Les Misérables
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| - | "So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom, a social condemnation, which, in the face of civilization, artificially creates hells on earth, and complicates a destiny that is divine with human fatality; so long as the three problems of the age—the degradation of man by poverty, the ruin of women by starvation, and the dwarfing of childhood by physical and spiritual night—are not solved; so long as, in certain regions, social asphyxia shall be possible; in other words, and from a yet more extended point of view, so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like this cannot be useless."--[[Les Misérables]], preface | + | "So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom, a social condemnation, which, in the face of civilization, artificially creates hells on earth, and complicates a destiny that is divine with human fatality; so long as the three problems of the age—the degradation of man by [[poverty]], the ruin of women by starvation, and the dwarfing of childhood by physical and spiritual night—are not solved; so long as, in certain regions, social asphyxia shall be possible; in other words, and from a yet more extended point of view, so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like this cannot be useless."--''[[Les Misérables]]'' (1862) by Victor Hugo, preface |
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| - | "[[Fex urbis lex orbis]]" | + | "[[Fex urbis lex orbis]]"--''[[Les Misérables]]'' (1862) by Victor Hugo |
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| - | '''''Les Misérables''''' (translated variously from [[French language|French]] as ''The [[Suffering|Miserable]] Ones'', ''The [[Wiktionary:Wretched|Wretched]]'', ''The [[Poverty|Poor]] Ones'', ''The Wretched Poor'', ''The Victims'') ([[1862]]) is a [[novel]] by [[French people|French]] author [[Victor Hugo]], and among the best-known novels of the [[19th century]]. It follows the lives and interactions of several French characters over a twenty year period in the early 19th century that includes the [[Napoleon|Napoleonic wars]] and subsequent decades. Principally focusing on the struggles of the [[protagonist]]—ex-convict [[Jean Valjean]]—who seeks to redeem himself, the novel also examines the impact of Valjean's actions for the sake of social commentary. It examines the nature of good, evil, and the law, in a sweeping story that expounds upon the [[history of France]], [[architecture]] of [[Paris]], [[politics]], [[moral philosophy]], [[law]], [[justice]], [[religion]], and the types and nature of [[romantic love|romantic]] and familial [[love]]. Hugo was inspired by the real-life criminal/policeman [[Francois Eugene Vidocq|François Eugène Vidocq]], and split his personalities into the two main characters in his novel. ''Les Misérables'' is known to many through its numerous stage and screen adaptations, of which the most famous is the [[Les Misérables (musical)|stage musical of the same name]], commonly known as "''Les Mis''" or "''Les Miz''" | + | '''''Les Misérables''''' (translated variously from [[French language|French]] as ''The [[Suffering|Miserable]] Ones'', ''The [[Wiktionary:Wretched|Wretched]]'', ''The [[Poverty|Poor]] Ones'', ''The Wretched Poor'', ''The Victims'') (1862) is a [[novel]] by [[French people|French]] author [[Victor Hugo]], and among the best-known novels of the [[19th century]]. It follows the lives and interactions of several French characters over a twenty year period in the early 19th century that includes the [[Napoleon|Napoleonic wars]] and subsequent decades. Principally focusing on the struggles of the [[protagonist]]—ex-convict [[Jean Valjean]]—who seeks to redeem himself, the novel also examines the impact of Valjean's actions for the sake of social commentary. It examines the nature of good, evil, and the law, in a sweeping story that expounds upon the [[history of France]], [[architecture]] of [[Paris]], [[politics]], [[moral philosophy]], [[law]], [[justice]], [[religion]], and the types and nature of [[romantic love|romantic]] and familial [[love]]. Hugo was inspired by the real-life criminal/policeman [[Francois Eugene Vidocq|François Eugène Vidocq]], and split his personalities into the two main characters in his novel. ''Les Misérables'' is known to many through its numerous stage and screen adaptations, of which the most famous is the [[Les Misérables (musical)|stage musical of the same name]], commonly known as "''Les Mis''" or "''Les Miz''" |
| ==On the nature of the 18th century== | ==On the nature of the 18th century== | ||
Revision as of 16:37, 25 May 2020
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"So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom, a social condemnation, which, in the face of civilization, artificially creates hells on earth, and complicates a destiny that is divine with human fatality; so long as the three problems of the age—the degradation of man by poverty, the ruin of women by starvation, and the dwarfing of childhood by physical and spiritual night—are not solved; so long as, in certain regions, social asphyxia shall be possible; in other words, and from a yet more extended point of view, so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like this cannot be useless."--Les Misérables (1862) by Victor Hugo, preface "Fex urbis lex orbis"--Les Misérables (1862) by Victor Hugo |
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Les Misérables (translated variously from French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, The Victims) (1862) is a novel by French author Victor Hugo, and among the best-known novels of the 19th century. It follows the lives and interactions of several French characters over a twenty year period in the early 19th century that includes the Napoleonic wars and subsequent decades. Principally focusing on the struggles of the protagonist—ex-convict Jean Valjean—who seeks to redeem himself, the novel also examines the impact of Valjean's actions for the sake of social commentary. It examines the nature of good, evil, and the law, in a sweeping story that expounds upon the history of France, architecture of Paris, politics, moral philosophy, law, justice, religion, and the types and nature of romantic and familial love. Hugo was inspired by the real-life criminal/policeman François Eugène Vidocq, and split his personalities into the two main characters in his novel. Les Misérables is known to many through its numerous stage and screen adaptations, of which the most famous is the stage musical of the same name, commonly known as "Les Mis" or "Les Miz"
On the nature of the 18th century
"L’œuvre du dix-huitième siècle est saine et bonne. Les encyclopédistes, Diderot en tête, les physiocrates, Turgot en tête, les philosophes, Voltaire en tête, les utopistes, Rousseau en tête, ce sont là quatre légions sacrées. L’immense avance de l’humanité vers la lumière leur est due. Ce sont les quatre avant-gardes du genre humain allant aux quatre points cardinaux du progrès, Diderot vers le beau, Turgot vers l’utile, Voltaire vers le vrai, Rousseau" [1]
English translation:
"Let us pause a moment. Whom are we accusing here? Is it the eighteenth century? Is it philosophy? Certainly not. The work of the eighteenth century is healthy and good and wholesome. The encyclopedists, Diderot at their head; the physiocrates, Turgot at their head; the philosophers, Voltaire at their head; the Utopians, Rousseau at their head,—these are four sacred legions. Humanity's immense advance towards the light is due to them. They are the four vanguards of the human race, marching towards the four cardinal points of progress. Diderot towards the beautiful, Turgot towards the useful, Voltaire towards the true, Rousseau towards the just. But by the side of and above the philosophers, there were the sophists, a venomous vegetation mingled with a healthy growth, hemlock in the virgin forest. While the executioner was burning the great books of the liberators of the century on the grand staircase of the court-house, writers now forgotten were publishing, with the King's sanction, no one knows what strangely disorganizing writings, which were eagerly read by the unfortunate. Some of these publications, odd to say, which were patronized by a prince, are to be found in the Secret Library. These facts, significant but unknown, were imperceptible on the surface. Sometimes, in the very obscurity of a fact lurks its danger. It is obscure because it is underhand. Of all these writers, the one who probably then excavated in the masses the most unhealthy gallery was Restif de La Bretonne.
This work, peculiar to the whole of Europe, effected more ravages in Germany than anywhere else. In Germany, during a given period, summed up by Schiller in his famous drama The Robbers, theft and pillage rose up in protest against property and labor, assimilated certain specious and false elementary ideas, which, though just in appearance, were absurd in reality, enveloped themselves in these ideas, disappeared within them, after a fashion, assumed an abstract name, passed into the state of theory, and in that shape circulated among the laborious, suffering, and honest masses, unknown even to the imprudent chemists who had prepared the mixture, unknown even to the masses who accepted it."
See also
- Fex urbis lex orbis
- Jean Val Jean, abridged version in English (1935)
