Hugo's "Les Miserables (1) Part I: Fantine" Summary and Synopsis
Les Misérables" is Victor Hugo's masterpiece, published in 1862.
This time I read the Shinchosha edition of "Les Miserables" translated by Saku Sato.
Starting with this issue, we will introduce each of the five volumes of "Les Misérables" one by one.
We will look at the synopsis on the back cover as soon as possible.
The story of Jean Valjean, a man who is sentenced to 19 years in prison for stealing a small piece of bread, is set against the backdrop of French society in turmoil during the first half of the 19th century, and is an epic, full-length novel that combines an optimistic worldview that "there is no absolute evil in the world" with Christian love. This book is the first part, "Fantine. Jean is released from prison, and under the name of Madeleine, he gains great wealth and fame, and even becomes mayor of the city.
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Jean Valjean, a man who was sentenced to 19 years in prison for stealing a small piece of bread.
If you hear the name Jean Valjean, most people will probably say, "Oh! I've heard of him!" I am sure that most of you have heard of him. There may be few protagonists in the world as famous as Jean Valjean.
But in the previous articleHugo's "Les Misérables" Synopsis and Impressions - A musical and a famous masterpiece of French literature!"As I mentioned in the previous section, he is in fact a rather mysterious character in the original story.
Jean Valjean's past and what his emotional support is will be revealed in this first part, "Fancine".
So I immediately started reading this book and was surprised to find a surprise.
What a surprise, the main character, Jean Valjean, does not appear at all.
The first character depicted in this work is Bishop Miriel.
He is a virtuous high priest, in a word, too good to be true.
The story begins with the story of who the supremely good Bishop Mriel is.
He always gives most of the money he has on hand to the poor and devotes himself to the city in secret.
What a tale of his goodness that goes on for 111 pages.
This means that by the time the main character appears, we are shown more than 100 pages of episodes about the bishop that seemingly have nothing to do with the story.
In musicals and on stage, this crap is cut and never known.
However, this Bishop Miriel is the person who decisively changed Jean Valjean's way of life after 19 years in prison, and without his presence, Jean Valjean would never have existed.
In the film, he appears out of the blue to save Jean Valjean, but in the original, we spend more than 100 pages looking at Bishop Mirière's character.
This strengthens the weight of the moment of Jean Valjean's salvation by exactly 100 pages.
How great a man Bishop Miriel is, and Jean Valjean's emotional struggles and salvation as he suffers from despair.
This area is depicted in the original work without any excesses.
The story that at first glance seems to have nothing to do with the story goes on and on," is a characteristic of "Les Misérables. Such scenes appear many times after this. Some of them are so confusing that they could be called digressions.
It is said that this is the reason why many people have tried valiantly to read "Les Miserables" but have failed.
It is true that such passages require a little patience. If you want, you may even be able to lightly skim over these sections. There is no need to peruse the book that thoroughly. (Of course, it is interesting to peruse.)
But because of this part of the story, there is always something that will work in later stories. This will prepare you and allow you to be more impressed with the later stories. If you persevere here, a reward awaits you.
It is these detours that make "Les Miserables" so long.
Now, the story goes, after parting with the bishop and vowing to become a new man, Jean Valjean takes the name Madeleine and becomes a prominent figure in a city.
He uses his unique methods to create highly profitable crafts and the entire town flourishes.
His noble character endeared him to the people of the town, and he finally became mayor, although he kept resigning.
From here, the story moves on and we meet the unfortunate Fantine, her daughter Cosette, the cunning Mr. and Mrs. Thénardier, their nemesis Javert, and other characters who play important roles throughout the story of "Les Misérables".
There is so much more to this article that it can no longer be written in this article alone.
There is a tremendous amount of scenes that have been cut from movies and stage performances due to time constraints.
It would take an enormous amount of time to introduce each and every one of the bishops we have talked about so far, including Bishop Miriel and Fanchine's past.
There is so much I would like to tell you, but I will end with a summary and synopsis.
The following is a link to an explanatory article, so if you are interested, please take a look at it as well.
Thoughts - From a Dostoevskyian Perspective
Dostoevsky loved "Les Miserables".
I wonder how he felt when he read this piece.
I picked up this novel out of such curiosity and found it far more interesting than I had imagined.
First of all, the encounter between Jean Valjean and Bishop Miriel and the scene of Jean Valjean's salvation is just wonderful.
Far beyond the level of merely meeting a good person and being converted, it depicted the salvation of human beings themselves, the conflict between good and evil, and the indomitable power to rise up from despair.
Through "Les Misérables," Hugo asks readers to consider the fundamental power of humanity and what it means to live better in the world.
Indeed, as the title of "Les Miserables" suggests, the portrayal of the "miserable people" is heart-wrenching.
However, this story depicts people who face the world and fight through it, as well as those who are saved, even under such circumstances.
Jean Valjean, a powerful hero, leads us into such battles and gives us the courage to want to live strong and live good.
Fancine is also the title of the first part.
She was originally a poor female factory worker who came to Paris from the countryside. She fell in love with a man she met during her hardships.
But the man considers it only as a game from the beginning. The man dumps her for selfish reasons.
To make matters worse, she was already pregnant at the time...
Her downfall begins here.
In order to save their precious daughter Cosette, they desperately send money to Mr. and Mrs. Thénardier, who have entrusted her to their care.
However, she was slandered as an unfaithful woman and fired from her job just because she had a child.
From there, it was a quick descent into misery. She sold her beautiful hair, which she was so proud of, and when her daughter was sick and demanded to pay for medicine (even though she was not really sick or anything), she sold her teeth for no money. When she had nothing left to sell, she was forced to become a prostitute.
But her heart remains noble to the end.
In the midst of abject misery, he continues to pray to the end for his beloved daughter Cosette.
When Jean Valjean later learns of this fall, he tries to save her.
He was struck by her appearance, stating, "She is a very beautiful woman.
'You are always a manipulative, righteous, spotless woman before God. Oh! Poor thing!" P374
You have suffered so much. As a poor mother! Oh, do not mourn. Now you are qualified to be God's chosen one. This is how man becomes an angel. It is not man's sin. There is nothing else we can do about it. Look, the hell from which you came out is the first form of heaven. That's where you had to start." p377-378
Shinchosha edition, translated by Saku Sato, Les Misérables㈠.
Fancine herself regretted and lamented that she could only make money as a prostitute and that she could not make Cosette happy.
Jean Valjean warmly watches over her and comforts her.
The image of the virtuous prostitute, the prostitute who has become what she has had to become in order to protect her beloved family, is a very important one.Crime and Punishment."There is an overlap with a woman named Sonya who saves Raskolnikov, the protagonist of the
Sonya, who would become Raskolnikov's girlfriend, also sold her body to earn money for her poor family.
But someone with a heart as noble as hers was a shock to Raskolnikov.
Being a prostitute was considered a sin both religiously and socially. But this supposedly sinful person was the most virtuous and good person ever.
What exactly is "sin" when it comes to this? What exactly is "good" as defined by society?
The fundamental question emerges: What in the world is sin and what deserves punishment?
The structure of Crime and Punishment came to Dostoevsky's mind in 1865. That is, three years after Dostoevsky read "Les Miserables.
Perhaps it is possible that the image of Fantine in "Les Miserables" and her oppressed daughter Cosette remained strong in his mind and was reflected in Sonya in "Crime and Punishment".
Les Miserables" has been extremely entertaining since the first volume. It doesn't stop anymore. I didn't expect it to be this interesting.
I guess a work that is considered a masterpiece is different. It is one word, "wonderful!
This is the "Part I: Fancine" Synopsis and Impressions - Who is the Great Protagonist Jean Valjean! was "Part I: Fancine".
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