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680 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 1862
„În cimitirul Père-Lachaise, aproape de groapa comună..., într-un colţ pustiu, lângă un zid crăpat, sub o tisă pe care urcă o iederă, printre smocuri de pir şi de muşchi, e o piatră... Ploaia a înverzit-o, vîntul a înnegrit-o. Nu e pe lîngă ea nici o potecă, şi lumii nu-i place să meargă pînă acolo... Această piatră nu are pe ea nici o însemnare. Nu s-a gîndit nimeni, tăind-o, decît la mărimea unui mormînt şi n-a vrut nimeni decît s-o facă destul de lungă şi destul de îngustă ca să acopere un om. Nu e scris pe ea nici un nume”.
One can see here the impact of Les Miserables on the Second Empire…. The State was trying to clear its name. The Emperor and Empress performed some public acts of charity and brought philanthropy back into fashion. There was a sudden surge of official interest in penal legislation, the industrial exploitation of women, the care of orphans, and the education of the poor. From his rock in the English Channel, Victor Hugo, who can more fairly be called ‘the French Dickens’ than Balzac, had set the parliamentary agenda for 1862.In that regard, it was a little like Uncle Tom's Cabin. This achievement definitely earns it its place in the French canon. However, I think like Uncle Tom's Cabin, its age definitely shows. Overall, I'm glad I read it but outside of its historical value—the history of the novel, the socio-cultural conditions of France in the 19th century—I'm not sure it's worthwhile ploughing through. I definitely didn't enjoy it as much as some of the other canonical works of that period. Personally, unless you have some kind of fetish for 19th century works, I'd stick to just watching the musical. It has much better songs. And it'll take less time.