Re-Reading Les Misérables

Sites

The Les Misérables Reading Companion - a fantastic podcast by Briana Lewis, Associate Professor of French at Allegheny College, who goes through the novel and brings to light context, connections, double meanings and more. Perfect to listen to between reading sessions as you make your way through the book!

Articles

What I learned about the pandemic and civil unrest from reading ‘Les Miserables’ - Nicholas Goldberg at The Los Angeles Times, Feb 14 2021. I definitely had similar thoughts over the course of 2020–2021.

That was the year a virulent epidemic swept through Europe, arriving in Paris in March. Three months later in June, inspired by the rising death count, economic distress and anti-monarchist sentiment aimed at King Louis Philippe, unrest erupted on the streets.

This Book Will Change Your Life - Kaila Hale-Stern at The Mary Sue, June 30, 2017.

Let Them Eat Bread: The Theft That Helped Inspire ‘Les Miserables’ - Nina Martyris on NPR’s The Salt, March 20, 2017.

Visuals

Bienvenue a Hauteville House - a virtual tour of the house Victor Hugo lived in on Guernsey, where he wrote most of _Les Misérables. (via LMRC)

Paris street in the June Days Uprising, 1848 - Historic photo colorized by Marina Amaral.

Early photos of Notre Dame - Twitter thread by Marina Amaral (@marinamaral2) showing early 1800s photos of the cathedral as Hugo would have known it, before the spire was added in 1859.

Javert, I found him! - Photo of, well, take a look. @GarrettZink