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How to Read Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (10 Tips) (Patreon)

Published:
2021-09-08 07:40:23
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2026-06
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Content

Victor Hugo's Les Misérables (1862) is our autumnal Big Read, with the video lecture series kicking off on the first day of French Autumn: 22nd September 2021.

In anticipation of this, I would like to give you some tips on how to breach the "brick".

We're talking about the history and politics behind the novel, three different pacing options for getting through the book, art for art's sake vs art to affect social change, picking the right translation, whether you should watch the musical, and much more.

It would be great to get a view of the different readers preparing to appreciate this great novel together, so we have a couple of questions for you below the timestamps.

Video Timestamps:

  • 0:00 why readers find Les Misérables daunting 
  • 1:25 read Hugo for the sentiment 
  • 3:24 how to read a historical novel 
  • 8:37 read Les Misérables to save your soul and society 
  • 11:43 how to pace your reading of the novel 
  • 16:45 choose the right translation of Les Misérables 
  • 18:12 connecting with the characters (Jean Valjean, Marius, Javert)
  • 18:35 should you watch the musical of of Les Misérables? 
  • 20:11 how to give Hugo his due as a poetic titan 
  • 21:00 discuss Les Misérables with fellow lovers of literature

Questions for You:

1) If this is the first time you're reading Les Misérables, what brought you to the novel? 

2) If this is a reread for you, please do let us know your relationship with the novel. How old were you when you first read it? What was going on in your life? What did you learn? And why are you rereading it now?

Please do share any other thoughts, feelings, or questions you might have as we brace ourselves for the epic journey that is Victor Hugo's Les Misérables.

Happy reading, folks!

Files

Previews only

How to Read Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (10 Tips)

📚 Read Les Misérables with Hardcore Literature: https://www.patreon.com/hardcoreliterature/about ———————————— 🎙️ https://open.spotify.com/show/70IZA24... (Subscribe to the Hardcore Literature Podcast on iTunes & Spotify) 🏫 https://hardcore-university.teachable... (Hardcore University, Exam Preparation Courses) ✍🏼 https://benjaminmcevoy.com My Personal Website ———————————— Hardcore Literature Lecture Series ———————————— 📔Contents Page: https://cutt.ly/CmNhRY3 🎖️ War and Peace: https://cutt.ly/U3nzGma 🎭 Shakespeare Project: https://cutt.ly/B3nxHH7 🐳 Moby Dick: https://cutt.ly/K3nzVKf ☄️ Blood Meridian: https://cutt.ly/P3nz6Qp 🍂 Wuthering Heights: https://cutt.ly/N3nxxYt 🇮🇪 Ulysses: https://cutt.ly/x3nxQmN 🚂 Anna Karenina: https://cutt.ly/vmNhAWv 💀 Crime and Punishment: https://cutt.ly/rmNhFt5 ⚓ Persuasion: https://cutt.ly/amNhX7b ☕ In Search of Lost Time: https://cutt.ly/5mNh8oD ⚔️ The Hero’s Journey: https://cutt.ly/UmNjrE3 🌸 Siddharta: https://cutt.ly/YmNjuzi 🎠 Don Quixote: https://cutt.ly/cmNjoK4 ❤️Shakespeare’s Sonnets: https://cutt.ly/nmNlW7V 🇫🇷 Les Misérables: https://cutt.ly/J3YixoA 🕯️ The Turn of the Screw: https://cutt.ly/nToAQQ3 🖋️ Dickens Seasonal Read: https://cutt.ly/9ToAybt 📖 Middlemarch Serial Reading: https://tinyurl.com/45rv965c ———————————— Happy reading! 0:00 why readers find Les Misérables daunting 1:25 read Hugo for the sentiment 3:24 how to read a historical novel 8:37 read Les Misérables to save your soul and society 11:43 how to pace your reading of Les Misérables 16:45 choose the right translation of Les Misérables 18:12 connecting with the characters of Les Misérables 18:35 should you watch the musical of of Les Misérables? 20:11 how to give Hugo his due as a poetic titan 21:00 discuss Les Misérables with fellow lovers of literature

Comments

Susan Graham

Decided to tackle this this fall. I’ve been working on my deep reading. Slowing down. I read an abridged version in middle school and really got into it. Then my dad saw the musical on broadway and gave me the program. I’ve always been drawn to this story which makes me think if him. I need a good story of redemption right now.

Jensea Storie

Another awesome overview by the gifted Benjamin MsEvoy👌

Nidia

This is very late since I didn’t belong to the book club back then. I’ve read this once, as a college student for fun. I read every word, even those sections. Recently, I bought a new translation. I will reread it soon… without those sections. I understand now why I loved it as a young person, I adore history.

Vandana

Fantastic! I've been waiting for this one:O) This is my first time reading the book. I've come very close to reading it a few times and have been daunted by the sheer scale of it so am really looking forward to reading this with the fellow readers and you Ben. I've read The Hunchback of Notre Dame and I really enjoyed it. I've always enjoyed historical fiction. I've found it a great way to learn about the past and really understand the workings of a social structure in a given period of time through great story telling and strong characters. So much better than brushing up dates and events without any context to them. So I guess that's why I've been tempted by Les Misérables. Hopefully, nervous though I am, I'll be able to enjoy and really appreciate it. Incidentally, I've avoided the movie till now. I figured I'd get to reading it at some point and therefore didn't want to colour the experience. Also I find that very few movies can actually meet my expectations after reading the book; I suppose it has to do with the power of imagination and therefore visual representation then ends up falling short. Having said that there are movies that I do think have done justice to the book; the Godfather being one of them. Anyway so maybe I'll give the movie a go once I finish (fingers crossed) the book.

Vandana

Ben I do have a question- am stuck between the Denny and Donougher translation. I can't seem to make up mind because I like them for different reasons. I've read a few pages of each and now am more confused than ever. Any advice?

Caroline P

Yipppeee… I have been waiting for this video. I am full of apprehension about my first read of this book, but I have cleaned my reading specs, plotted my adventure and am all set to conquer the tome, one step at a time, on the first day of French Autumn.

Caroline P

Ps the only bit I am not looking forward to is the fact that by the time i start this book I think I will have finished Don Quixote because I can’t put that down at the moment. I am going to miss DQ, Sancho and Rocinante very much. I hope they wait patiently on the bookshelf for my return to them, I will promise not to be gone for 10 years!

hardcoreliterature
>>67417251

I've been really looking forward to this one too, Vandana :) And I get a strong sense that this is going to be a popular one. I would love to hear what you make of Hugo's progression from The Hunchback of Notre Dame to Les Misérables (several decades between them). Hugo's Notre-Dame de Paris was wildly successful in his time, resulting in thousands of fans flocking to the cathedral, along with a great restoration project. You'll definitely be able to appreciate it, and I think you'll get a lot out of this one. I'd say that's a good decision to leave off on the movie until you've read the novel. I completely agree that few movies are worthy of the book they adapt - but lots of great potential for filmmakers. If I were making films, I would have so many adaptations on the cards I wouldn't know where to start! :)

hardcoreliterature
>>67420717

They're both tremendous. If you want the decision to be an easy one, I'll be working from the Denny for the video lectures. So that might sway it? I've heard from a few readers recently who have bought multiple translations of the same book (two Don Quixote editions, two versions of Proust, multiple Anna Karenina editions) and are reading them simultaneously/as rereads. This is something I've done too, but it takes longer to get through the book this way. My personal favourite is the Denny, which I find very smooth, though Donougher has some beautifully poetic passages.

hardcoreliterature
>>67421652

I relate to this so much. The really lovely thing about putting the DQ lectures together has been feeling like I'm spending time with old friends again. Seeing Sancho and Don Quixote chastise each other once again breaks my heart. This one is a yearly reread for me. 10 years would be painful!

Scott W

Hi everyone.. first post! :) My first encounter with Les Mis was seeing the movie with my wife when it came out in 2012. I enjoyed it then and still do. I have the 25th Anniversary blu-ray which features some excellent past live performances. We had tickets to see it in London on my 40th birthday last year, then lockdown happened, so I haven't seen it live yet but hope to one day. As for the book, I left my first attempt half finished some years ago. I forget why. I will be starting it again from the beginning soon and reading it here with you all as my first HLBC read. I can't wait to meet the characters again and discuss this wonderful text with you all. Un jour de plus! :)

Pablo

Great post Ben, your enthusiasm for all the books is inspiring and also infectious, plus, some excellent reading and study tips as always which are very welcome. I'm particularly excited about this one too: This will be my first crack at Les Misérables, I'm not sure why, but this one never really occurred to me prior to joining the book club. I'm not intimidated by the size of the work as it's not as long as some of the other tomes lurking on my bookshelves (in that sense it will be in good company I suppose!). I do love a historical epic, so I'm feeling really geared up for this and looking forwards to some great discussions with fellow members. I am thinking that I might have to rest something else to get through this, but HLBC has really opened my mind to some great content already - I am feeling a bit like so many great books, so little time.

Heather Huggins

This will be a first reading for me. I've seen the stage production several times and saw the movie when it came out, so I'm already familiar with the characters and overall story. But of course, seeing something performed doesn't give you the same nuance and detail that reading does. This will actually be my first HLBC read, and not a book I would have chosen myself (I gravitate more toward the Russians), so I'm looking forward to it.

Caroline P
>>67515442

Hello Heather, I agree, it isn’t a book I would have chosen, but I wouldn’t have chose Don Quixote without this book group and have absolutely loved reading that..so I am feeling quite positively adventurous with Les Misérable and like you, I am looking forward to it.

Sharon xx

I've been so looking forward to this - I was also really please to hear that there are 365 chapters or sections. That sounds like something my OCD would totally embrace. So, I'm going to go for one chapter a day and celebrate if I manage more than one each day. That would also allow for other books to be read alongside, which is important, and to allow for 'life' to happen. I want to enjoy and savour it. I've got the Christine Donougher edition in Penguin Classics Deluxe [gorgeous] with a standard penguin edition to scribble in - still translated by CD though. Oh and I started yesterday lol....two chapters in ;)

Tom Pearsall

I believe I read an abridged version at some point in high school about 30 years ago. I seem to recall some of the basics of the plot but with my poor memory it might as well be a first read. I try to read these great books as the lectures are being released but more and more I find I am falling behind. I now find I am making comments sometimes a month after the lecture has been released. This wouldn’t matter so much if this discussion platform didn’t plain stink. I wish Patreon had a better format for posting and reading comments. An indexed forum would be much easier to navigate, especially older posts. I don’t get the sense that Patreon set up this site for vigorous discussion, but why not??. Who has the patience to endlessly scroll through each lecture to see if anything new has been posted? Is anyone else frustrated by this?

Vandana

Ben just wanted to say I have my copy of Denny's translation and am ready to conquer this book one chapter at a time:O)

Sharon xx
>>67572407

Hi Tom I also never read the bigger books in 'real' time. AK took me six months and C&P probably four. I also don't read all the books but that's really because I would simply never have the time and I don't want it to become a chore instead of a pleasure. Regarding Patreon as a sight for discussion, I agree that it is clunky at best. Ben has pinned the Book Club Contents at the top of the page to help us navigate a little easier. The comments are more tricky. I've often wondered if we might end up with all the lectures on here and a closed, Patreon Only, discussion group somewhere else such as Facebook. The problem with that is it would require moderating/administrating which Ben may not have the time for. We also have our monthly chatter and catch-up thread that we all seem to enjoy so hopefully that will go someway towards helping us keep in touch. Just as an aside, I've also realised that we can't message each other directly on here which, although I'd rather keep the discussion on the open forum, just occasionally it would be nice to be able to send a private message to another patreon. It's a bit of a learning curve for us all, including Ben, I think. Sharon x

Caroline P
>>67615663

Hello Vandana, I was sure I ordered the Denny translation but just picked it up to mull over it prior to starting next week and found I actually have the Donougher one. I considered reordering but have decided to stick with the one I have. I think I got in a muddle because I pontificated for sooooo long. 🙄

Vandana

They don’t call it a brick for nothing. I’m having trouble lugging it around too.

hardcoreliterature
>>67482393

Thank you, Pablo :) I can feel the communal enthusiasm myself - it's palpable. And if any book is worth getting excited about, it's definitely Les Misérables. It's life-changing stuff. It sounds like you're ready to go! You'll get a lot out of this one. So many great books, so little time is so true - a great rationale for focusing on the best of the best!

hardcoreliterature
>>67563653

I'm quite OCD with my reading too (well, with most things), so I completely relate with loving the idea of dividing the book into 365 chapters across the year. There is also something spiritual about having a daily reading practice - like meditating on scripture. You'll know the book, and your self, so deeply by the end of such a practice. And, as you say, Sharon, it makes threading other books alongside much more pleasurable and achievable. Also - nice choice with the Christine Donougher! :)

hardcoreliterature
>>67735119

I recently had a new edition of Montaigne's essays turn up at my door. Now there's a frightening implement. A rucksack with that, Les Misérables, and Richardson's Clarissa could well cripple an avid reader!

Scott W

Montaigne has been hovering around my awareness for a while now. Are the essays varied in nature or do they build on one another? Is it the kind of book you could dip into now and again for an essay at a time on different topics?

Caroline P

Just popping in to say that I read Fantine as suggested and am now going back over it and rereading sections..but thought I might listen to just the Waterloo section on audible since I had some spare credits. I like audible but tend to listen to nonfiction because I prefer reading novels to listening to them, reading slows me down. Waterloo sounded a bit suited to audible. But I have to say I absolutely, totally loved that section and am now reading it. It is so well written and gripping. This from someone who loves prehistory really and have never liked battle history. So I think it is well worth reading.

Cindy

I never wanted to read this book. For some reason the movie trailer I saw made me decide it was not for me (some weird prejudice I seem to have - 'O no, they start singing'). I did have a vintage edition of the book though, the Julie Rose translation. It seems like I'm the only one that's reading that one at the moment. The main critique seems to be that the language is too modern. I don't think I'm going to mind. I just started reading it to give it a try and ended up reading quite a bit in one evening. Loving it so far! That's why I enjoy this bookclub. I would never have started reading this myself, and so love to see my expectations exceeded. Who knows, I might even give the movie a go (after finishing the book of course). Thanks Ben!

hardcoreliterature
>>68102085

Montaigne is tremendous. And a Pisces like Hugo (and yours truly). The essays are incredibly varied. He's definitely earned his reputation as the father of the personal essay. He wrote about everything - especially things one "shouldn't" discuss in polite company. I would recommend the Everyman hardback version of his complete works, as the translation is quite good. You may also like Sarah Bakewell's 'How to Live: A Life of Montaigne'. It's a great biography and introduction to the spirit of his works. If you're looking to dive into specific essays, my personal favourites are 'Of Experience' and 'Of Physiognomy', but you can't go wrong simply opening the book anywhere or picking something that sounds interesting out from the contents page. It's perfect for dipping in every now and then!

hardcoreliterature
>>68255504

Perfect :) I'm thrilled that you're rereading as you go along. It's a reading approach that many are apprehensive about, but once you do it with one author (like Proust), you find yourself wanting to do it to every author you wish to get a lot out of - and it works so well. Hugo gets some flack for Waterloo, but it's incredible history writing. Apparently he wrote the section during a long creative pause when working on Les Misérables. He found himself fascinated by the history, poring over military maps, talking to those in the know, and retracing across the grounds. He was so inspired that he wrote that long section, and, from what I remember reading, some tried to dissuade him from putting it in the novel because it didn't fit - but, given the choice, how could one remove it? It's incredible.

hardcoreliterature
>>68313793

Having read through the opening of the Julie Rose translation, I must say I like it. Very crisp and readable. And I'm so happy that you're reading this one despite being apprehensive about it. I enjoyed the film because I love a good musical (Guys and Dolls, Singin' in the Rain, The Greatest Showman - all right up my street), but I've heard from so many readers who wish the film hadn't been made. I can understand where they're coming from. If you do give the movie a go after the book, I'd love to know what you think. Maybe it takes 10 minutes to get used to the singing, and then the emotional power will sweep you up. I'm thinking of doing a "watch along" of the movie at the end of the group reading if members are interested :)

Bill Freeman

Arlington, Virginia - USA Ben – I am coming out of a slump, and while I have been reading, I sat down today and read through the first 90 pages. More accurately, I picked up where I was and read about five chapters to bring me to page 90 in the Denny translation. This video provided a much larger reading lens of a year, six months, or even three months. My thoughts, at this point, are the tremendous graciousness of the bishop and welcoming of Jean Vlajean in his time of desperate need. I was moved by his welcome of Vlajean, who had been so rejected expected the same only to be met by the humble graciousness of the bishop's goodness. It resonates with me at a deep level, of the need for forgiveness, the extravagant love of God, and the poverty of many of his followers. That’s all I want to share at this point.