October 27, 2000 ~ Oh! The Humanity!

Maybe it's the modern, "make it short and sweet" mentality. Maybe it's the media "sound bite" generation. I honestly can't understand why so many people say that the unabridged Les Miserables is not worth reading. All 1,600 pages are well worth the read. Sure, it has long sections that are not specifically related to the actual plot, but it is precisely that fact that makes Les Mis such an amazing book.

The abridged version of Les Mis that sits on my bookshelf begins in what is actually Book Two of the original version, where Jean Valjean, the weary traveler, enters the town of Digne. The entire contents of Book One, seventy pages of well-crafted characterization, in which the intriguing and lovable character of Bishop Bienvenu is described in depth, are cut from the story entirely. This seems to me to be the result of a tendency in the literary world to put a great deal more emphasis on plotline than on character development, on meaning. In the abridged version, one is forced to focus on what happens, i.e. the plot, instead of what is actually being conveyed through the rich tapestry of characters and their carefully described development.

In this masterful novel, as in life, the characters do not depend on the plotline; the plotline depends on the characters. In other words, it seems as if Hugo created a whole world full of rich and intricate characters, and the plot, instead of being the central purpose of the novel, develops only because it is a device to further deepen the detailed characters. It is what the characters do.

I love this book. It is quickly becoming my all-time favorite book ever. I am actually considering learning French, just so that I may read this book in the original language! I've only read half of it, but I am enthralled. When I am done, I am going to want to read it over again, to catch everything I missed the first time. It is tragic and epic in its scope. I am in love with the characters. Hugo truly transcends all social boundaries through this novel. He brings you straight down into the intricacies, horrors, and beauties of France surrounding the period of the French Revolution. His humanity, vision, and compassion are to be envied.

I want to write as Hugo writes. I want to delve into the depths of the human soul and psyche and bring my readers on an epic and tragic journey through real lives and heart wrenching stories. I want my writing to breathe, to live, and to bring tears to all eyes that scan it.

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