I wondered how the French writer Emile Zola would view Hugo's "Les Misérables"
Emile Zola (1840-1902)Wikipedia.
Previous ArticleZola's Critique of Hugo: "Zola's Literary Theory, which categorically rejects Hugo's idealism."Then Zola is Hugo's dramatic work.Lüy Bras."We looked at how they critiqued the
Hugo's natural talent as a poet intoxicated people. However, Zola criticized Hugo for being too idealistic and out of touch with reality.
And in this article, we will discuss Hugo's great works.Les Miserables.Then I would like to think about what Zola would say.
Now, before I get down to business, let me tell you a little about why I think so much about the relationship between Zola and Hugo.
I read Zola's work for the first time last early summer and was possessed by its interest.
I then read all of his great works, "The Lugon McCall Series," and became more and more sympathetic to Zola's works and his views on literature.
A few months later, I would read Hugo's "Les Misérables". And this was also a tremendous work. I also saw the musical film Les Misérables and was very moved by it.
It was so wonderful that I have been hooked on remisés ever since, but as I was reading reference books, watching the movies over and over, and listening to the soundtrack, something suddenly occurred to me.
It is,
I wonder what Zola would say..."
It was a simple question.
Because Remisée is just too much fun. The dramatic storyline, the heroic characters, the stirring dialogue, the music... all of these things have the power to hook us.
This is a feeling that I am sure anyone who has been exposed to a remise even once will understand.
But, sir, I have already met Zola before I met Hugo.
Zola is critical of these fantastical and enthralling stories. I have discussed this on this blog in the past. In the following article, I have presented the following words of Zola
There is nothing more dangerous than the so-called novelistic (romanesque). Such works, by depicting the world in false colors, drive fantasy-loving readers mad and throw them into reckless acts. Not to mention the hypocrisy that accompanies the "perfect figure" and the ugly acts made desirable under the flowery beds. In Us, such dangers fizzle out. We give bitter knowledge of life and noble lessons about reality. This is the way things are.
Zola Selection, Vol. 8: Literary Essays, 1865-1896, translated by Masatoshi Sato, "Naturalism in Theatre," pp. 42-43.
According to Zola, fantastical tales will drive readers mad, and they will be forced to pursue only ideals, he warns.
Heroic tales and Cinderella stories cannot be real. Zola is quite harsh in his opinion that being intoxicated by them does not change reality.
In my last article, I looked at that from the perspective of a play called "Ruy Blas".
And this time I wanted to finally look at Remise, but in fact I cannot find Zola's critique of Remise anywhere. I have been referring to this.The Zola Selection, Volume 8: Literary Essays, 1865-1896.I cannot find it, at least in I have not yet been able to find it in any other books.
Les Miserables" was first published in 1862. It quickly became a worldwide sensation.
In contrast, this collection of Zola's papers is a collection of papers from 1865 to 1896, so it should not be surprising to find a remise critique of the period. However, it is not included in this book.
It may be possible to find them if one carefully consults the French archives, but unfortunately this is impossible for me, as I am not an expert.
I do not know why there is no remise critique, but it might be conceivable that perhaps Zola himself had to admit to some degree that he himself was a remise.
Because "Ruy Bras" is clearly a work that deserves to be criticized, and the last time I read Zola's review, he made many points that made me nod my head and say, "That's exactly what I was talking about.
In the case of Remisé, however, it is not so easy. This is because Remisé is considerably more realistic than "Lui Bras," and moreover, it is not a work that speaks of ideals only in eloquence.
However, it is true that there are many fanciful aspects to the remise as well. Moreover, incredible coincidences appear over and over again.
For example, the meeting between Cosette and Jean Valjean, the accidental reunion of Valjean, Javert, and Thénardier that is repeated over and over again, and so on and so forth, if you think about it. In the original story, this is even more evident.
Furthermore, Jean Valjean's heroic character, Javert's extreme personality, and Eponine, who was supposedly raised by Mr. and Mrs. Thénardier, but for some reason has an angelic personality, are all character modeling that would not be possible in real life.
Some scenes are physically impossible, such as Valjean's inhuman escape and his return from the worst sanitary conditions of the sewers.
I don't mean to be a deep-pocketed person, but when you look at it this way, Remisée also looks like a fanciful tale. Moreover, in the case of a musical, spectacular music and emotionally-charged songs are added to the story. This is exactly what Zola is talking about, a stage that shakes the audience's hearts and intoxicates them.
However, as I mentioned earlier, "Les Misérables" is a work that also takes into account the realistic aspects. Hugo himself went to the poorhouse to investigate, and the arrest of Fantine was something he had actually experienced.
Thus, as a social novel, Remisée contains Hugo's will to depict actual society with considerable precision. And Hugo sincerely hoped that this work would lead to the improvement of the world. I believe that it is because of this aspect that Zola could not criticize it as he did "Lui Bras".
Of course, I understand what Zola is trying to say.
It is true that after watching Remisé, the feeling that it was too good to be true inevitably arose.
Jean Valjean is so enormous a figure. As I wrote in a previous article, he is now even likened to mythological gods and Christ. In other words, he is a fantastical hero who is far removed from real people. If it is said that it is an adventure story of such a hero, it can only be said that it is true.
From the standpoint of naturalistic literature, from Zola's point of view, it is the existence of a novelistic fantasy, not reality.
Zola's assertion that dramatic stories, spectacular music, and songs take the audience's mind beyond fantasy and make them forget reality is also true.
Zola will probably criticize Remise.
But I think that's okay.
Zola has a literary style that Zola believes in.
And I love that literary style.
However, Hugo's L'émisé is still great. Yes, it may have the aspect of intoxicating the audience and showing only ideals, but the actual impact of Hugo's idealistic and grandiose tale on people cannot be measured.
One cannot live only in reality. To live in the harsh world of reality, one also needs an ideal story. A story far beyond the power of one person, a great figure, a beautiful ideal! It is precisely because of these that reality can be given meaning.
Zola observes the world with an amazingly keen eye and cuts to the chase. What Zola points out is "exactly right. However, there are some things that cannot be dealt with only by sound arguments. Human beings are inherently contradictory. If we try to look at the world too scientifically and objectively, we may overlook some things.
It may be a common answer, but looking at these two, I feel that moderation is important in everything.
Zola is great and Hugo is still great. The problem lies in the balance. Where do we, the recipients, stand when we receive their works and live with them on a daily basis? That is the problem.
Perhaps some of you may feel, "I can't have my life turned into a problem just because of a single novel.
But I would venture to say. My life is determined by the stories we ingest on a daily basis."
We usually receive a large amount of information in our daily lives. They have a great influence on us both consciously and subconsciously.
What stories do you consume on a daily basis? What stories do you live with?"
This is not easy to understand unless you consciously think about it.
What do we usually value, what do we like and dislike, what do we value in our lives?"
This is what the story tells us.
Reading novels, watching TV, movies, and the Internet are all ways of ingesting these stories. How we perceive these stories is directly related to our lives.
This is also my experience as a monk studying religion. This is because religion is also a being that tells stories to people.
The word "novel" has a profound meaning. In particular, works that have been loved around the world as classics for more than 100 years have tremendous power. The fact that a novel is not just a passing fad, but is read over and over again over time, is proof that it continues to have a profound impact on the hearts and minds of those who read it. Human nature does not change over time. I believe that the beauty of the classics is that we can access this essence.
I was particularly impacted by Hugo's Les Misérables.
Because of its enormous impact, Zora came to my mind. After all, I love Zola too. I think that is why what I have described in this article came to my mind.
Zola and Hugo met in the process of studying Dostoevsky.
If I had not studied Dostoevsky, I might never have met these two men.
I am so grateful for the chance to have met these two people.
I hope that everyone will have the opportunity to meet them. They have a lot of really great works. I highly recommend these authors.
The above is "A thought on how Emile Zola would view "Les Misérables".
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