificially creates a hell on earth, so
long as ignorance and misery remain on the earth,
there should be a need for books such as this.
Character List
Major Characters
Jean Valjean- the protagonist, a man released from prison after 19 years who faces a future as an outcast.
The Bishop of Digne- a merciful priest who lives humbly and gives generously to the poor (aka M. Bienvenu, M. Myriel).
Fantine- a beautiful young woman who falls for a scoundrel and ends up raising an illegitimate child on her own.
Cosette- Fantine’s daughter who is raised by the Thenardier family while her mother works.
The Thenardiers- An innkeeper and his wife who cheat their customers and take advantage of anyone they can.
Javert- an investigator who believes so strongly in justice that he can’t show mercy to anyone, even himself.
Champmathieu- an ignorant man who is mistaken for Jean Valjean.
Fauchelevent- a man Jean Valjean helps, who later becomes a gardener at a convent in Paris.
Marius- a young revolutionary, son of the baron Ponmercy and the grandson of a wealthy nobleman.
M. Gillenormand- Marius’ grandfather, a cantankerous old man who hates revolutionaries.
Eponine- the Thenardier’s older daughter who grows up to be a very different person than her parents.
Enjolras- the leader of the student revolution and friend of Marius.
Gavroche- the Thenardier’s son who becomes a street urchin and a friend to the revolutionaries.
Minor Characters
Madame Magloire- the bishop’s cook and caretaker.
Little Gervais- a young boy; a Savoyard chimney sweep.
Tholomyes- Fantine’s unfaithful lover, Cosette’s father.
Sister Simplice- a nun who takes care of Fantine.
Bossuet- a college student and friend of Marius.
Courfeyrac- Marius’ roommate and friend.
Combeferre- another revolutionary and friend of Marius.
Grantaire- another revolutionary, a friend of Enjolras.
M. Mabeuf- an old church warden and friend of Marius’ father.
Toussaint- an old woman, a housekeeper for Jean Valjean.
Lamarque- a French commander during
the Napoleonic Wars who later became a
champion of the common people and
whose death created a popular uprising.
Reading Schedule for Les Miserables
Week 1: Nov. 9-13
Week 2: Nov. 1620
Week 3: Nov. 30Dec. 4
Pgs.59-69, 73-77, 81-82, 103-113 (Quiz 1 on
Friday)
Get notes on Fantine
Pgs. 145-153, 158-163, 168-177, 177-180
# of pages:
26
# of pages:
26
Pgs. 180-203. (Q2 on Friday)
# of pages:
23
# of pages:
25
Pgs. 203-211, 250-257, 271-281
*watch clip.
Pgs. 282-300 (Q3 on Friday)
Week 4: Dec. 7-11
Pgs. 382-390, 395-414
*watch clip
Pgs. 451-469. (Q4 on Friday)
Meet Jean Valjean
Meet Fantine
Meet Javert
Meet the Thenardiers
Fantine’s downfall
Jean’s moral dilemma;
Champmathieu’s trial
# of pages:
18
# of pages:
28
Fantine and Jean
# of pages:
26
Jean and Cosette
escape from Javert
Cosette’s rescue from
the Thenardiers
The Journey Begins
Digne- home of the Bishop.
Faverolles- Jean’s home town.
Toulon- the prison.
France
M-sur-M
Montfermeil
Montfermeil- the Thenardier’s home.
Paris
Montreuil-sur-mer- Fantine’s home.
Paris- where everyone converges.
Favorolles
Digne
Toulon
Historical Background
The lives of the urban poor in Paris in the 1800s could be described by Thomas
Hobbes’ famous quote: “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." The average
life expectancy for a child of working class parents was only 2 years.
The picture to
the right is the
most famous
drawing of
Cosette.
∞
Meanwhile, the
bourgeoisie
(upper class)
enjoyed rich,
sheltered lives.
"The poor and the vicious classes have been
and will always be the most productive breeding
ground of evildoers of all sorts; it is they whom
we shall designate as the dangerous classes.”
--Honore-Antoine Fregier (Paris, 1840)
The quote above illustrates how many of the bourgeoisie felt about the poor. They believed that
poverty inevitably led to crime. The poor were seen as dangerous criminals; even women and
children were considered dangerous. The poor were hated, feared or ignored.
In the early 1800s, the French working class had no voting
rights. There were no welfare programs, unemployment
benefits, or worker's compensation. The closest thing to a
homeless shelter was prison, a dungeon where inmates slept
on bare planks and ate rancid food. Prisons were so terrible
that the Bastille was the first place the French Revolution of
1789 overthrew. To this place, the disabled, insane, hungry,
or desperate citizens of France eventually found their way.
Victor Hugo wanted to challenge the
popular opinion that the poor were
evil and deserved their terrible fate.
He created characters like Fantine
and Cosette to show that many
people were poor because society
has forgotten them.
“When the rich are too
rich and the poor are too
poor, there are ways.”
-Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth
During the 1820s, the Industrial Revolution transformed France. French workers felt their world
being overtaken by machines. Industrial growth in France forced people to move, learn new
trades, and increased the gap between rich and poor. Anger at industrialization sparked revolt.
On July 29, 1830, a revolutionary crowd of 700 workers - led by print shop workers - forced their
way into the Royal Printing Workshop in Paris and used gunstocks and iron bars to damage and
beat the mechanical presses. After destroying the printing presses, they left. The workers only
wanted to disable the machines, which they thought were their biggest threat. The workers did
not yet see that capitalism and the owners using the machines were their true threat.
This rebellion foreshadowed the 1832 uprising that would cripple the narrow streets of Paris and
sweep up the characters of Les Miserables into a climactic battle at the barricades.